The man in charge of Sony's American first party studios sat down with Colin to chat about Sony Bend, Sucker Punch, and the future of studios like Sony Santa Monica and Sony San Diego.
During PlayStation’s E3 live coverage, Sony Interactive Entertainment Software Development Head Scott Rohde and VP of Third Party Relations Adam Boyes talked about the games presented.
* He then explained that Spider-Man is one of the first true partnerships between the first and third party segments of the company. Marvel came to Sony’s first party and said that they would love to see one of their properties treated with the preference with which first parties treat their heroes.
Well that settles that.I hope they approach Sony for more superhero titles if Spidey profits
That Sony is the one who took Spidey hostage and made him exlcuisve to PS4.Hell theres an article if a kid crying about it ¬¬.
This proves that all industries know that it's Sony's first party that is unrivaled when it comes to quality exclusives. Hence, Marvel decided to go to Sony.
Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios includes many developers, but apparently the company is still open to the idea of acquiring new studios for its line-up, as mentioned by Worldwide Studios North American boss Scott Rohde.
I think Sony should buy Capcom then and bring back Dino Crisis and Mega Man Legends 3.
And i am still waiting to see what Kojima will do. Siren and Silent Hill team is waiting at Sony :)
Insomniac...Sony, scoop them up AND @buddymagoo is right...Get Kojima & let him do his thing!!!
This is what makes a HUGE difference between Sony and MS.
MS barely replace what it lost last gen. It lost Bungie, Epic and Bioware. Huge losses btw. New studios do not fill their shoes.
Yet, they are not out for acquisition. They are out for timed or temporary purchased exclusives. Dead Rising, Ryse, Killer Instinct, Titan Fall, TR, Sunset Overdrive... None of them first party...
In the meantime, Sony has been adding studios and increasing size of each. Santa Monica is like 3 teams? ND is 2 team? GG is 2 team?
If Sony was buying I'd love to see them try to strike a deal with Platinum Games, because it's frustrating having all their releases spread over so many different platforms. I'm not sure if Sony would consider it worthwhile or be happy with their performance since their games are so niche, but being able to count on a fantastic action game from those guys every couple of years would be a huge boost for Sony's first party if they acquired them.
Oh please, Sony buy Sega and let Insomniac make a Sonic the Hedgehog game.
Although Sonic Generations is great
but still Insomniac and Sonic is super exciting!
SonySega brings music to my ears.
SonySegaSonic
Ok I'll bite, they should by Rockstar and put this console war out of it misery once and for all ;-)
Just kidding guys keep yer panties on!
They should hire Kojima and give him full creative freedom, the man can deliver.
If they bought Capcom they'd have to make another handheld and they clearly don't want to do that.
I don't think TheColbertinator would be a great name for a Japan only handheld.
If that Quantum Break tv/game experiment works I think it would be great to have that horror game with Del Toro/Kojima and then have Del Toro direct a TV show for Sony TV.
Ummmm that isn't a first time for this experiment so it isn't something they thought of first. The defiant game tried to link the game and show in a significant way. It didn't work out well for them. I'm sure however Quantum will sell better though.
You speak as Remedy is just going to walk away from MS and MS allow it with out doing a thing ....... Don't see that happening , MS would rather buy it than watch it go elsewhere .
Didn't they scale back on that project considerably since they closed down the tv production studio at Microsoft. I think they used those clips for in game cutscenes now.
@Castillo
I didn't say Quantum Break would walk away. I mean Sony can do something similar. Kojima and Del Toro being friends and wanting to work on that Horror game project which used to be Silent Hill could just make their own horror game and with Sony TV make that into a tv series. Del Toro with Hogan wrote Strain novels which is now a TV show as well.
@Wall street I know about Defiance as I sold the game. I didn't say anywhere that it was a first. I was saying if Quantum Break pulls it off then maybe Sony could do it as well.
Capcom would come at a steep price. They are far more likely to acquire a smaller indie studio
But buying Capcom would be profitable in the long run. They got some pretty awesome library of games waiting to be used. If Sony used them right, it could be awesome.
People have been waiting for a game like Megaman Legends 3 and Dino Crisis 4 for a long time.
