Sony Worldwide Studios’ No Good, Very Bad Month

IGN-Obviously, more announcements are coming – E3 is right around the corner, after all – but it’s safe to say that 2014’s release schedule moving forward is bleak.

[GusHasGas]

(Somewhat off topic): Anyone else been getting the impression that Colin Moriarty's been acting like a bit of an Xbox lover recently?

[Paulie_gualtieri]

No.

[fr0sty]

What a terrible article. Let's start with this:

"Indies and third party devs are all well and good -- PS4 has their support in huge numbers -- but these fully-owned studios helped give PlayStation 3 in particular an identity of its own, resuscitating the console with a ton of quality exclusive games. To succeed in the long term, PS4 will need the same treatment."

1. Indies have put out some of the best games on the PS4, and not all of those are $5 mini-games or casual experiences either. To downplay Sony's focus on them isn't exactly smart.

2. A comparison to PS3 is drawn... when PS3 only had one AAA first party game available at this point in its life... Motorstom (Resistance was a third party exclusive.). PS3 already has Infamous, Killzone, Knack, and we already know of 3 more coming up this year and we haven't even made it to E3 yet. More announcements usually come in April as well as E3 approaches. Sounds like premature panic to me.

The author then fills the rest of the article with FUD about the recent round of layoffs and high profile devs leaving. Yes, it is unusual to see that many people leave all at once, but we don't know what state their games were in or what kind of creative differences were going on... Using their departure to signify that Sony is in some kind of trouble when the author has no idea why they even left or were fired to begin with is pretty unprofessional. For all we know, the games they were making could have been crap. If I'm funding a $60 million game that turns out to be crap, I'd fire them too.

[Eonjay]

It is a bit exaggerated though. Sony has put out Killzone, Knack, Infamous, with MLB, The Order, Uncharted, Driveclub and now TLOU coming this year alone. This is in addition to the Sony's XDev studio which is put out other titles including Resogun. This year SWWS will be putting out more content than any other studio. By a long shot.

[kenshiro100]

I don't know why you're getting disagrees frosty because that was pretty logical to begin with. We don't know why these people left at all and no one to be assuming things either.

[Thehyph]

The guy in Megaton works for IGN?
Jokes.

In all seriousness, Colin is the only video games journalist who always seems to hit the same feelings as me about a game when he reviews it. He's also well spoken and well written.

He also has volumes of walkthroughs and guides to his credit. This guy probably has more experience writing on video games than anyone else his age.

[Akuma07]

He has been very anti Sony lately. The biggest problem with it is that most of his anti Sony articles read like total crap, like they sound really really stupid.

Like his article about how The Order looked very bad.

[imt558]

Pretty stupid article.
DemonNite, one of the Sony's employee (probably from Santa Monica ) said this yesterday :

http://www.dualshockers.com...

Yesterday Sony Computer Entertainment Europe confirmed layoffs at Evolution Studios, Guerrilla Cambridge and SCE London Studio, and many wondered about the reasons for such a move. Today NeoGAF member DemonNite, who is known to be a developer at Sony and in touch with the situation, gave a bit more insight on it.
Another user expressed what he feels about the layoffs:

"I think all these layoffs prove one thing, that there was a lot of bloat within Sony WWS. They need to become a well oiled machine for this gen and I suppose the layoffs are part of the process to achieve that goal. Sony have been synonymous with over-promising and under-delivering in the PS3 era. They can’t afford to repeat that this gen, so they need fine tune every studio for the better. I hope those affected can get back on their feet too."

Interestingly enough DemonNite confirmed:
"And this is exactly what is happening to one of those studios affected."

He also had something to say about the chance for Sony’s Project Morpheus to support PC now that Oculus Rift has been purchased by Facebook. While he doesn’t know if PC support will come or not, he did confirm that first party games will remain PS4 exclusive.
"I think it would be a cool move (I don’t know if they will or not)."

Exclusive “first party” VR software though will always stay on PS4 obviously, which I think could be a game changer.
That also indirectly confirms that Sony’s first parties are indeed going to work on actual games for Morpheus, and not just demos like we’ve seen so far leaving the bulk of development in the hands of indie studios.
One thing is for sure: while it’s definitely painful to see developers lose their job, the waves of layoffs that hit Sony’s studios do seem to mean that the company is looking into fine tuning its development pipeline into a well oiled, agile machine. We’ll have to wait and see the results in the next year or so.

[andibandit]

Ok just let me get this straight, Sony is bloated so the thinking goes something like this:

hmm, lets fire some people to trim the fat, and then while were at it, lets do VR....

[redwin]

I said it once and I'm saying it again, western developers have s job when the Xbox gives Sony a run for their money. When know they have the upper hand they go mostly Japanese . I like both kind of games, let's see what happens. MS is hiring and Sony is firing .

