Sony getting rid of most developers from Japan Studio and keeping just a small team

Well thats an embuggerance.

Any Japan Studio game was a delight to have on a Playstation :frowning:

Most of the bigger names left for a new studio named Bokeh Game Studio.

Here is the newest deep dive:

You can see an Xbox controller in the video. :eyes:

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I have to somewhat agree with the statement. Sony has over the years become one of the most conservative publishers in the industry and seem to be mainly interested in a certain type of game that is capable of selling millions upon millions. You cannot argue with the results because they are getting enormous success, but it is interesting how they have changed over the years.

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Yes. Masaaki Yamagiwa, Bloodborne producer, announced yesterday that he is also leaving Japan Studio (and Sony, as a consequence).

https://twitter.com/giwamasa/status/1364776713280913412

And media and social network people say that Microsoft is the gaming platform that only develops just one kind of game. Predictable.

Also, as expected, this news, together with the Bloodborne producer leaving, just days ater Jim Ryan said that they are heavily invested in Japan, has not produced any kind of hot takes from the media or Youtube influencers alike.

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Jim Ryan makes me miss Shawn Layden every time he opens his mouth.

Like I feel most of Jim’s most public speeches end up being reversed not long after… the hell.

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There is a reason why some nicknamed him ‘Slipping Jimmy.’ I have yet to be convinced by him and feel he is just ridding the momentum built up by his predecessor.

His nickname is “Lyin’ Ryan”

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I like the nickname from a certain RDX podcast member :joy: hope all the people find new jobs unless they all got one at that other studio.

I’ve been saying this for months, it’s why Sony has resorted to moneyhatting so much. They can’t outright purchase a lot of the studios that may be their targets because they can’t compete in the sellers market we find ourselves in, not when MS and Tencent (among others) are opening their wallets.

You’re telling me that Sony insiders were wrong again? Well I never…

shocked bill hader GIF

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Yep. I used to read that phrase a lot regarding Xbox …and it ended up being wrong because Money did indeed, fix their first party.

Now I look at Sony

  • Hastily going from believing in Generations, to not believing in them
  • Killing off one of their studios
  • Making another studio port their games to Xbox
  • Making the rest of their studios port their games to PC

In the space of a few months and I think…“this looks like moves from a company that knows its going to lose on install base and is trying to make as much money as possible”

As you say, they can’t outbid the other guys on meaningful content and buying Bluepoint and the Returnal guys isn’t changing their situation, they are already exclusive. They aren’t doubling their existing teams up to work on 2-3 games at a time.

On other forums I am reading “these guys only released X in 10 years and they flopped”…yeah, that applies to Media Molecule and Sony Bend, Sony London and Pixelopus…are they on the chopping block too?

Dare I say the Bethesda Manouever and Xbox//Switch underpricing them might have been the final straw.

If Xbox buys Sega…my god!

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Sony seems like they are moving to be more and more like Xbox and western focused, makes you wonder why sony fanboys are so set in their ways and act like Xbox is a disease when sony is becoming more like them every day.

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While I recognize that Japan Studio’s games hadn’t been particularly notable or successful for a while now… One, this just makes me sad personally because I have great memories of games like Wild Arms, Parappa the Rapper, Rogue Galaxy, etc.

Two, and I’ve said this before in other threads, it just feels like the wrong choice for Sony to be contracting the kind of games they make, instead of expanding.

Naughty Dog and Insomniac aren’t suddenly going to become bad studios or something. Just if for whatever reason, the zeitgeist moves away from western, blockbuster, third person cinematic action, Sony is going to have nothing else in its library (forget about celebrating its wonderful and diverse back catalog, those games are old and no one likes old games, yuck!).

The “sad dad forest simulator” joke is starting to feel less like a joke and more like what Sony really wants to be.

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Yep they always do that, hide the bad news during some other event

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The games you mentioned were all only published by the Japan Studio, so in theory Sony could still have new entries for them (assuming the development team still exists which I think would not be true for Wild Arms and Parappa) even under the new structure.

In fact it seems they are doubling down on moneyhats + external developed games for Japan, so it might be that the chances of such gems are increased now.

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That was shown in stunning style when we saw the rumours that Sony was opening their cheque book and flashing their money at every developer and publisher and then Microsoft announces that they are spending $7.5 billion to purchase Zenimax. It is two totally different leagues when it comes to spending power.

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What’s going to happen to them when tastes change as they always do and people get bored of the type of game they almost exclusively concentrate on.

Whatever anyone says about Gamepass it allows way more variety because you don’t need to sell 10m copies of every game. They are spending so much money making these games I’d hate so see their break even point. They also outspent everyone else combined on marketing.

It all feels like a big house of cards ready to collapse.

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Unfortunate, they made some great games.

Just makes you appreciate Phil so much more. If it weren’t for Sony’s nutjob fanbase that buy everything they put out, Sony would be in a world of hurt. Eventually that super loyal zombie fanbase is going to splinter and Sony will be up shit creek.

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They’re always wrong and have been for months/years. I have a better accuracy percentage as a nobody than those so-called insiders.

There hasn’t been any good credible PlayStation insiders since Shinobi602 and Colin Moriarty and neither have said anything in years.

At this point, @RandalThor19 is a far more credible PlayStation insider with a far better accuracy percentage. Hell, we all are!!! lol

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What? The Silent Hill rumor is tied to Sony Japan? Does this mean no new Silent Hill game?

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