That's very possible. Of course not all studios want to be acquired though. Has to be the right circumstances
Capcom isn't a studio. It's more like a publisher with several studios as subsidiaries. It would cost a lot of money to buy Capcom.
http://www.gurufocus.com/te...
As for Kojima, after what happened at Konami I would be surprised if he didn't start his own studio to do whathever he wants.
Exactly. Capcom is a heavyweight, having been producing games for over 30 years.
Ye they could also buy nintendo and get mario right? Do you even realize how big Capcom is?
Capcom, SEGA, Konami studios, EA, and much more you can name that Sony's influence will help these companies:)
They can't afford those, and I'd rather see Big publishers stay 3rd party and support Other platforms... I think Acquisition of Studio's should happen when the working relationship is on a deep personal level, and is beneficial to both, where the creativity is fostered and prepped for exponential growth... Sucker Punch Media Molecule, and Evolution studios are prime examples, and the next one on the docket I'm sure will be Quantico Dreams.
They are a talented and innovative studio that pioneers their technology and are incredibly creative, their games have prospered for both the studio and Sony and made them both tons of revenue.
Heavy Rain has sold 4 million units on PS3 and Beyond 2 Souls have sold half of that at the end of the PS3's life cycle, just a month before PS4, and the fervor for the next project Detroit, shows that They are going to be incredibly supported by Sony.
Cage has already expressed that he'd love to work exclusively with Sony, and It makes sense, because He said Sony gave them PS4 Devkits as early as the start of Beyond Two Soul's development. As the Tech for Kara was Early PS4 tech, ported down to PS3.
How naive are you?, of course they can afford
a studio. you delusional fool, they've bought
studio's in the past an if they wanted Capcom
they will buy them out. not like Capcom cost a
billion dollars it amazes me how ignorant American gamers let alone foreign gamers are. like they think Sony cant afford even a studio let the professionals handle this, I would think Mr.Scott Rohdes or Shuhei Yoshida
and Kaz Hirai would know how much cash they'er own company is making or have in there corporations bank account
and it's completely obvious gamers well the ones
that are. an especially the XBox One fans are not that well educated and or delusional if they think that this company can't even afford another studio when we've been shown time and time again that they can.
They can't afford capcom, and stop insult... The economics of such an acquisition would throw the prosperity of the industry out of wack... Capcom is a multi-billion dollar company, with many Many Many subsidiaries, Sony would NEVER recoup the loses from such an acquisition. It isn't as easy as writing a check, or absorbing its assets...
Capcom like Activision, EA, and Square support other platforms and their business makes for a healthy ecosystem.. if capcom or any other of the big main publishers were acquired, the industry would implode, and revenues across the board would fall.
Don't call someone an idiot when you lack the understanding of economic s and how acquiring a company works... There are consequences to trying to acquire a big player that generatess money for the industry it supports. It isn't as simple as writing a check and having a large multi billion dollar conglomerate make games for one platform while screwing everything else.
You're just a silly fanboy. Run the along
I don't think JP allows this type of monopoly to exist, but considering Capcom is a global company now, Sony / Nintendo / MS might get away with it.
Honestly I don't see any of them buying Capcom. At best I see them buying up IP's.
Sony buying Capcom would be a historic event!! Not only higher budgets for games but creative freedom as well
And we get Dragons Dogma 2, Shenmue 5, Dino Crisis 4, Mega Man Legends 3 etc etc etc.
Capcom
Kojima
Ready at dawn
Insomniac
Level 5
Quantic dreams
I think out of these
Kojima will sign with Sony first
Capcom if struggles more will be next
Quantic seams will be next
ABSOLUTELY BLUEPOINT GAMES
Don't you think buying bluepoint games would just warrant more remaster and HD remakes. I mean they're great at doing that but I don't think blu point games have ever developed a game. I think they mainly focus on porting them.
The_Devil_Hunter
well if anything they have shown they have the talent because their remasters are excellent. so someone has to give them a chance
also if sony were to buy bluepoint and capcom, i would put them to remaster or remake old capcom games
but best thing is get them in and maybe give them the order 1886 sequel with help from another 1st party studio
lol, Capcom is only worth the IPs, I would see Sony merely buying them for that. The best developers and teams are long gone from Capcom.
lol, I question if anyone really thinks Capcom has quality developers anymore.