[Silly Mammo]

I can see Sony consolidating and trimming the bloat due to having studios that were working on PS3 and PS4 games. As there's less emphasis on the PS3, a lot of positions become redundant.

I wonder if the same thing happened with the PS2 to PS3 transition but it wasn't reported as news back then?

[AceBlazer13]

Let's not forget Sony just came out of a fantastic year with the ps3. I guarantee if they abandoned the ps3 2 years ago like the competitors, the ps4 would be damn near perfect. Can you imagine if ni no kuni, pupeteer,tlou,beyond 2 souls and gt7 were scrapped for ps3 and had to be made for ps4?

[DarthZoolu]

I was trying to figure out how people say X1 isn't for gaming because every game I own is an exclusive. Forza, Ryse, DR3, Project Spark, Titanfall, and Killer Instinct are the games I have played the most since November and every single one of these games his hella fun, and there are still more AAA exclusives coming this year. I am constantly playing and having a great time and all my homies are playing what I'm playing. PS4 guys what are yall playing? Killzone and Second Son, I'm sure they are both fun but I would rather play the X1 games.

[BISHOP-BRASIL]

As many here suspected, PS3 development was not just harder, it took longer than usual, trying to fight that Sony created bloated studios. This suspicion about bloated studios was yesterday confirmed by DemoNite on NeoGaf.

It's no rocket science to figure this one out really... Starting around the second year on PS3 life, as many of you must remember, Sony went on hiring spree (studios like Naughty Dog and SSM more than doubled its army of employees), acquired some studios too. But the thing is PS3 projects not necessarily meet the standards they expected just by having bigger teams, in fact this was perceived by some as worse than how it was before (specially within the studios themselves), it created some kind of bureaucracy in the process (Zipper and the mess that became Socom 4 development was the most obvious example).

It's no surprise that, with PS4 being much easier to develop for and they being under restructuring (efficiency is the goal), they would eventually start trimming that fat, go back to mid sized studios, try to keep the very talented people more or less autonomous as to also maintain the freedom Sony was always known to allow its studios (not so easy with huge studios without stuff getting out of hand).

IGN is, once again, just grasping at straws, had they reached to Sony before writing this non-sense they probably could had got it right... I mean, what's the point of being a big gaming media outlet if you're going to just rumble about the crap that goes through your mind? Use your damn contacts.

[Dee_91]

even though most of what he is saying is pure speculation and assumption, he still has a point.

[BluP]

I thought I was the only one who noticed that Colin is pulling a "Sessler". But I only have 2 bubbles, so I didn't want to get marked for trolling.

[MrSwankSinatra]

Colin Moriarty is far from a Xbox lover, your just mad that somebody is criticizing sony for their missteps. contrary to what you might believe gaming doesn't revolve around this whole Xbox Vs PlayStation debate.

[asmith2306]

What missteps? I'm failing to see missteps by Sony here. Moriarty even fuds his own article when, after walls of text, he says "What does all of this mean? Frankly, it’s unclear.". So basically, pure rumor and speculation.

[LexHazard79]

Well said well said...bubble for you!

[jcnba28]

Well said, Colin Moriarty is the real Sony fan here, he's not a blind fanboy like the majority of people on this site.

[Thehyph]

I agree with swank.

Also, look how many comments there are here which seem to have no idea an editorial is.

[warczar]

missteps? In the corporate world layoffs are known as PROGRESS. In all seriousness, I can't believe Sony hasn't been criticized more on the PS4, it can't play a movie file, it can't be used as a media server, hell it can't even play a simple CD. I know it's just supposed to play games but it's inferior in many way's when compared to last gen hardware.

[RiPPn]

I'm more disappointed that Colin Moriarty has a job, the guy sucks, in fact the IGN beyond team as a whole is pretty much garbage. Everything from the lame forced "beyond" they yell expecting the audience to yell it back to how they come off acting like they are bigger stars than they are. smh

[tiremfej]

I stopped reading IGN years ago when they started copying and pasting reviews for different platforms. Pure laziness.

Negatives? Read them...it is the truth.

[Lilrizky]

You obviously don't listen to Podcast Beyond.

The dude does not play Xbox at all and he doesn't like their exclusives that much. He gave Last of us a 10/10 and he loves his Vita to death. He's also a really high trophy level. So no, he's just reporting what he thinks.

[ruefrak]

I listen to Podcast Beyond, but it's tough. Somewhere between Colin's talk of the Jets/ The Islanders and Greg's obsession with his own celebrity, they manage to talk about PlayStation for a few minutes.

But no, Colin does not have any love for the Xbox.

[Conzul]

Hell will freeze over before Colin stops being a PS fanboy. It is the job, though, of a critic, to make critical observations.

