Former PlayStation executive Shuhei Yoshida reveals he would have resisted Sony's controversial live service gaming push, citing inherent risks. Yoshida, SIE Worldwide Studios president from 2008-2019, expressed concerns to Kinda Funny Games about Sony's live service investment strategy.
This statement comes amidst significant challenges for PlayStation's live service titles. While Helldivers 2 achieved remarkable success, becoming the fastest-selling PlayStation Studios game ever, other ventures have faltered. Concord, a notable failure, was shut down after a short lifespan due to extremely low player numbers, representing a substantial financial loss (estimated at around $200 million by Kotaku, a figure that reportedly didn't cover full development costs or IP rights). This followed the cancellation of Naughty Dog's The Last of Us multiplayer project and, recently, two unannounced live service games.
Yoshida, departing Sony after 31 years, hypothetically positioned himself as current CEO Hermen Hulst, suggesting he would have advocated against the heavy investment in live service games at their inception. He emphasized the financial responsibility of allocating resources, questioning the wisdom of diverting funds from established franchises like God of War to potentially less profitable live service ventures. He acknowledged Sony's increased investment in live service after his departure, noting that the company simultaneously continued support for single-player titles. While recognizing the inherent risk and low probability of success in a highly competitive market, Yoshida believes the strategy might ultimately yield positive results, pointing to the unexpected success of Helldivers 2 as an example of the unpredictable nature of the industry.
Sony's financial reports reflect this mixed bag. President, COO, and CFO Hiroki Totoki acknowledged lessons learned from both Helldivers 2's success and Concord's failure, highlighting the need for earlier user testing and internal evaluation during development. Totoki also criticized Sony's "siloed organization" and Concord's release window, suggesting internal communication issues and market saturation contributed to its downfall, given its launch proximity to Black Myth: Wukong.
Senior vice president Sadahiko Hayakawa further emphasized the contrasting outcomes of Helldivers 2 and Concord, emphasizing the importance of sharing lessons learned across studios to improve development management and post-launch content strategies. He highlighted the company's intention to balance the development of single-player titles (with their proven track record) and riskier live service games within their portfolio.
Despite these setbacks, several PlayStation live service games remain under development, including Bungie's Marathon, Guerrilla's Horizon Online, and Haven Studio's Fairgame$.
