Understanding Sony's Issue with Delays

With delays becoming so common on Sony's console, the question needs to be asked: why do Sony’s games (as great as they may be) keep getting delayed?

[RyanMc2016]

I rarely feel upset when I see a delay because I assume it will be a better experience in the end. But I do get more hyped when the "Bethesda tactic" is being used...makes me feel like a kid on Christmas morning when I know it's just around the corner.

[Player3Podcast]

Yeah. I tend to try to just tune out coverage when it is too far out from release. I have the tendency to get exhausted with demo after demo after trailer after trailer.

[freshslicepizza]

i wish more studios would take the bethesda approach and announcing games the same year they are coming out. problem is not so many studios are fortunate enough to have a namebrand like fallout that will sell regardless of hyping them for years.

as for sony i feel some of those games are purposely delayed because at the end of the day what difference does it make? they are the leader this generation in sales and can also use third party games to carry them through unlike nintendo who relies solely on their own games otherwise they won't sell systems. which mneans there is not that much pressure for sony to place games around slower release schedules.

this problem is also not just restricted to sony even though sony seems to take the lead on delays. games cost so much that they think they need to show them way too early.

[Trez1234]

Donthate @ you can call playstation all you want but it has more games both AAA and indies. Quality is subjective but since you guys are more bothered about meta scores, playstation still wins there too. Better multiplats too and those things aren't just some crazy dreams but hard facts.

Maybe they delay more because they have more games?

[_-EDMIX-_]

"as for sony i feel some of those games are purposely delayed" LMFAO!

As suppose to on accident or?

" they are the leader this generation in sales "

They have a reputation to uphold. GT5, Motorstorm, Heavenly Sword, Killzone 2,

" through unlike nintendo who relies solely on their own" .....they have delayed many, many games though, I mean...Nintendo is literally known for delaying games to perfect them bud. Sorry but I don't really think you know what your talking about (like always) and your ignoring that when PS3 WASN'T market leader, it delayed many games. So why did they delay games last gen?

MS delayed Gears 2 and Gears 3, Too Human some Forza games, Crackdown 3, Scalebound, delayed ReCore.. are they market leader right now? orrrrr is there another reason their games are delayed?

"which mneans there is not that much pressure for sony to place games around slower release schedules."

Soooo lets replace "Sony" with Nintendo or MS and see if this makes any damn sense.

No pressure to release Zelda U huh? lol

No pressure to release Crackdown 3 huh? even with 20 plus million behind PS4? Maybe, JUST maybe, they are delaying games to FIX THEM. Has nothing to do with um "no pressure" as that would mean Nintendo and MS would NOT be delaying games, but shotgunning them out regardless of quality.

You do not see Nintendo or MS doing that or really many publishers theses days, so not sure why you assumed Sony was doing this merely based on being market leader.

Why did EA delay BF Hardlines, Mirror's Edge 2, Mass Effect 4 etc? I mean...buddy, that excuse sorta doesn't make sense.

So did you forget MS is losing by millions of units world wide, yet Scalebound was revealed in 2014, yet is coming out in 2017? lol

[freshslicepizza]

@_-EDMIX-_

year after year sony decides to delay key games during the busy holiday season, that is not by coincidence. they do it because they are the lead platform which will take the bulk of software sales. this allows them more flexibility to have their own games come out at slower times. the ps3 got a pass since it was much more difficult to work on.

here, i will leave you with this as i find it rather amusing now,

http://www.gamespot.com/art...

"We don't want to take too long on Gran Turismo 7," Kazunori told Top Gear. "Best-case scenario? Next year. In GT6 we really had to tune the software 100 percent to maximize the PS3's architecture, but of course the PS4's hardware is much better, so I think the overall quality of the game across the board will be boosted when you come to play it."

that was from 2013!

so let's wait and see if horizon gets delayed again or not. i already predicted last year it would not come out this year, go and search my past comments. this is a pattern by sony.

[_-EDMIX-_]

@mold- thats nice....QB, Scalebound, ReCore, Crackdown 3 delayed....

[Kryptix]

@_-EDMIX-_

It's not just a delay in games. There's also a delay in controller input, too.

https://www.youtube.com/wat...

lol No, all jokes aside. Below also got delayed. And Phantom Dust. (it got revived for 2017, announced in 2014)

So about delays? I don't mind them as long as there's games to play in between. I rather have a game that's not broken at launch, messy, all sorts of server issues, incomplete side stuff, etc compared to something that has all that. Plus, having to patch the game over time with gigs of data for not just that, but obvious balancing issues isn't my cup of tea. Like you took your time to beast with a gun or character and it turned out that it had bugs attached to it or they didn't test that right so they nerf it into oblivion, wasting my time mastering it and getting used to the weaknesses. You get me.

And wouldn't a delayed game also provide a little bit more content and not just fine tuning? That's if, there was no development hell associated to the delay, of course.