[iamnsuperman]

No, he is fairly positive on the Beyond Podcast. What this article really is, is a misunderstanding and IGN pandering to their audience (these kind of articles always appear on IGN which stirs up their comment section). Like fr0sty (+bubs for that) said we ave no idea why these people are leaving nor why the lay offs are happing. It actually happened with the PS3 launch as well and some games were cancelled then as well. I honestly see this as Sony becoming more streamlined. There approach with the PS3 was different to what it is with the PS4. PS3 was essentially shove anything out there when done. Now it seems Sony wants to stagger their launches. These means they may not need so many people in their studios. They have got quite a lot with some doing noticeably very litte

[Games_R_Us]

Maybe if you looked around, there's a lot to play on Xbox One mate, as opposed to PS4.

No need for lists readers, we know what the games are, just more to play on X1.

[PrinceOfAllSaiyans]

"Thers a lot to play on Xbox One mate, as opposed to PS4."

Lmao when I'm fact PS4 has more games. You Xbox famboys are funny. Titanfall doesn't count as 100 games. In fact both the PS4 and bone have nothing to play other than InFamous and Titanfail.

In May there is MLB 14 The Show, Wolfenstien, and Watch Dogs. And Mario Kart 8 for Wii U and Kirby Triple Deluxe for 3DS. Its great to be a PlayStation and Nintendo gamer. Talk about variety.

[liquidhalos]

thats completely off topic and No, id just say the dudes being honest

[360ICE]

Also somewhat off-topic, but has anyone else been getting the impression that a lot of N4G'ers have a need to pretend that everyone takes part in the Xbox/PlayStation fanboy war?

Or do most senior journalists somehow prefer an entertainment box so much to another that they're willing to risk their integrity to write disfavourable of the other box?

Because that last option sounds insane.

[creatchee]

Kinda. The fanboy philosophy is that if you say anything bad or criticize my console of choice (whether said criticism is justified or not), then you are obviously a fanboy of the rival product or have been bought or are just a really stupid person who lacks sound decision making skills.

I laugh quite heartily when I see (especially on here) people go on diatribes about how biased somebody is because they criticize or question anything about their favorite. I've seen Sony on Sony, MS on MS, and even Nintendo on Nintendo verbal fanboy violence that came just because of a few words that were true.

[Alsybub]

@360ICE & @creatchee

Bubbles for both of you. Well said.

[TheBrit]

It's not a terrible article at all, he just didn't write what you wanted to HEAR.

[Kenshin_BATT0USAI]

He's a pretty avid supporter of playstation. I mean the dude has been advocating Vita for ages now.

[Azzanation]

Colin is the biggest PS fanboy iv seen. He loves Sony so much, but his not blinded by there falling. Just because he writes an article that's not positive for Sony/PS doesn't makes him a Xbox fanboy?

You should look in the mirror before claiming someone else is.

[InTheLab]

101 desagreers are in denial. Colin is basically the opposite of Greg Miller. He's been riding the PS hate train for a while but that's ok.

The site needs balance so as long as there's a Greg Miller to counter Colon's s***, it's ok.

As for the article, he goes on about the layoffs of 2012 and seemingly glossed over the massive year 2013 was.

He also expects Sony to place all cards on the table prior to E3 and that's just foolishness.

While I'm glad someone has compiled a list of all the major players and Sony that have departed, this article is pointless because he has no idea why they left and says so himself.

[AliTheSnake1]

That, or the Fact that sony have been laying off a bunch of their main employees.

[Killzoner99]

Colin Moriarty is a well known Microsoft shill and has been tarnishing Sony's image for awhile now. I won't even read his "Sony is doomed" articles anymore. IGN has been in Micro$ofts pockets for years but act like they are a neutral unbiased entity . That just ain't true and it's pretty obvious.
Sony and Playstation are #1 ,so there are going to be a ton of journalist trying to make a name for themselves , who will try to make them look bad with slanderous articles like this one.That's the way it is , everyone wants a piece of the big dog. Too bad for these journos that the PS4's momentum is unstoppable at this point while the Xbone is circling the drain.

[XboxFun]

Well once again the sony fanboys on n4g are scrambling to explain why they are wrong once again. Not to long ago they said sony's problems would not effect the playstation brand, and that the ps4's success would carry sony. But now its a different tune as the foot in mouth syndrome once againstrikes them.

Of course a lot will use the excuse of IGN being biased against Sony. Some will even bury their heads and say sony is fine. But a lot of people are bailing from sony, a lot of studios are closing, laying off and canceling games despite this huge success the ps4 is having. House cleaning indeed.

Regardless, who has ever heard of this many people leaving when their product is a supposed success?

[Denethor_II]

Colin Moriarty does nothing but praise PlayStation games on his podcast.

[AllenScribe]

Looking strictly at upcoming games, I can't blame anybody who wants to wait another year to buy either machine.

[AngelicIceDiamond]

You don't like PS4 and X1's line ups?

I think they're great.

[Prime157]

I agree, both are. They cater to different people, but both had/have pretty strong launch line ups.