Shinji of RE fame is gone.
Hideki of DMC fame is gone
Inafune of Mega Man fame is gone.
I say that based on those events and Capcom outsourcing Dead Rising 2 and 3, DmC etc vs in house.
Consider even Capcom isn't having their own teams make their own games.....
They legit might only be worth their IPs and not their whole teams. I would again be fine with Sony just buying them for their IPs if anything as lots and lots of talent is gone besides the 3 that I mentioned.
Capcom has had it's day in the sun...for the price Sony would pay for Capcom, they could buy a dozen smaller devs, any one of which could be the next Naughty Dog. Buying big companies ultimately amounts to overspending for big names & IPs...I'd rather see a new dev create the next Dino Crisis or Mega Man for a fraction of the cost then see Sony take a huge gamble putting all of their eggs in one basket.
I definitely think Sony should pick up some more first party devs, they already have more than any other platform to my knowledge, so they should widen that gap even further. Judging by Rohde's recent comments on the progress of Bend's new IP & Sucker Punch's next game, they are allowing them to take their time on those games, so It'd be great to see the potential for more unknown exciting properties in the interim. 2016 is looking gangbusters at this point, it's 2017 & beyond that I'm most curious about...don't want Sony resting on their laurels & depending on third parties, they need to keep up their good work they put in w/ the PS3 & prior and show us fans why we invest in the PS brand. I've got full faith in them though...honestly can't wait for all of the quality titles in 2016.
i rather they partner with capcom to make games like they did with street fighter 5, just help them make Mega Man Legends 3.
So let me get this straight....
Last gen, MS was evil for "Money Hatting" 3rd party deals...
This gen its okay for Sony to "Money hat" as well as buy 3rd party developers...
Will the double standards ever end in the Sony Camp?
Capcom are too much of a liability to buy for anyone right now just for a few good ips
Mega Man
Monster Hunter
Okami
Onimusha
Resident Evil
Rival Schools
Sengoku Basara
Street Fighter
Strider Hiryu
Viewtiful Joe
Ace Attorney
Breath of Fire
Darkstalkers
Devil May Cry
Final Fight
Ghosts'n Goblins
Dragons Dogma
Those are not few ips.
yeah and 85% of them are niche, only appeal to a small dedicated fanbase.
Monster hunter sells well on portable devices, and obviously there wont be a psp after vita.
Resident evil is a dying/less populafr franchise.
Street fighter is the only thing on that list worth buying capcom for, otherwise I'd imagine nintendo would have more benefit from this purchase
I think they are talking about Indie studios. Sony can't afford to buy Big named studios like Capcom or Take-Two. Remember EA tried to buy Take-Two and failed miserably. Microsoft bought Minecraft for over $1 billion. I could easily see them buying a big name studio. I'm still surprised they didn't buy SEGA, Rockstar Games or even EA.
Rockstar is owned by Take Two is it not? Unless they have some contract coming up soon, I highly doubt Take Two would sell it's biggest money maker unless they sold the entire company full stop.
I don't think MS would spend the kind of money they'd have to on a risky property like Sega, seeing as how their flagship franchises have been lackluster in the sales department for a while.
I think MS is trying to move towards being the next Sega or EA or Take Two, they've been buying up IPs left & right, which would signify that they are trying to bolster their software portfolio. Considering they've already confirmed that they will be releasing Minecraft as a multiplat, they are smart enough to realize that they can't keep all of their properties exclusive to their box, which would be shooting themselves in the foot quite literally.
Seems to me Sony is in the hardware game for the long term, as they are a hardware company first & foremost...they buy studios...MS seems to be in the software game for the long term as they've been buying IPs & software tech like Havok and they've had a history of being a software company first & foremost.
