1000°

Welcoming Haven Studios to the PlayStation Studios family

Montreal-based studio’s first new IP for PlayStation is a AAA multiplayer experience.

Read Full Story >>
blog.playstation.com
GaboonViper799d ago

Very nice, look forward to see what they are cooking up.

Terry_B799d ago

Mass market Shit. This acquisition was a mistake.

arkard799d ago (Edited 799d ago )

Mass market pays the bills. And we literally know next to nothing about the game.

BehindTheRows799d ago

I'm sure you know that better than Sony...

798d ago
NotoriousWhiz798d ago

^ I dislike when people ask pointed questions with no basis for the question.

Vengeance1138798d ago

You expect hyper niche, obscure studio games to sell millions?? You must be brand new to gaming, welcome!

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 798d ago
z2g798d ago

Sony prepping for live service games. Same reason they bought Bungie.

neutralgamer1992798d ago

I think we should wait and see before passing judgement. Sony this generation wants to focus on MP along with single player. They have the IP's just need the right developers

We could see Bungie take over killzone of socom and really do justice to the IP'

arkard

You are right sir one hit AAA MP game can cover for multiple single player games. Sony wants their live service success like other big publishers and this way they can continue revenue each month while they can let their legacy studios keep making AAA Blockbusters

Last few Sony games have gotten 88/89 out of 100 and I see trolls making fun of that. I guess every game has to be 9.5/10. It's mindset like this that has closed down mid size publishers like THQ and midway to name a few. Right now gaming is either AAA or indie while there is definitely room for AA games

Nyxus799d ago

I hope the next studio they buy will be single player focused.

Nyxus799d ago

Well the upside is that if studios like Bungie and this one focus on multiplayer, the existing studios like Santa Monica, Insomniac and Naughty Dog can keep focusing on single player.

RaidenBlack799d ago

@Nyxus
Sony is also partnering with Deviation Games and Firewalk Studios to publish new multiplayer titles.
But the things is current studios are also shifting focus towards multiplayer/live-service projects.
Rumors are both Sucker Punch and Naughty Dog are focusing on a multiplayer/live-service game next. (Although ND seems to have 2 projects in development, but still) [And happy to proven the Sucker Punch rumor, wrong]
Pretty sure Cory Barlog's next project won't be live service one but who knows.

-Foxtrot799d ago

Literally was just going to say that

Like...come on Sony, first Bungie now this, they are both studios which are developing live service shit

Yes, I know, we haven't seen anything from this studio yet but live service/multiplayer is what it says on the tin, you know how it's probably going to go.

Vengeance1138799d ago

Like it or not Fortnite and Apex Legends make more money than any other game out there. Live Service prints money IF its done well. This is a very smart move for Sony to invest in live service.

-Foxtrot799d ago

“ very smart move for Sony to invest in live service”

Sure…until they become greedy

Vengeance1138799d ago

@foxtrot

Is Fortnite greedy? Apex Legends? I'd say so and yet, still the top games ever made and aren't going away anytime soon.

jznrpg799d ago (Edited 799d ago )

Well , many loved Socom and Warhawk and stuff like that so it makes sense as those were live service games and they were successful . It’s not like they never made these games they mostly took a break during PS4 .
There is room for both and I don’t mind them buying some companies for live service as it will help fund single player even if A lot of us won’t play the live service stuff .

Sony knows single player is what got them to where they are . They have expanded a lot and maybe some these studios who are making live service stuff work on single player someday too as they grow . who knows? it’s not out of the question .
Either way there is room for some live service stuff as long as it isn’t the focus as whole . They didn’t have live service studios and they bought a few lately so it seems like the focus but overall the majority of studios make single player games .

RauLeCreuset799d ago

@Foxtrot

Do you honestly not see the irony of raging at AAA single player game developers because some elements of a story weren't to your liking, only to later fly into a panic over Sony's direction because a couple of new acquisitions might maybe potentially release live service games?

What about your fandom would encourage a publisher to take a risk on a AAA single player experience instead of going for the easy live service money?