[frostypants]

I personally can count on one hand the number of games currently available on both systems combined that interest me. I'm with AllenScribe...gonna wait another few months I think. The continuing BF4 debacle doesn't help...that was to be my system seller. It seems funny that the most highly regarded game to be released recently, Dark Souls 2, is only on last-gen consoles and PC.

Wake me when Driveclub comes out.

[SniperControl]

The Order, Driveclub, Everyone's gone to the Rapture, Uncharted 4, Shadow of the Beast, Rime, Transistor, Playstation Now, and a slew of indie games.

Buying a PS4 right now is the right thing to do, same for the X1.

[Jeff257]

Not to mention the 3rd party titles that we are getting this year and will most likely run better on PS4. AC: Unity and Batman Arkham Knight are both next gen only titles and if you want to play them then you need to get a next gen system. Based on multiplats so far the best bet is the PS4.

[DawnOfDon]

DriveCLub and Uncharted will not be coming out this year and I bet The Order will be delayed. I hope I am wrong I am looking forward to those games but no need for one right now

[aquamala]

why buy a console now if you don't have enough games you want to play now? buy the console when it has enough games that interest you, by that time it may be cheaper too

[SniperControl]

@aquamala

I bought a PS4 because Killzone, Knack, Fifa, Warframe and Assassins Creed interested me.

Lately, Infamous, Strider and Outlast have interested me.

To date, I have not regretted any off the above purchases, PS4 has been a great buy, hopefully I can add a X1 during Christmas.

@Dawn

Maybe Uncharted, but Driveclub and The Order look well on course for a 2014 delivery.

[Beastforlifenoob]

The PS4 has great lineup and exiting games
The XBX1 has great lineup and exiting games
The WIIU has great lineup and exiting games
PC has great lineup and exiting games
Either purchase of these 4 consoles will deliver a :).

[Madderz]

Exciting*
Exciting**
Exciting***

Annnnnnnnd, you guessed it...

Exciting****

[tiremfej]

Well said. Everyone has great games to play.

[Team_Litt]

This is the problem with buying what you can't afford. Sony went on a studio buying spree to save the PS3 and it worked but now can't afford to maintain them all.
I hope they refrain from any more studio purchases until they have their house in order.

I wonder if people are still under the illusion that Sony's woes won't affect PlayStation.

[Silly gameAr]

It's kind of like the people that keep screaming Sony is Doom in every Sony article huh? Pointless and looks a little desperate? It's like if you guys hope hard enough and leave enough dramatic comments in enough Sony articles, Sony might actually go bankrupt.

Good luck with that.

[aragon]

just like with xbox getting sold off huh? lol gamers think they are business analysts all of a sudden

[Silly gameAr]

Yeah I know right? It's more wishful thinking at this point.

[S2Killinit]

Its IGN. They are and always have been a MS mouth piece. Im cancelling my PS4 IGN application. Just horrible bias from them. Im tired of it

[Ra3030]

And the thing is even if Sony fails and folds it's tent it's not going to make owning a X1 one bit better for anyone in fact it will make owning a X1 worse because no one can change the fact that Microsoft will still be Microsoft and if they turned off every PS4 it would just make Microsoft that much more greedy for the suckers that went with X1 already. Microsoft is without doubt the worst thing ever to happen in gaming. And nothing or no one can change that fact. Good thing Sony fan has no such worries. This move is just cutting the fat because Microsoft now is no threat to rule this gen. Sony is showing more genius in making a cost cutting move while their competition is the one who is desperate to do anything to stay in the game. Microsoft started this gen by digging their own hole that they can't get out of and in trying to do so have played the only card they had to play in Titanfall and that turned out way less than they hoped or more important needed. Sony has more than a few cards to play yet they suprize everyone and play a unexpected cost cutting card. It truly is genius. Sad because people lose jobs and with Microsoft and Nintendo in trouble Sony just can't employee every game maker. it's just to bad about Nintendo with no game developers wanting to make games for the Wii U and gaming consumers have finally had enough of Microsoft telling them what to think and purchase as gamers. Sony has done more than their part in supporting the gaming industry. Maybe Microsoft will run out and hire all those that lost there job. Maybe they can make games for the MS cable box because no one else can.

[AngelicIceDiamond]

@Sillly To be honest its the same way pieces are written saying "MS is doomed" in every story piece.

According to all fanboys each console is doomed in some form or fashion.

[Silly gameAr]

I agree Angelic, and it's seriously getting out of hand. No one really knows whats going on outside of these companies so all people can do is speculate and spread fud if it fits their agenda.

We're supposed to be gamers here, not doom and gloomers. We all have our prefernce, but I'm sure we all want to see the industry healthy and thriving. Hoping that a company goes belly up because you don't like them is just childish.

[Team_Litt]

Don't get it twisted, being logical and acknowledging that sony's financial problems will affect PlayStation brand even if it is doing well is not the same as wishing Sony will just go bankrupt and die!
I do not recall ever saying that I wish for the PlayStation brand to go away, however I was logical enough to conclude that it would not be immune to the massive layoffs Kaz planned.

