Co-CEO Hermen Hulst said in a new interview that Sony is willing to explore PlayStation’s past IP and classic game series. In a wide-ranging conversation with Famitsu, Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) Studio Business Group CEO Hulst talked about the PlayStation portfolio, IP expansion and expanding the range of games available on the platform. The executive said Sony is constantly reviewing its game portfolio and exploring new genres.
Sony considering older PlayStation IP
In addition to existing popular series such as “God of War”, “The Last of Us” and “Ratchet and Clank”, Sony also has a large number of classic series and old IP from the previous generation of game consoles. Helst said PlayStation parent company is exploring bringing back some of those games.
“The many IPs we hold are important assets for PlayStation, and as part of our efforts to strengthen our portfolio, we continually look for opportunities to leverage past IP and develop new franchises,” Hulst said in an interview with Famitsu published on Saturday (translated from Japanese).
Sony owns several popular IPs that have been dormant for years, including series such as Bloodborne, Infamous, and Resistance. Classic game series such as “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” “Jake and Daxter,” “Sly Cooper,” and “Siphon Filter” can also be revived.
The SIE co-CEO also stressed the importance of working with outside studios to expand PlayStation’s offerings.
“The key is to have a broad range of games in your portfolio that players of all ages can enjoy,” Hulst said. “To provide PlayStation players with fresh fun and experiences, we are constantly reviewing our portfolio to expand the types of games we are looking for and launch new ones.
“We aim to publish games from some of the best creators in the world, both internally and externally, and we’ve had a lot of success by working closely with external development studios.”
However, Hulst did not disclose the number of first-party games currently in development for PS5, but said that there are many games in development. “We have a wide range of games in our portfolio, so there’s definitely something for everyone,” he said.
Sony-owned studios are developing their next projects, but only a handful of first-party games have been confirmed. Sucker Punch’s Soul of the Rams is set to launch in 2025, while Insomniac Games is developing a Wolverine game. Naughty Dog announced its next project, a new IP – StarCraft: Prophets of Heretic – at The Game Awards 2024.
Hulst’s comments on PlayStation IP come after Sony Chief Financial Officer Hiroki Totoki said in September that the company didn’t have enough original IP.
“Whether it’s games, movies or anime, we don’t have that much intellectual property right from the beginning,” Totoki told the Financial Times in an interview. “We lacked (intellectual property) in the early stages and that was a problem for us.”