[Skillz1215]

@moldy I do not even bother reading your comments anymore because you are the most biased person on N4G I disagree the second I see your name

[ninjazfistz]

Agree. Frustration usually mounts after several years or even a year of delays.

[Shubhendu_Singh]

TLG is such an embarrassing case.

well, IF the delay was tactical to avoid larger games then maybe it is ok.

But IF the delay was to iron out bugs and stuff, (it's a great gesture ultimately) but seriously how much freakin time do you need for TLG? Wasn't 7 YEARS enough ?

I know delay game is always good than a non-delayed game, obviously. But you can't help but think something is really wrong with Sony when every game keeps getting delayed and delayed. Either stop announcing the release date, that could be a solution until it is 2-3 months away.

[jb227]

"But you can't help but think something is really wrong with Sony when every game keeps getting delayed and delayed. Either stop announcing the release date, that could be a solution until it is 2-3 months away."

And therein lies the rub. The gaming community gets upset over delays, so when Sony tries to fix that by not putting solid release dates on games revealed at E3 this year, the gaming community gets worked up about these games being "so far out they don't even have a release date".

Seems to me like Sony has already worked towards fixing this, but a vocal minority has chosen to criticize them for it instead of seeing the simple logic in it. Most people think the new announcements for games like Spider-Man, GoW & Days Gone puts them in the 2018 & Beyond window, but I wouldn't be surprised if Sony puts some firm Holiday dates on these games come E3 2017.

As for TLG this one is a bit of a special case. This game has seen 10 years of development over two console generations, following on as a spiritual successor from huge critical successes from the PS2 era whose sentiments have only gained more favor...to botch a launch like this solely to be a slave to a date now would just be insanity. TLG needs to run as smooth as silk come launch, otherwise we will see what we're seeing w/ Recore today, a game that seems like great fun is instead the poster boy for how to not make a first impression. In this day & age you absolutely have to nail the landing straight out of the gate or your game that you've put years of man hours & so many resources into will be forgotten in a week's time.

[_-EDMIX-_]

So it would have been better to just can the game? You know what happens when game go in to development this long? They don't come out bud....

Yet your a crying that they are doing you this solid and releasing what they promised?

Where is that Halo MMO? Buddy, it didn't even last HALF the time in development as this game and was canned, yet your crying over how long its taking? Be happy that its ANYTHING at this point, they NEVER needed to stick with this game bud, they very well could have canned it and I wouldn't have even blamed them if they did, but to cry over how long its taking is just immature and childish.

Sorry but if this was any other publisher, it legit may not even be coming out at all.

Sony has canned lots of games too, to stick with this game is a very respectable gesture.

"can't help but think something is really wrong with Sony when every game keeps getting delayed and delayed"

Buddy, I can't help but to think something is wrong with publishers that keep rushing out broken games, yet your crying over a company ensuring quality at launch?

[Sparta07]

What about Microsoft?
Wasn't QB, scalebound, and recore delayed just to name a few. It happens and sometimes is a good thing.

[Ethereal]

Exactly. Announce when you know you can meet the ship date no more than 6 months in advance. I get that you want people to know what is coming but these early announcements just end up hurting the game more in the long run.

[jznrpg]

You can not anticipate all problems with development, we do not live in a perfect world with perfect humans, mistakes and issues will happen. As long as the game is good when it is released is all I care about. I always have games on PlayStation to play, always have a backlog , so delays really don't matter to me.I still have a backlog on PS3, though I am happy to say it is getting small.

[jznrpg]

I like it as well, but Bethesda games have a lot of bugs when they come out. Morrowind is one of my favorite games of all time, but Bethesda could or maybe should delay there games a little to fix the bucket of bugs you always get.

[Dabigsiebowski]

Well Rockstar Games are the ones who started "that" tactic. Bethesda makes over rated games anyways that are super buggy from the get go.

You do know Bethesda is just as bad as scum as the EA, Ubi, or Acti. They tried to hold payments on the original devs of Prey 2 so they can lower the value of the company as a whole and buy them out at a cheap price. The completely screwed over playstation users on skyrim. The whole mod debacle is truly them being stubborn about wanting control over platforms for user created content. People would think to point the finger at Sony but can you really blame them? Fallout 4 was truly mediocre despite fanboys not accepting this.

They bought of id software and pretty much forced Carmack out because he didn't want to play ball with a publisher he had no choice over since they were the ones paying for the lights now. DOOM was no where near the quality I expected for the franchise let alone it being a reboot. They took it in a direction that was just mindless instead of trying to push the genre forward as the other ones did. doesn't surprise me to see it as cheap as it is now.

And here we have Skyrim.... the most overrated game in recent history. IT IS NOT A BAD GAME AT ALL, just severely overrated and frankly the Witcher series have proved that. The game was pretty buggy and really lacked the kinda balance you would expect from a game after 40 hours. Good game but really is over rated to a degree.