[AutoCad]

Infamous should last PS4 owners till Fall,hopefully.

[Christopher]

Uh... no... it won't. Some of us have already beat it once and are more than half way (if not already done) with the second playthrough.

Both consoles have a lackluster year ahead of them and will rely 95% on third-party titles.

This can't be the way of things. Both need to kick it up a ton on AAA exclusives.

[serratos27]

Didn't have anyhing to play on my PS4 until SS, but its so short that I'll probably be depressed by the weekend since I won't have anything to play on my console for a while. Not the kind of guy to keep replaying stuff.

[Omegasyde]

Why the heck are people disagreeing with you?

There are not enough exclusives coming for either console this year.

Howevvvvvvver . . (dot) .

Look at the first 12 months of ps3, xbox 360 wiiU and wii.

alllll of those systems had a rough first year, but all you armchair analyst ask yourself one question.

Why release a multimillion dollar game for platforms without a big install base (yet)? Why not wait till the base is bigger so your target market is bigger as well?

[BABY-JEDI]

Sadly to say in life. You can't please everyone. AAA exclusives take time/ money/ talent/ organisation/ development/ technology. They don't have Whitney cry babies sadly to say. If this was the case then all those AAA would be falling out the sky.
Cheer up
; )

[Frankfurt]

Omegasyde, you need to do your homework.

There are 4 more retail XBone exclusives coming this year alone.

Forza Horizon 2, Halo 2 Anniversary, Sunset Overdrive and Kinect Sports Rivals. Quantum Break was at one time too, but it may have been dropped to 2015. We had Ryse, Forza 5, KI, DR3, Titanfall, Plants vs Zombies and some shitty downloadable games.

Compare that to PS4's tumbleweeds and old PC titles.

[kingdom18]

@Frankfurt.... You are actually counting Kinect Sports? Isn't that reaching a little? If you want to consider that you might as well consider all of the PS4's indies.

[frostypants]

@Frankfurt: "Kinect Sports Rivals"

LOL

[EcoSos3]

Till fall...the game is good but it wont last that long the game has less things to do then the other 2. I platinum it by Sunday.

[SoapShoes]

There are plenty of games till then...

[Bigpappy]

12 hours of single player wouldn't last until fall. Would be forgotten in a few weeks.

Hopefully some good multi-plats or remakes will come soon.

People try to down play multiplayer games like Plants vs Zombies and Titanfalls. But if you have those games, you can go to them anytime, an get a different experience. Not new but different, because humans do things differently.

PS4 got hurt by Killzone not being good enough, not enough to do in infamous, and the driving game being pushed back. Battlefield and COD had too many issues that pushed many away, so some did not return.

[Flutterby]

Really because there are wayyyyyyyyyyyy more people playing COD and BF4 daily on just one console than the amount of people playing titanfall on xbone and pc combined. There fore ps4 owners will be completely fine for the months coming. What a silly thing to say. If they are like me they will also have a pc to use or maybe a ds.

[KonsoruMasuta]

The experience isn't different in Titan Fall. You're playing the same maps and game modes over again. The only difference is you're doing it with different people.

That's why I usually get bored with games like CoD and Titan Fall quick. They're only for people who are used to seeing the same maps and playing the same game modes with the same objectives.

So no, the solution is not multiplayer. The solution is more games. I'm a gamer that needs something new, I can't stick with the same thing for too long. Once I do everything there is to do in one game, I need to move on to the next.

[Tedakin]

Everyone already beat it

[BABY-JEDI]

I haven't!

[Jeff257]

Well I beat inFamous SS as good already. But I just got my PS4 not long ago. I still have to get through AC IV, Killzone Shadowfall, Tomb Raider, Knack, Strider, Resogun, Contrast, and whatever other games I decide to grab for it between now and the fall. Already I know in May I am getting MLB 14 The Show and Watch Dogs, so those will also keep me busy. My point is their is plenty to play on the PS4 and no inFamous won't carry people into the fall.

[Dan_scruggs]

A game you can beat in 10 hours with no multiplayer will not satisfy anyone till Fall.

[No_Limit]

Sony will be alright, it is just a bump in the road as they always pull through for us gamers and can't wait for E3 to see what they got.

[SG1_dapunisherX]

Sony is one of the few who can recover very fast... future is very bright for them

[Geekman]

I'm glad IGNs come down to Earth and acknowledged Sonys problem. I swear though, gaming companies like Sony and Nintendo get out of the greatest situations in history with barely a scratch.

[MegaDan]

IGN always blows negative Sony news out of proportion..

[morganfell]

This happens when you are consistently held to a higher standard.

[jcnba28]

That's true, no wonder Nintendo has been declared "doomed" since 1889.

