A reader gives their opinion on what Sony should do differently next generation and how the PlayStation 6 can exceed the PS5.
Like most people, I’m shocked that there’s already serious talk about the PlayStation 6, considering it doesn’t seem as if the PlayStation 5 has even got into second gear yet.
If that’s the plan though, then I guess we just have to accept it. But I hope that this is going to signal a major turnaround in how Sony runs its business, because they have been really off the ball in the last few years.
They are still ahead of Xbox though, by a long way, so here are my six ideas of what they need to do with the PlayStation 6 to keep it that way.
1. More single-player games. The success of PlayStation, especially the PlayStation 4, is built squarely on award-winning single-player games and I have no idea why Sony has stopped making them. If it’s because they’re taking too long then figure something out, like making them shorter like Spider-Man: Miles Morales, because one game per developer every generation is not going to cut it.
2. Stop making live service games. This is the flipside of the same issue but it’s more than just live service games, it’s to stop chasing fads in general. When was the last time any of that actually worked out? From motion controls to NFTs, it’s all just nonsense that nobody wants and distracts from the task of making proper games. All publishers fall for it at some point, but Sony can’t afford to be distracted anymore.
3. Stop releasing games on PC. Controversial perhaps but this is destroying the point of getting a PlayStation 5 and if there’s no point in getting the console then Sony are just going to be in a slow spiral towards going third party, like Microsoft. A lot of their games haven’t even been successful on PC anyway, so it just needlessly takes away from the importance and uniqueness of owning a PlayStation console.
4. Experiment with streaming and AI. Xbox might seem done as a competitor at the moment, but I think they’re just biding their time until streaming is a viable thing for everyone. They’re also bound to use AI for something too. Microsoft has big advantages here so Sony cannot afford to get behind or feel complacent, especially as they used to have an advantage in streaming – that they never took advantage of. Just because streaming isn’t big right now doesn’t mean it won’t be important soon, and probably by the next gen.
5. Don’t ignore Japan. For decades one of PlayStation’s big benefits has been that it’s a Japanese company and so has a unique perspective compared to American companies, plus built-in good relations with Japanese developers. The world has rejected Xbox so Sony should see that as a reason to lean into being Japanese rather than trying to act like they’re American. Make more Japanese games, set-up more Japanese developers, and be more weird in your marketing.
6. Be more communicative. The problem with PlayStation the last few years is that they’ve made a bad situation worse by having so few State of Plays and almost all of them being lame. We hardly ever see the people in charge in videos or interviews and we never get any explanation of what’s going on or what they’re planning. It’s like they don’t want to talk to the fans except in the most bland and controlled way possible. This has got to change. Announce your games as soon as you know what they are, talk about your future plans, and try to act like you care what fans think.
By reader Looman
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