Sony’s PlayStation Studios has acquired quite a few studios recently, such as the major acquisition of Bungie back in January 2022. And while the group is currently developing a whopping ten live service games set for release by 2026, this doesn’t necessarily mean that they’ll all become major time sinks that demand your full attention like Destiny 2, Fortnite, or other popular titles.

In a recent interview with PlayStation Studios head Hermen Hulst, the executive revealed that the titles currently being worked on have different scales and genres, with different audiences also planned for each.

We understand the competitive environment that is out there, and the time investment from players that live services offer, and we want to deliver the highest quality games.

There is a risk that we talk about ‘live service’ in generic terms – as if it is a single genre, or even a single business model. PlayStation Studios are making a variety of games that could be referred to as ‘live services’, targeting different genres, different release schedules, and at different scales. We are also creating games for different audiences, and I take confidence from our track record in creating worlds and stories that PlayStation fans love.

So while some of the games currently in development may aim for similar success to the likes of mainstream live service titles, the term “live service” itself is a fairly broad one, and some of the other games in development could very well be completely different in pricing, design, and so on.

Just a couple of weeks ago, PlayStation Studios acquired yet another company in Firewalk Studios, a group comprised of developers formerly from Bungie. Tony Hsu, head of Firewalk Studios and former senior vice president of Destiny commented on being able to work again with Bungie under PlayStation Studios.

Within our team we have close personal and professional relationships with Bungie and are excited to be part of the same family of studios. One of the benefits of becoming part of PlayStation Studios is having the opportunity to exchange knowledge with such an amazing network of development talent, including our friends and close neighbors in Bellevue and Seattle. We’re excited to join them and PlayStation Studios teams like Haven Interactive in creating and advancing innovative multiplayer experiences.

While not everyone may agree with PlayStation Studios’ decision to invest in so many live service titles, it seems that Hulst and the studios under the group feel confident in the direction that they’re heading.

Source: Gamesindustry.biz