[Dan_scruggs]

Really? Because they haven't even reported on Sony's projected 1.1 billion dollar loss for the last fiscal year.

I'm still waiting for that article.

[Geekman]

I accidently disagreed.

[SoapShoes]

Um why single out Sony when it's the whole industry? It's funny how people complained about Sony announcing things too early and now that they are tight lipped on things everyone is complaining still.

[Klad]

Yes the whole industry has a problem, but...People single out Nintendo ALL THE TIME!! even tho they have billions of spare money in the bank, but thats ok...

[fenome]

This is a pretty long list of games for the first year of a new console the way I see:

http://blog.us.playstation....

and no, I'm not trying to act like these are first party or exclusive games or anything, but games are games. There's plenty to keep us busy until the AAA heavy hitters start dropping their bombs on us. The console's been out a little over 4 months, cut 'em some slack. Lol

Plus E3's right around the corner, and you know they've got some good new stuff to announce there. Treat it like a fine wine, it'll keep getting better over time. It happened with the ps1, 2 & 3, why would I think this gen will be any different?

[bleedsoe9mm]

it takes a pretty special person to see everything that has happened at Sony in the last month as 100% positive

[kenshiro100]

No one implied it was special. Blowing out of proportion...well that's a problem there.

[MultiConsoleGamer]

Sony is still going to knock it out of the park at E3 2014.

Be ready.

[DiRtY]

Yeah on N4G maybe.

On N4G Sony will always win E3 no matter what they do.

[WitWolfy]

I am worried yeah. BUT! With how their gaming division is doing at the moment it wont matter in 3 months from now

[djplonker]

Isn't planetside 2 and driveclub expected soon?

That will keep us busy until destiny!

[Necro_559]

Sort of right. As a Sony fan, PS4 owner. I can admit. Why cant anybody else? Why does Sony always have to do right? I mean Infamous was AWESOME but the only thing left is a driving game and The Order which isnt even 100% 2014. Thats a very weak year. Xbox owners are in for a way better year. TitanFall, Halo 5, Sunset Overdrive. Quantum Break. A new Forza. Thats insane. I will be buying a Xbox ONE. Its just a fact. 2014 is a weak year for exclusives on PS4. But its Sony, as the time and years go by, you know they will have great games.

[SoapShoes]

You either have been living under a rock or are omitting sevral games on purpose. Waaaaay more than just two exclusives announced for PS4.

[BABY-JEDI]

I think he is living under a rock while omitting a whole bunch of games @the same time. I wonder why?

[Hicken]

As a Sony fan and PS4 owner, why do you know the (potential) lineup of the XB1 better than the PS4?

[Jeff257]

We are only 4 months into the life of the PS4. Sony also has never really dropped every exclusive they have in development during the first year of their consoles or even all during the same year. They keep a constant stream of games that can be spread out across different years and different times of the year. We already know some of the titles we will see this year and have some pretty good ones already. Plus with the big push of indie titles and the 3rd party multiplats there won't be a shortage of games to play.

[Revolver_X_]

smh at the fanboys. Name a better Year 1 lineup in history? Im talking third party included. Contrary to what fanboys think, Sony fans buy third party games too.

[Exojet]

Let's get real people, like me you probably bought an Xbox one or a ps4 like I did, expecting it to better then it currently is, we justify buying early with games like the order,drive club, the next uncharted game, playstation now etc. but where are these games? don't preach about buying this system early for games not out yet and most likely will be delayed past 2014 buying a console for Xmas this year is the right thing to do for everyone, Sony and Microsoft have simply got too much on there plate to keep scheduled promises for the early adopters of the new consoles and both consoles need a lot more firmware updates yet to be the beast they both promised!

[Geobros]

Poor SONY....many financial problems...

[SITH]

A lot of people here just look at game specific news understandably. But plenty of them are oblivious to the financial dealings of their favorite console provider.

I saw this coming a long time ago. Sony has significantly more debt than they do cash on hand to pay those debts when they are due. That is why they have sold property, closed the PC division, laid off thousands of employees, cut back on the number of movie releases, and now developer layoffs. Sony's only profitable division is their financial division which is doing well and has exceeded profits.

$30 billion in the bank, and losing $5-6.4 billon a year is no way to do business.

And for the people who believe the PS4 is profitable and generating revenue for sony right now. Even Sony says that is not the case for at least two years despite blowing away their own sales projections. http://www.reuters.com/arti...

[kenshiro100]

The gaming division is profitable. No one ever implied that Sony as a whole was profitable.

I like how you guys ONLY come out when there's negative Sony news. None of you know what's going on inside of the company or why layoffs occurred in the first place.

Sony's gaming division is doing just fine. They're still part of a restructuring process. Layoffs will happen. Doesn't mean that they're 'DOOMED111' or whatever nonsense you people come up with.

And stop pulling numbers out of thin air...like you know how much they're actually losing. Unless you're a stockholder or work at Sony, STOP IT.

