PlayStation may ‘cancel so many games’, but that’s a good thing
Fail to succeed
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Shuhei Yoshida, former PlayStation boss, discussed just how much time and effort goes into making the smash hit games thatSonyis known for.
On the outside, it may look like PlayStation is incapable of producing anything that doesn’t hit the grand heights ofGod of WarandThe Last of Us Part 1,but in actuality, there are a lot more games that fans don’t see. Yoshida said in an interview withThe GuardianPlayStation tends to axe “so many games” to “save” developers from experiencing a creative block and getting stuck on one game for too long.
While PlayStation takes on a significant amount of new ideas, the publisher doesn’t hesitate to put ideas to the test early on. “We do a prototype, we evaluate, we decide whether to spend more time and resources, or we just stop”, Yoshida said. “We cancel so many games”.
Risky business
While cancelling liabilities may seem like a good mantra for ensuring an almost perfect report card, it’s not without risks. In the same interview, Yoshida explained thatGod of Warcost PlayStation around $44m to make andGod of War Ragnarokcost an eye-watering $200m. So thanks to the sunken cost fallacy cancelling big-budget games tend to be slightly harder.
That being said, PlayStation has had its fair share of big-name cancellations. Back in 2015, theSilent Hilltitle that was to be published by Konami ended up getting cancelled after three years of development. While the exact reasons for the cancellation are unknown creative differences are widely believed to be the reason behind Kojima and Konami parting ways. As a fan of the franchise and someone who loved every horrific moment ofP.T., I’d be lying if I said it didn’t hurt, but it was probably for the best.
For fans of long-running franchises, there’s nothing worse than getting a title in a series that you’d probably rather forget; I’m looking at you,Resident Evil 5. I’d rather have fewer games that are well thought out rather than a flood of sub-par titles that seem like filler. Couple this with PlayStation’s outstanding track record, and I think it’s safe to say that the publisher knows what it’s doing.
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Elie is a Features Writer for TechRadar Gaming, here to write about anything new or slightly weird. Before writing for TRG, Elie studied for a Masters at Cardiff University JOMEC in International Journalism and Documentaries – spending their free time filming short docs or editing the gaming section for their student publications.
Elie’s first step into gaming was through Pokémon but they’ve taken the natural next step in the horror genre. Any and every game that would keep you up at night is on their list to play - despite the fact that one of Elie’s biggest fears is being chased.
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