In an interview withGamesindustry.biz, PlayStation CEO and President Jim Ryan says major first-party titles may not come to PlayStation Now anytime soon.
“It’s an area that is fast-changing and fluid,” says Ryan. “The nature and scale of some of the first-party games that we are making leads us to think that, right now, it’s better to spend energy on making sure that the launch of those games is a massive entertainment event. I would citeGod of WarandSpider-Man, andThe Last of Us Part 2next year will fall into that category.”
Jim Ryan’s statement comes over a month afterPlayStation slashed the price of the streaming service in halffrom $20 a month to $10. An annual subscription also went from $100 to $60 per year. Additionally, PlayStation has addedUncharted 4: A Thief’s End,Infamous: Second Son, andGod of Warto the service’s lineup.
“That’s where we stand right now. But our stance on the inclusion of first-party games in PlayStation Now in terms of what we’ve done this month is very different to our stance 12 months ago,” continues Ryan. “I don’t want to say this is what PlayStation Now is going to be like forever. But certainly right now, given how some of our first-party IP is incredibly special and valuable, we just want to treat them with amazing care and respect, and have those launches clean and pure.”
Recently, it was announced that Guerilla Games' Herman Hulst will bethe new head of PlayStation’s Worldwide Studios. As for Shuhei Yoshida, he’ll move onto lead a new indie-game focused initiative.
“Everybody knows just how passionate Shu is about independent games – they are the lifeblood of the industry, making our content portfolio so special for our gamers,” says Jim Ryan in anotherGamesindustry.biz article. “These wildly creative experiences deserve focus, and a champion like Shu at PlayStation who will ensure the entire SIE organization works together to better engage with independent developers through a culture of supporting and celebrating their contributions to PlayStation platforms.”