Its sad and pathetic.

[SITH]

"Even Sony's successes are somewhat muted. Its Playstation 4 gaming console is on pace to beat sales expectations of 5 million units by the end of March. But this latest iteration of the popular Playstation was so expensive to develop that it will take two years to break even on the console, *SONY* said."

"One Sony division is performing admirably, however. The financial services unit did so well in the fiscal quarter from October to December 2013 that Sony managed to post an operating profit of more than 90 billion yen, nearly twice the previous year's amount."
Pretty much what I said above. If you (kenshiro) bothered to click the link I provided above, you could have saved that whine message you sent to me proving you absolutely did not read it.

http://www.reuters.com/arti...

http://www.bloomberg.com/ne...

http://www.forbes.com/sites...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/... <-6.4 billion. My that looks familiar. Wonder where that magical number came from. I must have received it from thin air.

No... I will not stop it. LOL. And that oblivious comment I stated in my initial post... I was talking about you ken.

[Stoppokingme]

I reckon these layoffs are a consequence of the industry.

The gaming business is now as cutthroat as any other business and I think some devs are aware of this, so they are jumping before they get pushed.

[TKCMuzzer]

No offence but have Microsoft released their release schedule yet? It's just I can't see how this is just Sony related when we know little to nothing about Microsofts line up. It's a next gen issue and more worryingly somebody in the industry should be fully aware of what happens during the first year of a consoles cycle.

[Ocsta]

I don't see the issue here. This article raised some valid concerns and was written pretty fairly. Why is Colin suddenly the Antichrist? O.o

[Tedakin]

If you post NEWS that people don't want to hear, the person who posted it is suddenly a fanboy hater. The Sony firings are big news in the gaming industry, whether you want to hear it or not.

[kenshiro100]

Yeah, big news in the industry. But people seem to forget Sony is in the middle of restructuring their company and they if they have to layoff workers, that's part of it. Companies that are in financial trouble tend to do that in order to make their companies better and not file for bankruptcy.

IGN is blowing this out of proportion.

But gee, what do I know...

The sky is falling, Sony is doomed!!11/s

[ruefrak]

Or, it was the month where Sony finally did some house cleaning and did what needed to be done for years.
Jack Tretton left, and despite his E3 presentation this year, I get the feeling that the PS4 is succeeding despite him, not because of him. The support for the Vita in NA has been a joke and its failure here is his responsibility. I think he left because he wanted more money than Sony was willing to pay.
Amy Henning was a great creative director at Naughty Dog, but so is Neil Druckmann. The Last of Us vs. Uncharted 3 and TLOU won. Too many cooks spoil the broth and Amy had to go.
Seth Killian left... the guy is a fighting games adviser. He helped out with All Stars Battle Royale, which didn't do as well as they hoped. No current fighting game is planned, so why is he there? Well, he's not anymore.
Driveclub is a mess The launch game has been delayed and reworked to make it better. Whose responsibility is that? The game director. They obviously brought in a new, more competent director to finish the game and so the other guy is out.
Layoffs happen, especially at studios that just finished a game, or at studios that haven't produced a hit. Sony Santa Monica produced a sub-par God of War game, and then had their teams working on up to three new games. They needed to focus on one game and get it out the door. So they get slimmed down.
Evolution in finishing up a game and needs a much smaller team. What's their next game? Who knows. Why are they making a racing game when Polyphony Digital makes racing games also? I have no idea. Evolution is probably going to shut down after Driveclub comes out.

Sony first party games have rarely been system sellers. Killzone is fun, but despite them putting new ones out, they don't get any more popular.
Restructuring studios isn't bad, not restructuring a disorganized studio is what is bad.

[mcarsehat]

there are a lot of coincidental issues happening at once, nothing to worry about.

[MoveTheGlow]

"Project cancellations and the cutting of staff – especially at studios in the middle of projects like Evolution and Sony Santa Monica – indicate that teams are having trouble building, finishing, and shipping their games."

Gee, ya think? That's been happening all over the industry, with even Titanfall releasing as half of your typical FPS. In the meantime, these independent developers that Sony has fostered have made the PS4 unique, and making these games often free through PSPlus means that people who have never heard of Steam or a Humble Bundle finally know what these guys can do. I'd argue it's what made the PS3 special too - Shatter, Everyday Shooter, the Pixeljunk series, etc.

While AAAs flounder around, either in the public eye or behind the scenes, either through layoffs or an incomplete game, independent devs are saving consoles for now. Let the big guys figure it out. We're pretty sure Mercenary Kings is free in April, after all.

[tiremfej]

Makes sense but do you really want to spend $400+ on a console just to play indie games? Be it PS4 or X1? I don't and didn't. Granted a few are fun...but Indie games do not sell consoles AAA titles do.

[Moe-Gunz]

It has been 4 months. Relax.