SurgicalMenace799d ago

@Foxtrot

The great thing about it all, greedy or not, you're not obligated to support it. It's awesome when the choice remains intact; imagine them forcing you to support.

TheTony316798d ago (Edited 798d ago )

Just because their first project is a multiplayer game doesn't mean that they won't make SP games in the future.

"Obviously we will always carry on making these single-player narrative-based games such as Ghost of Tsushima, The Last of Us, and Horizon Forbidden West," Hulst emphasises.

S2Killinit798d ago

Were you not one of the people that absolutely hated a single player game because of story decisions? Now you are the guardian of single player games because they went and bought a multiplayer focused developer…

On another note, this trend of buying studios is terrible. It points to the industry moving toward streaming services. We can all thank the gamepasses of the world for this.

+ Show (5) more repliesLast reply 798d ago
ABizzel1799d ago

We'll see. They're enhancing their multiplayer-focused experiences because a successful ongoing multiplayer game is a significantly larger and more consistent source of income compared to a single-player game. So these acquisitions are as important if not more as it keeps their current devs focused on making great single player.

I assume they'll have a couple of other notable acquisitions this year, and will partake in the publisher wars a bit later when they have their business goals on target (getting PS5 production improved, game roadmaps locked down for 2023 and beyond, launch PSVR2, and get pre-production PS5 slim and PS5 Pro done). All of which should be locked down sometime this year.

1Victor799d ago

I don’t t care my trigger is itching for a good online multiplayer like Warhawk and Starhawk my hawk withdrawal is driving crazier than LOGICWINS comments 😩.
If Sony buying more “live services” studios means I can get a amazing iconic game like those above they can take my wallet now

Jin_Sakai799d ago (Edited 799d ago )

“I hope the next studio they buy will be single player focused.“

Doesn’t really matter to me. I like variety. Sony already has many great single player games and more coming down the pipeline.

Nyxus799d ago

But they already acquired several multiplayer studios now. How many are people going to play? Don't they usually play the same game for a long time? That's different for single player games, there is more room for them in general since you finish them and move on to the next one.

Jin_Sakai799d ago

“But they already acquired several multiplayer studios now. How many are people going to play?“

Not every multiplayer game will be a hit so having many choices will be better and give a higher chance of one becoming a popular new franchise.

PS-Gamer-1986799d ago (Edited 799d ago )

@Jin_Sakai

This! I dislike live service games as much as the next guy, but i agree there have been many failed live service games for the ones that became successful.

If they land a smash hit and it also help fund great single player games, i'm ok with it, as long as their whole focus doesn't shift to making this kind of games.

TheTony316798d ago

Just because their first project is a multiplayer title doesn't mean that they won't make SP games in the future.

smashman98798d ago

Sonys single player is rock solid tho. They consistently put out the best single player games every year.

UncertainCategory798d ago (Edited 798d ago )

Acquisitions fill gaps. Sony has single player on lock, they make some of the best story based single player games in the business. Their multiplayer and live service offerings though are not at the same level. Most if not all of the highest played PSN+ online games are not first party.

Makes sense they would make acquisitions that improve their competitiveness in areas where they are currently weak, rather than reinforce areas they already have dominance in. This is a smart acquisition for them.

FinalFantasyFanatic798d ago

I don't even play many online multiplayer games (I only play one or two games on/off, I can go weeks without playing one), most of my multiplayer games are couch multiplayer, and there's not many of those games these days.

I appreciate single player games more, alot of multiplayer games don't hold my attention, or they get shutdown after a short period (Titanfall 2, I wish I had more time with that game).

+ Show (5) more repliesLast reply 798d ago
JEECE799d ago

Hmm, buying a studio so early is an odd move for Sony. They must have been impressed with the initial work they have seen from Haven, and wanted to lock them down.

Christopher799d ago

I'm thinking that it's also much harder to get funding for new studios with the way the market is today and the volatility of studios as the industry is moving very fast with acquisitions lately. This might have a lot more to do with funding than general interest.

Bladesfist799d ago

Even if you fund a new studio you need experienced devs so you're probably going to poach talent from somewhere. Zero to hero is super rare in AAA game development.

