The State of Sony's Gaming Division

[Randoman]

So lately I've heard a lot of negative things about Sony's Gaming Division and the Playstation brand in general. Between Sony being really censor happy with most games releasing on their console, PC fans not being happy with how Sony is handling PC ports of their games, and losing game exclusivity with Square Enix, things really seem to be looking bad for Sony. However, I don't know if people are just exaggerating the severity of these problems, or if these problems are severe enough to the point that there may not be a PS5 successor with the way things are going at this rate. I also heard that Sony in general (not just its gaming division) is in the red, and has around 30 billion dollars in debt.

So what do you think guys think of the state of Sony's Gaming Division? Are they in trouble? Are they doing fine? Are there any other problems, silver linings, or recent positives that you feel should be brought up in this discussion? For the purposes of this thread, you can talk about the state of Sony as a whole if you think this thread warrants it, since I'd imagine a company like Sony gaining or losing lots of money in non-gaming departments will eventually affect their gaming department.

Also, let's please keep the console wars talk (this includes PC gaming), game company bashing, and the "Triple A Gaming is dying and indies will rule the world" talk to a minimum. I don't want a flame war. I just want a clearer understanding of what's going on in the game industry, specifically what's going on with one of its bigger players.

[Zapp Branniglenn]

16 minutes ago, Randoman said:

I also heard that Sony in general (not just its gaming division) is in the red, and has around 30 billion dollars in debt.

This was always the Quiet Part regarding Sony as a corporation. Sony Interactive Entertainment (Playstation) has been their most consistent electronics brand since its inception and it probably has kept them afloat all these years. There's no other field of electronics (TVs, audio, phones) where they're a major competitor, if they even still make them as of 2024. They also lost a very expensive bid to usurp the DVD with their Blu-Ray disc format - which ties into the failures of the PS3 incidentally. Sony Pictures is the only thing I can think of that's somewhat successful. They've got a karate death grip on their exclusivity deal regarding Spider-man and critical flops like Madame Web and Morbius seem to still be turning in big enough numbers because Superhero Fatigue is still a fake buzzword I guess.

I think Playstation is fine, at least in the short term. They got a big bump during the pandemic like every other game company. And now they're laying off a thousand employees which is certainly the Headline that's been going around. Their publishing first party games on PC might come off as an act of desperation, but that's sooooo many more sales that they can get out of games like Helldivers 2 and Destiny. And game development is taking longer with much higher budgets. We've seen leaked numbers, that last Spiderman game cost more than a MCU movie to make. It's not sustainable like it used to be, especially as more and more of their first party game development happens outside Japan and American game companies are getting closer and closer to unionizing. So bringing the big budget single player games to Steam a year or two after Playstation can really help recoup those costs without damaging the value of owning a system.

Not that I think anyone ought to especially care about the state of Sony, but they've been through bleaker days. They bought EVO for some reason, it looks like they've got the money to throw around and stay cemented in the industry

[Lord_Brand]

I have a theory regarding how Sony and other companies have stayed afloat, but it involves political subject matter I'd rather not discuss here. The simple apolitical version is that I suspect taxes are being funneled to them via third parties.

[Fabulously Olivier]

13 hours ago, Randoman said:

Between Sony being really censor happy with most games releasing on their console

This is a non-issue that always says more about those complaining than it does about those doing the "censorship." The censored thing is never anything of substance. It isn't speech. It isn't philosophy. It isn't anything political - and indeed, a vocal minority of gamers loudly advocate for censorship of politics in games. No, gamers complain when vapid things are censored - namely, nudity.

[Lord_Brand]

Funny, I don't recall hearing resounding cries of "MORE NEKKID PEOPLE!"

[Fabulously Olivier]

17 minutes ago, Lord_Brand said:

Funny, I don't recall hearing resounding cries of "MORE NEKKID PEOPLE!"

Someone hasn't been paying attention to the great Stellar Blade non-troversy of 2024.

[Lord_Brand]

I don't follow Sony news ever since I disavowed them in 2020, but in the interest of being informed I looked it up. So...what's the problem, exactly? Girl's got defined booty cheeks?

[Fabulously Olivier]

13 minutes ago, Lord_Brand said:

I don't follow Sony news ever since I disavowed them in 2020, but in the interest of being informed I looked it up. So...what's the problem, exactly? Girl's got defined booty cheeks?

Essentially to boil it down, a half-decent NieR Automata clone has been made the center of attention because dwindling right wing content creators made up a fake controversy that people are so mad about this fanservice game (they weren't). And then the game got further controversy because the western release added slightly more fabric to some costumes, and removed a probably-unintentional ingame "Hard-R" reference.

 

But like, it's not exactly unique. You can find plenty of censorship debates, including with Fire Emblem itself, and always based on fanservice.

[Lord_Brand]

According to TV Tropes, Shift Up did originally promise to release the game uncensored in all countries, and then promptly issued a day one censorship patch. So, I can understand certain fans feeling put out by the sudden 180, especially those who preordered the game.

There was an article claiming the protagonist was designed by someone who'd never seen a woman, despite that someone having a wife and basing Eve on Korean supermodel Shin Jae-Eun.

Though I'm not interested in that specific game, I'm pro-fanservice myself, so long as the game is rated accordingly. Fanservice makes a character more interesting for a lot of people. Yes, you can make an argument about favoring an interesting personality, but then it's perfectly possible to design a character who's both fanservicy and has an interesting personality. It's simply a matter of making the inside and outside both appealing.

Edited June 5 by Lord_Brand

[Lightcosmo]

8 hours ago, Fabulously Olivier said:

But like, it's not exactly unique. You can find plenty of censorship debates, including with Fire Emblem itself, and always based on fanservice.

Speaking of, isnt a game always technically fan service? They arent making the game so players can hate it. Lol

Saying they are "attempting to appeal to players" well... That is always the goal, I would hope? Why design things that players would hate? That sounds silly to me. Xd

Edited June 6 by Lightcosmo