A new interview with CEO Jim Ryan sheds more light on how PlayStation maintains its quality standard in game development. Ryan has been a source of criticism lately since a report said that Sony only cares about blockbuster titles. Criticisms were bolstered by the news that Days Gone wouldn’t receive a sequel due to its sales compared to other titles like Ghost of Tsushima. However, Ryan has denied these reports, saying that PlayStation is a place for innovation and experimentation.
In recent weeks, Death Stranding and Ghost of Tsushima have had extended director’s cuts announced, which are coming out later this year. Fans took umbrage with Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut’s $30 PS5 upgrade and Death Stranding Director’s Cut’s $10 PS5 upgrade. Additionally, Blue Box Studios’s mysterious Abandoned has been the subject of conspiracy theories from fans who believe that it is somehow related to the next entry in the Silent Hill franchise. Rumors are also circulating that PlayStation’s next event, either a State of Play or PlayStation Experience, is expected to happen in August.
During an interview with Chinese publication TMTPOST, Ryan explained that the philosophy for game development at PlayStation is providing the best game possible, but only when it's ready. While he doesn't cite examples of how games at PlayStation have benefited from this process, he does list Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart as an example of what he is looking for when he says the best games. Ryan believes that people only the best games rather than an “OK” game. Here is his translated quote:
“[P]eople like me need to keep those two things in mind and realize that it is better to wait and have a great game than to rush and have a game that is okay or quite good. Players only [the] best games rather than OK games. If it is [the] best game, players may want a sequel, and they will also want to buy a sequel, but no one really cares about a game that is only OK. Of course, due to financial and product portfolio considerations, we will also give pressure to studios to deliver a certain product within the expected time. But in general, we don't want products that are OK, we want the best.” - Ryan
Some may interpret this as a confirmation that PlayStation doesn’t care about anything but blockbusters, but that may not be the case. Ryan says later in the interview that he doesn’t give input directly to the developers during the development process despite being CEO. Rather, he trusts the studios to deliver the best possible product without compromising their vision or creativity. Ryan’s words also echo that of industry legend and Legend of Zelda creator Shigeru Miyamoto’s iconic quote, "A delayed game is eventually good, but a rushed game is forever bad."
Whether or not the internet will believe Ryan’s words is unknown, but both PlayStation and Nintendo’s results speak for themselves. It’s been some time since either company has put out a bad exclusive, let alone an “OK” game. Perhaps this ideology will make its way around the industry, as recent AAA game releases like Cyberpunk 2077 demonstrate the danger inherent in rushing a video game to release.
Source: TMTPOST