FinalFantasyFanatic798d ago

@Bladesfist,

I was actually trying to find out what this studio has done before (they seem to have some experienced devs from other studios), they've put out nothing yet, but looking at the talents there, they've had people working on a wide variety of games. So I'm not sure what kind of game to expect from them.

Ozzy2407799d ago

Jade Raymond got a good background in Games coming from Ubisoft she wes the Producer of a few of the Assassins Creed games, Farcry , Sims

Imortus_san799d ago

They only buy extra cheap studios.

SullysCigar799d ago

Sure, there's some truth to that. Cheap doesn't equal bad.

They sure seem to buy wise and for a specific purpose, rather than for impact/headlines.

Insomniac looks more like a steal every time Phil sticks his hand in his boss's wallet.

798d ago
Chevalier798d ago

Insomniacs was 'cheap' yet their Spiderman game literally outsells every single Xbox studios games what's your point?! Bet you Insomniacs has their 2nd 20+ million selling game before Xbox studios even has 1.

Teflon02798d ago

Not too odd for them. Mm was almost this situation if I remember correctly. They went to Nintendo, MS and Sony about funding and publishing LittleBIGPlanet. Sony was on board and unless I remember wrong, it was only a few months after it dropped that Sony acquired them and that was their first title I think. I honestly don't remember it well. But I feel it was almost the same

SonyStyled798d ago

Based off my memory Media Molecule was purchased after LBP2 released in 2010/11. Founded by former Lionhead Studios devs

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 798d ago
sparky77799d ago

Smart to buy them now when they are dirt cheap, hopefully their game is a success.

798d ago
SoulWarrior799d ago

Just hope Jim and Herman don't forget it's the excellent array of SP games that's brought them huge success since 2010 onwards, and don't focus too much on MP/live service type games.

Christopher799d ago (Edited 799d ago )

Two MP-related buys and people completely forget all the SP studios they invested in, including their biggest performer this generation, Insomniac. Haven't gamers been asking for a more diverse line-up of games from Sony? Adding more MP doesn't remove SP.

dumahim799d ago

That worked out so well for Gran Turismo.

798d ago
Christopher798d ago

@dumahim: I don't get your comment in response to me. Did having GT7 somehow end other SP games? My comment was only about having another studio do an MP game doesn't mean SP games aren't still happening. Nothing about the quality of said games.

generic-user-name799d ago

Sony's biggest criticism of their exclusive line up is that they're lacking in the MP department. Bungie doesn't really even cover that because they'll be remaining multiplat but Haven might be a start.

Eonjay799d ago

They can do both. Their single player studios aren't going to disappear. We already know of two huge SP games coming from Insomica alone. This year, we got HFW from Gurillea and were getting GOW from SSM. Since PS5 launch we have gotten Demon Souls, Spiderman MM, Rachet and Clank... No one's Single Player Output has been clos to Sony's. Now they want to add multiplayer to their lineup. They can do both. Why are we trying to shoehorn them into one area?

thesoftware730799d ago

They have 10 coming, I will guess that will be there focus for a while.

Eonjay799d ago

From what we know is already in their pipeline it looks like they are focusing on both single and multiplayer.

798d ago
TheTony316798d ago

"Obviously we will always carry on making these single-player narrative-based games such as Ghost of Tsushima, The Last of Us, and Horizon Forbidden West," Hulst emphasises.

relax.

Charlieboy333798d ago

"Obviously we will always carry on making these single-player narrative-based games such as Ghost of Tsushima, The Last of Us, and Horizon Forbidden West," Hulst emphasises. - from this article https://n4g.com/news/247169...

FinalFantasyFanatic798d ago

If we don't get enough SP games and too many MP/live service games, I might bail on Sony and just stick with PC/Switch, but I really hope they don't swing to extremes like that.

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 798d ago
Show all comments (134)
160°

Resident Evil Zero and Code Veronica Remakes are reportedly in the works, not Resident Evil 1

Industry insider Dusk Golem reveals that there is no Resident Evil 1 Remake in the works. Instead, Capcom are reportedly in active development of Resident Evil Zero and Code Veronica.