Sony should consider buying IPs and also this studios
Bungie (in 8yrs)
FromSoftware
Hello Games
thatgamecompany
Housemarque
Bluepoint games
Create a studio for Kojima
How could you forget about Quantic Dream? lol
That's a nice list though. I could see Sony buying any of those studios except for Bungie. Bungie isn't even independent. They're owned by Activision
'Activision does not own Bungie, they only have a 10yr partnership deal'
Which includes publishing their games.
Still don't see them acquiring Bungie. What makes anyone believe Sony will acquire Bungie? Bungie and Sony haven't really had a long relationship and outside of Destiny's timed DLC and marketing Bungie and Sony haven't really had many partnerships on anything else. I don't see how 1 timed DLC and marketing deal constitutes or hints at Sony acquiring Bungie. Thats like me saying Sony is going to acquire Rockstar and WB games all because they had marketing deals with them for GTA 5 and Batman: Arkham Knight. Doesn't really make sense.
Bungie Chose to Partner with Sony, simply because they've worked exclusively with Microsoft for the better part of 12 years, a new IP needs new partnerships and a chance to make new plans to reach a new audience...
It's for the same Reason Insomniac Games, who has worked with Sony for 16 years, lead development on Fuze for XB360 and naturally to make Sunset Overdrive an XBO exclusive.
These partnerships makes sense.
But I don't think bungie wants to owned, they left MS to work on there own thing and that's been working out well for them.
Out of all the studios listed there, Hello Games seems most likely to end up being apart of WWS along with Quantic Dreams
Housemarque should have been purchased years ago.
Another studio I would like Sony to acquire is Arrowhead.
I think Sony should buy:
Square-Enix - They are a treasure trove of JRPGs. Chrono Trigger, Legend of Mana, Final Fantasy, Xenogears, Vagrant Story, Kingdom Hearts, etc. While Square-Enix has some heavy hitters this gen they still are a shadow of their former selves. Hopefully a Sony purchase would shake things up.
Camelot Software - One of the best JRPGs of all time Golden Sun. Released on the Gameboy Advance it is one of the few games that can truly go toe to toe against Final Fantasy VI for the crown. It's sad to see Golden Sun 3 not live up to expectations and the franchise neglected as Golden Sun and Golden Sun: The Lost Age are truly gems.
Sony should create more studios: Sadly games are not being pumped out as fast as they used to be. As each console generation goes by there appear to be less game studios, less creativity, endless sequels, and a fear of trying something new due to the rising costs of development. In this ever shrinking of video game studios I would like to see Sony create more instead of gobbling up what little is left.
I personally wouldn't want Sony to waste funds on IPs when they could buy studios that could create better IPs for the future of gaming. IPs are ridiculously expensive & Sony could create a dozen or more brand new games for what it would cost to buy a single IP like Crash Bandicoot.
All of the studios you listed are quality ones though for sure, but studios are only as good as their talent, and talent comes & goes. I think gaming needs to move toward platforms locking down creators into contracts as opposed to studios. Sony lost a great talent when Amy Hennig left ND, they should be signing writers like her, creators like Neil Druckman & Bruce Straley, composers, graphic artists, etc....What would be a bigger get, locking down a studio that someone like Kojima happens to freelance for, or locking down Kojima himself & letting him headhunt the perfect team for any given project?
Studios used to be a big deal as they were plastered across the beginning of your favorite games & they still are, but now that gamers have the internet as a massive tool & they are more informed than ever, they are starting to realize that the creators are the ones they need to be looking for.
Hopefully Kojima starts his new studio and Sony acquires them so he'll have free reign on what he wants to do.
Why does he need to be owned? Doesn't that defeat the purpose of being to do what he wants to do? There's no bigger freedom then being independent.
I'm not so sure about that...being independent means having to cater your vision to the whims of multiple publishers, shareholders, investors & platforms. Unless Kojima has the money to completely foot the bill for his next game, which would be a risky move, he'd still have to answer to investors & their demands. If he has a good working relationship with Sony & if they give him free creative reign & a loose contract, that'd be more akin to true freedom than having the full weight & stress solely on his shoulders. That's how visionary creators have worked since the beginning of art being commissioned by royalty, on through music being released by a label. True independent success creatively is rare, and independent success commercially is nearly non existent.
