Published , by Sam Chandler
Published , by Sam Chandler
The PlayStation 4 has been a massive success for Sony, and the company is looking to continue this growth through studio acquisitions in the lead up to the release of the PlayStation 5. This news comes from the Sony earnings call, where it was revealed that the company will look to “enhance content IP”.
This information comes courtesy of Twitter user, @Nibellion, who offered the following tweet.
“Continue to pursue growth investment opportunities to enhance content IP,” is quite a business-like way of saying: purchase game studios to make first-party games. At least, that’s what’s implied.
It does however make sense. With the release of the PlayStation 5 coming next year, Sony will need to ensure a continual supply of games. An acquisition now could see new IPs releasing in 2021 or 2022. What’s more, Sony has already started the acquisition process.
It was only in August that Sony revealed the purchase of Insomniac Games, developers of the best-selling superhero game ever, Marvel’s Spider-Man. By having more studios creating games for your own platform, you can convince more players to purchase your next console.
Sony is also aware that just because your console is currently leading the pack, doesn’t mean your next one will. In an interview with Wired, Jim Ryan, the CEO of Sony Interactive, stated, “The track record of the incumbent platform winning the next time around is not a great one. So the major thrust of my executive energy is to avoid complacency.”
This can be seen with the success of the PlayStation 2, then the dominance of the Xbox 360, followed by the pack-leading PlayStation 4. Because of this flip-flop, Sony doesn’t want to let their guard down. If history is anything to go on, Microsoft could come out on top with Project Scarlet.
But, past performance is no guarantee of future results. This can be taken both ways. To ensure Sony maintains its momentum, acquiring studios is a no-brainer. By purchasing a studio, Sony ensures that any products created can only launch on its platform, and provided they’re as popular as Marvel’s Spider-Man, gamers will hand over their cash.
As for what companies Sony may acquire, it’s anyone’s guess. There are a lot of theories flying around, and a lot of wishing. Some Twitter users are suggesting Kojima Productions, From Software, and even Remedy Entertainment. All of these are good suggestions and more or less fit Sony’s history of creating engaging single-player content. But Sony could go the route of Nintendo and do something no one expects: acquire a company that’s known for making popular esports titles.
In an interview with Time in 2017, Jim Ryan revealed that Sony is paying close attention to esports. He goes so far as to state, “We’re trying to find precisely what the role of the platform holder is in that value chain. Seeing how we can actually make the whole eSports thing bigger, better, different and bespoke to PlayStation is something you’re going to be hearing quite a lot about in the next year or two.”
It’s now been two years since that comment, and with esports continuing to be an unstoppable force, Sony could very well be looking to enter, or support, the competitive scene. It would be a good move, especially given Microsoft’s Halo Infinite is due out next year, and Halo has always been an incredibly popular series for esports.
The PS5 is still a year away, give or take a month, but game creation is a long process. By acquiring studios now, Sony can offer players top-notch titles that can only be played on one device, the PlayStation 5.