Sony is one of the last major publishers really championing traditional single-player experiences. While multiplayer live-service-supported titles increasingly dominate the triple-A scene, Sony continues to put out games like Horizon Zero Dawn, God of War, and Detroit: Become Human. Well, that may be about to change.
In a recent interview with Business Insider, PlayStation Shawn Layden was asked if he thought Sony had any weaknesses. His response was surprisingly frank.
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“I think all those things we do [story-driven games] really well. What we don’t do so much in is multiplayer.”
Business Insider pressed further, asking whether Layden was referring to local multiplayer or online live-service-supported games…
“Couch co-op – I mean, that’s a whole category I think the industry needs to look back at. We have that with sports titles, and some racing titles, but not with much else. And I think that speaks to the power of the internet on the one hand, but otherwise we might wanna revisit that to get more family engagement in the gaming experience.
But, no, I was referencing […] things like GTA Online, or you look at Call of Duty, or Fortnite, or any of those experiences. Worldwide Studios, like I say, we’ve been going really heavy into story-driven gaming. The power of the narrative. Big, spectacular experiences. But not a whole lot in the multiplayer side of things, I think. That’s an area where you will likely see us start to make more noise in the new term.”
I certainly understand Sony wanting to get a taste of that Fortnite action, but I think they’re doing something more unique and important by continuing to fund big-budget single-player projects. And these games sell well! God of War and Horizon Zero Dawn were big successes! So, hopefully they continue to do a mix of stuff – I’d be fine with more multiplayer, but don’t leave the story-driven experiences behind.
What do you think? Should Sony delve more into multiplayer, or would you prefer they stick mostly to single-player stuff?
