Many were disappointed when it was revealed that some of the PS5’s biggest titles—games like Sackboy: A Big Adventure, Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Horizon: Forbidden West, and more—would also come to the last-generation PS4 console. PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan, however, says making cross-generation games for both the PS4 and PS5 is both the “right” and the “rational” thing to do.
Ryan’s statement comes from the latest issue of Edge Magazine, where he talked about the company’s obligations to the 100+ million PS4 owners out there. “We do feel that we have a responsibility to that very large community, and an opportunity to carry on making great PS4 games for as long as the need is there,” Ryan stated. “And I think that is the right thing to do, it’s the rational thing to do, and I think you will see a tail with PS4 that you did not see with PS3. But that said, as time passes, you’re going to see more and more emphasis on PS5 development and the PS5 SKU will be the lead SKU.
The PS4’s planned long tail is supported by the PS5’s backwards compatibility feature, which allows players to still enjoy PS4 games even if they move on to the next-gen system. However, many players feel like Sony isn’t taking full advantage of the new console’s capabilities by creating games for both. And at one point, that was Sony’s stance too, in stark opposition to Microsoft’s strategy with the Xbox family of consoles.
There are still some games only available on the new tech. Demon’s Souls, the upcoming Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Godfall, and a smattering of other games can only be played on Sony’s new SSD-enhanced console, but there are a lot of questions about other games like the next God of War (commonly referred to as God of War: Ragnarok, though without official name at this time). Ryan has previously avoided the question of if it will be a PS5 exclusive, which many take to mean it’s headed to PS4 as well.
More recently, Sony’s position has changed somewhat, defending cross-gen titles by saying the PS5 versions are “built from the ground up” for the new console. It’s a shift in tone that matches what Xbox execs have been saying all year about not moving too quickly onto new technology and leaving people behind, but improving the experiences for the more powerful consoles.
Sony executives have previous talked about the full transition from PS4 to PS5 overlapping by about three years, however, they’ve also said they want to move from PS4 to PS5 at a “scale and pace” never seen before.
With the PS5 in short supply and high demand, it’s a tough console to find right now, which does lend credence to Sony’s ongoing support of the PS4. However, many feel that the fundamental changes in game design that could occur thanks to the PS5 SSD (like we’re seeing with Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart) are being held back by the need to get games working cross-gen.
Recently Ryan also said that Sony isn’t hearing complaints about the small PS5 SSD storage space, despite consumers and even a famed Nintendo developer speaking out about running out of space already.
[Via: Wccftech]