-Foxtrot1d 5h ago

RE Zero would be better to do first over RE1 because they can tie the story into RE1 more.

The original RE Remake was weird because Rebecca never mentioned anything about what happened in Zero and it felt so disjointed because Zero was developed during the Remake and they clearly didn't share any notes with one another.

Cacabunga3h ago

Wise decision. 2 of my favorites!

Knightofelemia1d 2h ago

Give me Dino Crisis dammit Capcom

TGG_overlord8h ago

And all it took was +24 years + a phone call from me lol.

GotGame81849m ago

LOL! A phone call from you? ROFL! They have been remaking RE games for YEARS! It was a matter of time!

Show all comments (14)
140°

Hi-Fi Rush Developer Tango Gameworks Was Working On 2 Games Before Studio Closure

Tango Gameworks, the developer behind rhythm-based action game Hi-Fi Rush, had been working on 2 games prior to studio closure.

Read Full Story >>
twistedvoxel.com
H99h ago

That's for people who said that Ninja Theory would not get closed because they are working on a new game

1Victor3h ago

Well Microsoft have to plug the holes somehow to appease their investors 🤷🏿

darthv723h ago

Tango was part of Bethesda, that was their call. Ninja is their own thing, and MS lets them do their own thing. MS may own Bethesda, but they let them make their own decisions.

porkChop3h ago(Edited 3h ago)

That is technically true. I do think Xbox can still come in and make those kinds of decisions if they want to though, but it's true that Bethesda has been running themselves. That's how we ended up with Redfall in the first place.

I wouldn't let Xbox off the hook though because they obviously would have known that Bethesda were shutting them down and let them do it. Xbox could have just moved Tango directly under Xbox Game Studios instead.

darthv723h ago

We can only assume as much since we dont fully know the conditions of their partnership. It may be that Bethesda agreed to the merger under the conditions that they still be allowed some autonomy like making decisions for game releases and studio management. Again, that's just a guess but when i see people try and convey that Ninja Theory is in the same boat as Tango... this is what comes to mind. NT is their own entity, under direct management of MS. Tango was not.

Flewid63834m ago

Some studios working on games close. Other studios working on games stay open.

You didn't know that?

260°

Metal: Hellsinger dev says he is against Game Pass after seeing how it affects sales

Founder of Metal: Hellsinger studio says he wasn't against Game Pass until their game launched on Microsoft's service, which affected game sales.

TheProfessional13h ago(Edited 13h ago)

Why did PS copy gamepass if it's so terrible and unprofitable? PS Now was before gamepass but it was streaming trash that no one had any interest in.

And honestly the way the industry releases overpriced and broken games with day one season passes and dlc who wouldn't want to just pay for a subscription instead of $70 per game?

Only biased PS fans would defend paying more to a corporation rather than an option that's cheaper for the consumer overall. If it's from an indie studio that needs the sales that's different but games published by larger companies are fine on a subscription model. Also any of these devs who complain did decide to put their games on gamepass in thr first place.

ocelot0712h ago

Ahhh yes the typical but but but Sony in a Microsoft article.

When did Sony copy Microsoft? I havent seen Sony's big day one titles such as God of war Ragnarok or GT7? Do you want to know why they are not on the service? Because people are still willing to PAY for the games. Sony has already admitted they lost millions putting Horizon Forbidden West and Ratchet & Clank on PS+ Extra.

"larger companies are fine on a subscription model" Oh really? So why is all the cod games yet to be on it? Where is elden ring? Resident Evil 4 Remake? Street Fighter 6? Boulders Gate 3? Alan Wake 2? Where are they of gamepass is great and big publishers are fine putting newer games on it?

I'll tell you where they are. They are currently still selling for their respected publisher's. You know actually making them money. That money they can use to fund the next project.

who wouldn't want to just pay for a subscription instead of $70 per game?