There are big IFs when being owned by a company, that's the problem. Sony doesn't give everyone freedom. Being independent is a guarantee. We have no idea if Sony will let him do whatever. You cant just get brought out and expect to do your own things. That's a very rare case. MGS doesn't sell that well so Sony could rather take the safer option by getting him make Sony's ideas more likely.
Sony donesnt have money, they are barely profitable this fiscal year after years of losses
lmao xbox fanboys need to get off PlayStation articles man i see you guys every where
It costs a lot of money for Sony to acquires a new studios. Of course, Microsoft buy any studios because they have more money than Sony. Remember Microsoft acquired Mojang, it was about billion dollar. Sony First Party Studios are big and small. More importantly, they don't make their game like 2 years development to show it right away. Sony just want to make sure their game is ready or not. Before they acquired ND, they wanted to see If Naughty Dog worth their attention, it did for both of them. Same goes with Sucker Punch and GG, they were both got Sony attention to acquired them. But of course, it cost a lot of money.
Microsoft have acquired a game they'll never have to build on, just release more DLC for. It was a major sale, but it will be awhile before they ever do something like that again.
Are you one of those BGST listeners?they repeat that same garbage..Then how could they afford to create exclusives and sign marketing deals?all of that cost money right.Sony also bought Gaikai for $380 million but crazy Xbox fans claim Sony is broke.
And then they aquire a studio.
Doesn't mean it has to be a studio thats worth several billion dollars.
You're gonna tell "Sony" they don't have money?
How do you know what they have?
Sony has millions, they can afford it.
They will acquire some studios, but it will take time. It not just about money, it's also about trust and understanding each other. I'm sorry that i didn't make it clear in my first comment.
Acquisitions don't have to be made with cash, they can be made with stock too, or often a mix of both.
You know Sony is a public company right? Go look at their financial reports. Yes their gaming division makes money but so that's offset by huge losses in their other businesses
Here they lost 126 billion yen last fiscal year
http://www.cnet.com/news/so...
They are still losing millions every year. The PS4 is the only thing really making some money and offsetting some of their debt.
http://www.theregister.co.u...
http://www.theverge.com/201...
They actually made some profits over the last 6-10 months, but it has been small. They aren't broke, but they are rich either.
Dude they have been posting profit lately next time do some research before you spout nonsense.
@Corpser + 19m ago
You know Sony is a public company right? Go look at their financial reports. Yes their gaming division makes money but so that's offset by huge losses in their other businesses.
Again, I have to Explain this?
Sony computer entertainment LLC ..see that its a LLC for a reason.
1st of all the PlayStation arm is a whole owned "subsidiary" that means the stock held for PlayStation is not for sale, there is no IPO: IE: even if you buy into Sony stock, you get no stock into PlayStation. Because it'd just a held Assets that is ran separate from Sony itself..
2) PlayStation is not even the #1 profit generation section of Sony it's the 5th.
And Sony is in the black now not red!
And has been for a while. That 1.6 billion write off for mobile was a good will write off because they purchased all of Ericsson stock as a buy out. Sony valuation was decided to zero out the valuation of Ericsson. Mean while PlayStation's subsidiary was at profit & in 2012 Sony opened up a new 400,000 square ft. PlayStation's HQ in silicon valley!
Why Yes Sony has no money..lmao
he said Sony is profitable this fiscal year, the previous years even last fiscal year they were losing money, how's he wrong?
You my friend are ignorant and misinformed. The gaming division has been their bright spot bringing in profit. What has Sony or had them in the red was non gaming investments. Already with the ps4 they were selling at a profit not to mention the tons of software sales lol. Out of all the consoles PlayStation are the safest as Sony Is now reaping the benefits and pushing their whole brand behind them. On the other end you have Microsoft board meetings constantly talking about dropping Xbox due to lack of profits for that division. Where do you guys get your info man?
Don't have money? They are one of the biggest and richest companies in the world regardless of losses. Not to mention some of you act like Sony hasn't been buying companies for games lol they Been doing that Naughty Dog, Media Molecule, and others they have invested in.
Sony's gaming division is not a separate company, if the gaming division makes 500 million but Sony Pictures lost 500 million, Sony makes no money.