[Dirtnapstor]

I think he's a great writer and well spoken. I would tend to trust his impressions generally, but I think a lull tends to happen with every new consoles debut. I'm thinking developers want to "get it right" strait out of the chute on the PS4 and pump out products that really shine in all respects, rather than put out a product that is passable for this new-gen. Yes there's been a lot of shakeup in the industry lately, but this is not necessarily a bad thing. Wait and see.

[hello12]

He is currently Senior Editor of IGN PlayStation. This site needs to wake up to the realities and stop ignoring it. Even Neogaf is more sane than this place at times. Lot of Sony fans over there can see Sony has genuine issues at this time.

Been an x box fan in no way do i want Sony to fail. Sony being successful is good for x box. Microsoft would get damn lazy having no competition. Competition is good.

[Buff1044]

He is simply taking a different look at Sony to provide another opinion, one that goes against the massive praise the company receives, especially from the N4G community. Just acknowledge his right to an opinion, agree/disagree and move on.

[xx4xx]

Silly IGN.

You aren't allowed to say anything bad-ish about Sony. That's Internet death.

[Silly gameAr]

Where are you guys coming from? Are you dup accounts or are you that MisterX psychos minions because you ALL say the same thing and there's nothing clever about any of it.

[xx4xx]

Doesn't mean it's not true.

[D3ATH_DRIV3R_777]

I hope i can shed some light on the reason whythe layoffs! according to ASHAN RASHEED, he says the reason for the layoffs at SSM, GUERRILLA CAMBRIDGE AND SONY LONDON is because the ip's were not up to playstation quality, in other words, they sucked! COL RODGERS at EVO STUDIOS left that studio because he's opening up a new studio for indie games, and EVO STUDIOS will be announcing a new GD for the studio soon. This is why i don't listen to *sarcastically* journalists that does updates on the gaming industry because ppl like that! he make it sound like SONY is doing so bad now because of the layoffs, they're not doing bad, they just not going to release no bad games, that's all. I listen to journalists that is specifically follows SONY or MS, you know, from the horses mouth, journalists like him and other wack job journalists is more like coming out of the horses ass because they don't get the information right. As far as SONY goes for them releasing their games slowly, i rather deal with it than have a bad game. I don't care if you disagree with me, but think about this, do you want a game that looks up to par and plays well? or do you want a rushed game with out the gate problems? your choice.

[SliceOfTruth888]

well i can say from a PS4, Xbone, Wii U owner the PS4 has been a snoozefest. I pla..FORCED my way through both Killzone and Knack. LOVED Resogun, mehhed through contrast and I am about halfway through Second Son which has been good but nothing special. The system is a beast there is no doubt about that but seriously any one who owns both Xbone and PS4 should agree the PS4 is a dust collector.

With my XBONE i have already played and enjoyed Dead Rising 3 with full online co op experiencing all Xbone has to offer feature wise, I am still playing Killer Instinct and loving every ULTRA second of it, Played through Ryse which is pretty much the systems Infamous avg game with fantastic graphics, playing hours upon hours of Titanfall, finished Peggle 2, Finished Max curse of brotherhood which was/is a sleeper and I still get rounds of Power Star golf in.

Wii U well lets not kick it while its down...ok i will. Mario 3d world is insanely over rated but Donkey Kong tropical freeze is amazing

[RandomDude655]

Fuck you IGN

[SmilingAdvocate]

2 words or technically 1 word

"Oddworld"

[dmonee]

It will be a fine year for ps3 and 4 owners. System transitions are always dodgy in their first year or so

[_FantasmA_]

What a dumb article? How can getting rid employees (maybe they were slackers, had attitude problems, didn't come in time, were insubordinate, got greedy, etc) be considered a bad thing when we know nothing of why they left or got fired? He makes it seems like they are selling less consoles or the PS4 is malfunctioning with each employee that leaves.
Lets totally ignore the positives:

- PS4 has seen an increase in sales for the last 2-3 weeks with Infamous

-PS4 still hard to find and sold out in some areas

-Sony stock went up recently

-Drive Club release date will be announced soon

You haters make it seem like one person leaving a studio means there will be a permanent vacant spot on the team. Maybe the newly promoted or recruited worker will do a better job? We are on the PS4 now, so in order to create new franchises or make changes to franchises from the PS3 days, change is needed. I will wait for confirmation as to why the devs are leaving instead of just saying its bad news or a conspiracy.

[Brighat]

Not going to take any article from IGN seriously. They are the Kings of clickbait and flamebait even though they don't need it as plenty of horny smart alecks under the age of 18 frequent the site.

Yes, it is sad that people have lost their jobs but this also means that the next day they can be their own boss and form their own software houses and make video games for a number of platforms.

By the way, why hasn't Sony gutted out Team ICO? They have done nothing in 10 years.

[Truth]

With the amount of "Sony doomed" articles in the past 7-8 years you'd think they would have gone out of business at least 20 times by now...