I'm one of the millions who much rather pay $70 so fully support the publisher. Why do we do this? Well for starters I rather just pay for it rather than keep renting it each month. If we all just kept renting years ago blockbuster would still be around. Secondly, I rather we have AAA titles in 10 years time to enjoy. Rather than play mobile quality crap from a subscription.

Tell me how this is a good thing for gaming going forward. The last time I subbed to Gamepass was October 2023. During that one month subscription I played the newly released Starfield, Forza and a few other titles. All for the cost of about $7. Since then Microsoft have not released anything I want to try out or put anything on GP I want to try. So they last made $7 from me 8 months ago.

In the last 3 months. I have bought Sea of Thieves on PS5 (earning MS more money on that than my 1 month subscription to gamepass). Resident Evil 4 for £20 and Diablo 4 for £25 (again earning MS more buying this than buying a sub). Tell me how it's best for gaming I pay $7 and play the latest and greatest for a month. Rather than just buying what I want even if it means waiting a few months and getting it cheaper than full price yet earning the publisher more than renting said games of a monthly sub.

darthv724h ago

...but didn't this game leave GP and then join PS+?

If a sub service is so bad, why get into another one right away?

Cacabunga3h ago(Edited 3h ago)

Finally devs waking up! More will follow .. reminds me of capcom during PS3,360 era almost going bankrupt they released extremely poor games because Xbox gave them paychecks not to release them on PS3 for as period. Sales were terrible and they went away from that.

Hofstaderman11h ago

Sony has never released new titles day one. They experimented with Forbidden West which was fairly new and quickly discovered that it cannabalized sales. XBOX gamepass was always an act of desperation to remain relevant and in their desperation they effectively dug their grave where today everybody is biding their time for their formerly exclusive titles. In a nutshell GamePass made XBOX not relevant.

Plague-Doctor274h ago

It wasn't desperation. Subscription Models had a very different outlook in 2017 and then with the gaming surge during COVID reaching critical mass seemed more and more possible.

Phil convinced Satya to chase a trend and it hasn't worked out

lellkay10h ago

Literally dev who put game on gamepass:
It's not good

TheProfessional: but but sony but sony

S2Killinit9h ago(Edited 9h ago)

Sony didnt copy MS. MS copied Sony, then MS went on to make xbox a subscription device. Remember that part? Yeah.

MrNinosan9h ago

You're not too bright, right?

First of all, Sony didn't copy Microsoft regarding PS+ and GamePass, which you admit to early in your comment, but with some faults. PSNow was not only streaming.
The mentality at Xbox gamers, is to NOT buy games, because they are used to get it on GamePass, preferbly day 1 like with all Xbox Studios games.

This is not a thing at PS+ and never was.
Sure there was plenty day 1 games on PS+ like, Rocket League, Stray, Sea of Stars, Tchia, Operation Tango etc, but those didn't take away from gamers that it was more like a "bonus" than a "thing".

Playstation gamers buy games, a lot of games and PS+ has been proving to be way better for business than GamePass, both by actually having more subscribers but also no eating up sales.

dveio9h ago(Edited 9h ago)

"Only biased PS fans would defend paying more to a corporation rather than an option that's cheaper for the consumer overall.“

How can you possibly come to this conclusion?

First, you pay for a subscription.

Then download games. But games will eventually leave the service. You will again need to buy them if you want to play them ever again. Or if you cancel your subscription. Right?

Eventhough this may NOT have an effect on every subscriber, this IS in fact the economical motiviation behind the service like GP.

If you are not already paying "double" this way, you pay at a 1.2 or maybe even at a 1.5 ratio eventually than opposed to simply buying the game in the first place.

As I said, this maybe doesn't apply to every subscriber. But this doesn't erase the fact of this business model existing. And possibly keep growing.

It's driving me nuts at times that especially the die hard Xboxers seem not to understand what they are actually cheering for foolishly.

The Wood8h ago

xbots always tryna group...

..they'll never understand or refuse to acknowledge why these two console brands are miles apart. Gamespass isn't the golden egg some would have you believe. Its hit its peak and is nowhere near the demanded target of subs by the purse holders

The Wood8h ago(Edited 8h ago)

xbots always tryna group...