@aquamala
You still aren't understanding this are you. If Sony pictures list 500 million, it literally does not affect the gaming division whatsoever..
They are seperate, and Sony PS profits are not negated by losses in other divisions.
PS is a subsidiary of Sony, my simple friend..
@Twoforce I wasn't meaning you, I was talking about @Corpser.
But to answer the question, I agree that it'll take time for Sony to get them, but they can afford what they know they can.
Sony overall is struggling, the Playstation division is not. They have the money to drop on studios if they see fit.
@Corpser
Sony is not in the red anymore. They're not in as much financial trouble as they used to be and Sony has actually posted profits the last 4 quarters but I like how you left that part out of your speech.
Sony is doing well and doing a lot better than they were a few years ago and that genuinely bothers people like you so what do you do? You lie to yourselves and others by telling yourselves the same lie so you can feel better about yourself. You think that if you keep telling yourselves "Sony is broke" you can eventually convince yourself into thinking that it's true. It's honestly pathetic but is hilarious at the same time seeing people desperately trying too hang on to 3 year old information, whatever though, keep lying to yourselves if it will help boost your confidence and help you sleep at night.. lol
What did I say? Sony is profitable this fiscal year after years of losses, they are not profitable last fiscal year, it's not 3 year old information
http://www.cnet.com/news/so...
Can you show a financial report showing loses from the gaming division?
If you can't, then perhaps it's best if you keep your comments to yourself, especially when they're falsehood.
@Corpser
That doesn't necessarily mean they're broke, now does it? Their other divisions have NOTHING to do with their gaming division and has nothing to do with this article at all.
Sony's other divisions have nothing to do with the gaming division? They are in the same company! if these other divisions have big losses ,the profit from the gaming division is gone!
Here are some ideas Sony ;)
Quantic Dream
Insomniac
Dontnod Entertainment
Ninja Theory
Quantic Dream maybe but these other 3 i don't see
Insomniac
Dontnod Entertainment
Ninja Theory
Really ? Sony and Quantic Dream have a strong relationship from the beginning. Insomniac want to be independent even they do have R&C series. Dontnod owned by Square Enix if I corrected. Ninja Theory is their own independent. The only i could see Sony acquire the studio. It would be QD.
Nathan Drake’s “adventurer style” outfit has become a staple in the Uncharted games, and especially his half-tuck is quite recognizable. SCEA Worldwide Studios Senior Vice President of Product Development Scott Rohde explained how it all began.
Don't we already know the original design from the early footage of Uncharted and the unlockable skins in the multiplayer. Baseball Shirt Drake or something
They do mention the unlockable Baseball shirt Drake in the article but yeah, we already saw it when Uncharted was first revealed so that's not news.
I didn't realize that you wore it in UC3 when he was a kid though.
It has been discussed a few times, I know one was when Uncharted 2 released and Amy Henning was sitting down on one of GameTrailer's shows. There are a few videos as well, Linked one on another post but again lol,
https://www.youtube.com/wat...
The ONLY reason he got disagrees is because he has "360" in his name. I guarantee it.
This site.... lol
Oh I thought they were going to explain WHY the half-tuck.... thought there was a reason or something.
How is an article about a video game character's shirt so hot on this site.. Then you look at the comments and their is basically none. This site is rigged
I totally agree with Scott and I think that's why out of all of the manufacturers Sony has the best first party studios that have cranked out great games over the decades. They let the teams bake and incubate their ideas and not get formulaic like Scott said regarding Sony bends project.
Sony Bend is very small. It not like they are big like ND. More importantly, Sony First Party Studios have a long history of making games. They don't make game like 2 years or way too long. They just want to make sure that game is ready to show or not. Patience is maybe not people taste, but we have to accept it.
I think they wanted to reveal Bend game E3 so they can carry moment for rest of year with glimpse just like they dominated E3 2015 and people still talking about those games.
E3 2016 Prediction
1. Sony Bend IP
2. New GOW
3. Crash.
Don't get me wrong I think that this all sounds positive for Sony, but it would be nice to have a little more detail than 'We are massaging it.' Maybe I'm just over excited for what awaits us in the future.