PlayStation invests more in the live service than in single-player
Sony Interactive Entertainment is known for its single-player games that are centered around stories. Think of all the great PlayStation games released in the past. The vast majority fall under this category.
There are many examples of Sony providing what players desire, with excellent results. From God of War to Marvel’s Spider-Man there is a wide range of titles that Sony has delivered. Herman Hulst, PlayStation Studio’s head, assured fans last year that PlayStation would never abandon narrative single-player titles. Recent investment statistics seem to suggest otherwise.
recently released financial results reveal that Sony plans to invest 55% of the PS5 budget this year into games with a live service and only 45% in single-player games. By 2025 this disparity is expected to be greater, with 60% going toward live-service games and 40% toward single-player titles.
In 2019, Sony spent 88% of their budget on single-player titles and only 12% on live service. In 2019, PlayStation was in the middle of its golden age, as God of War 2018 was released the year prior (of course) and The Last of Us Part II is currently in development for release in 2020.
There’s no question that PlayStation fans are feeling nervous. Tom Warren of the Verge reported that Hulst had confirmed 12 games for Sony’s live service are in development. We’ll be hearing a lot about these over time.