..they'll never understand or refuse to acknowledge why these two console brands are miles apart. Gamespass isn't the golden egg some would have you believe. Its hit its peak and is nowhere near the demanded target of subs by the purse holders. on top of that it seems more devs on top of the devs that have shunned the service are not seeing the value of subs vs actual sales. Sell first, sub later works better than sub off the bat. MSGaming has a major sea change decision to make regarding COD. Do they release it dod and lose a high portion of up front revenue or either up the price of gp on the whole or create an even higher sub tier to cushion the blow or don't release it on gp at all and potentially damage the good will gesture reiterated not too long ago. The acquisition money wasn't free money....they'll have to pick their poison

anast6h ago

"Why did PS copy gamepass if it's so terrible and unprofitable?"

They didn't copy GP. They aren't dumb enough to put their exclusives day 1.

"Who wouldn't want to just pay for a subscription instead of $70 per game?"

People who don't like to rent things.

outsider16244h ago

It's funny when he says who wouldn't pay for a subscription instead of paying 70$. Well no shit...if MS keeps releasing average titles who wouldnt..🤣

Cockney3h ago(Edited 2h ago)

The reason is playstation didn't copy anybody and they don't release broken games, their games are still not day 1 and Ps players still buy games so ps+ is just an option for those that want a subscription service, the fact playstation doesn’t push it front and centre should tell you a lot.
On xbox gamepass IS front and centre with an option to buy games on the side, look how that is panning out for them!
Xbox fans are the only ones trumpeting this from the rooftops

shinoff21832h ago

Weren't we able to download ps3 on ps3 and ps4 on ps4 systems back then I really don't remember.

Truth is Ms still copied Sony and made a couple adjustments. One adjustment being day one games which clearly has been xboxs issue hence the ps5 releases, and they groomed the base to not buy games.

romulus2326m ago

To be fair it takes it's own level of bias to not see the harm day one game pass is doing to xbox and the industry as a whole. Harm that xbox themselves have admitted to.

ChasterMies19m ago(Edited 17m ago)

“Why did PS copy gamepass”

This is a long story that spans decades. Sony subscription services for games (PS+ and PS Now) before Microsoft. Sony and Microsoft weren’t the only ones. We’ve seen OnLive die, Google’s Stadia die, and disc rental services die. What made Game Pass successful is the amount of money Microsoft is able to lose. Everyone expected Sony to offer a one-to-one Game Pass competitor and they did. To actually make money, Somy sells its own games for at least a year before relegating them to PS+. Sony also has scale. More PS5s sold means more users which means more money. Will these subscription services last? Probably not. Few things do.

+ Show (11) more repliesLast reply 19m ago
Skuletor13h ago

I feel no sympathy for the guy, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that putting your game on gamepass would affect sales.

JEECE7h ago

Seriously, how is it that devs need one of their games to bomb in sales due to Gamepass for them to realize what so many people could easily predict? Like people joke about "armchair CEOs" on here, but at least with respect to the effect of Gamepass, we keep seeing that the armchair CEOs are actually smarter than the real heads of these indie studios.

Skuletor3m ago

Probably short-sightedness when he saw that initial Microsoft check, temporarily made all reason jump out the window 🤑

dveio11h ago(Edited 11h ago)

The 'day-one' feature is the breaker or maker with GP, business-wise.

GP is no Netflix.

Because, from all the Marvel's Avengers to Sicarios, illustratively speaking, they all had their box office money. Before they had entered Netflix.

This concept shows you what Microsoft have actually put themselves into.

And what situation studios put themselves into if they go day-one into GP.

solideagle6h ago

GP/PS Extra day one is best suited for GAAS or free to play games

truthBombs11h ago

Why not sell your game the traditional way first? Then after about 6 months to a year put it on a sub service.

Day one on gamepass is a gamble. It works for some (Pal world) and not for others.

anast6h ago

It's the old psych. experiment. Set out some candy and tell the person they can have it all now, or if they wait, they can have double the amount. Most choose the first option, then complain when it doesn't work out for them.

Show all comments (42)