[_-EDMIX-_]

lol! Me too, but not every title can get such a treatment. All games are developed differently and many companies market differently. This is a huge IP for Sony and clearly they are likely not going to move something like 12 million units in a week or anything. With a new IP, they need more time to market and develop. This game is way, way past being released shortly after reveal. They should take their time. Can't undo what has been done so...

[UCForce]

Well, one thing I learned that Sony need to be more precise with release date. Also, TLG delay is smart move for Sony. Because October has two major titles, TLG won't stand a chance against those two. The game is coming in December, not November.

[Player3Podcast]

They also need to play their reveals a little closer to the chest. Lower that gestation period from reveal to release.

[donthate]

Except in December all the gifts and games have been bought. No more money. There is a reason why everyone tries to get in October.

[Sparta07]

@ don, Right cause nobody shops in the month of December. Lol that's one of the busiest time of the year for shoppers. People usually start there shopping on black Friday ( end of Nov )
And continues to Dec.

[Gamist2dot0]

Maybe in the old days when games take shorter amount of time to make with minimum budget, but today's games are way more sophisticated and require bigger budget so it's not easy when everything seems to fall into place for the target date when suddenly a serious bug or budget issue gets in the way come close to launch date.

I, too, don't like delays, but when it happens, i support every developer that does it because it's usually worth it.

[2pacalypsenow]

Because they try to get as many bugs fixed before release, unlike other companies that release them first and fix them later.

[akurtz]

it hasnt been in active development for 10 years, it was announced 10 years ago.

[Jared8Randall]

Sony's delays is a professional dichotomy. One the one hand, they want they're games to be good the first time (pro). On the other hand, they just can't get their estimates right on when it will be top notch (not as pro). I think it evens out in Sony's favor though, because we stop caring about the release date when we're finally playing the game and it rocks.

[SpaceRanger]

"With delays becoming so common on Sony’s console"

I dislike delays just as much if not more than the next guy, but this is becoming more common in comparison to what? Because right now Sony seems to be the one doing it less in the industry. But that's just my take on it.

Either way I'm still glad this (TLG), Gravity Rush 2 and plenty more is coming out during the holidays.

[AngelicIceDiamond]

"I dislike delays just as much if not more than the next guy, but this is becoming more common in comparison to what? Because right now Sony seems to be the one doing it less in the industry. "

Sony's doing it as much as the industry fixed it.

[dekke]

@donthate
just few times ..how many times MS games delayed?
Crackdown was supposed to hop out half year ago with secret sauce but now it isnt anywhere
also Phantom Dust is gone and ur fanboys ultimate ReCore is totally fail....not that im not any console fan but anyways =) and for last u can play xbox games on PC so xbox dun have games :P

[gangsta_red]

It is surprising to see TLG delayed. It's as if more than a decade wasn't enough time to get this game sorted out and released. I would think this would be the one game Sony would not want to have a delay on.

[Rimeskeem]

Except Sony probably doesn't want to send the game out against BF1 and CoD. Plus it's releasing close to Christmas now.

Edit: those below responded to a previous version of my comment.

[gangsta_red]

I don't think this game would be on any parent's list of games seeing how this is about as niche as niche can get.

But I do agree that a closer to Christmas release would be best for a game like this.

[darthv72]

no offense but it is a very niche game like shenmue is. Yes you have the diehard fans of the style of game but that's about it.

on the bright side, it hasn't been as long in development as duke nukem forever and is at least coming out unlike the long rumored half life 3. Yes those are different games but i was going for the comparison of long drawn out development times/ rumors

[Red_Renegade]

i get it. years making the game for one console should be added to scrapping that and making it for a completely different console.

[PhoenixUp]

Are you really singling Sony out on this? Let's not forget all the games Microsoft has also delayed

[darthv72]

Let me think... crackdown 3 and...... well that's about all i can think of. Others that were shown before seem to have release time frames at some point.

@sparta, yeah thanks man. Honestly I only followed crackdown 3 because it was announced some time ago. Ones like recore and halo wars 2 werent that long ago. Maybe its just a matter of perception based on what you follow more closely.

[Christopher]

I think Crackdown 3 and Quantum Break are the only Microsoft IPs to get delayed. Though, they have cancelled a few (Fable, Phantom Dust). There are a plethora of exclusive IPs, though not owned by Microsoft, that have been delayed (Gigantic, Below, etc.).

Though, to be honest, this truly is the generation of delays from every corner of the industry. Last generation they were not common, now it's almost expected for major titles.

[Doabarrelroll]

Yeah just crackdown 3 got delayed.....and seas of thieves, scalebound, halo wars 2, quantum break, gigantic, cuphead, below, fable legends cancelled and phantom dust is vaporware, but you know it's just Sony

[Sparta07]

Crackdown3 , QB , recore , scalebound, halo war 2. Is that enough for you darth?

[_-EDMIX-_]

LMFAO! Buddy, something is wrong when you are basically ignoring facts.

Fable, Quantum Break, Scalebound, Phantom Dust, ReCore...please stop bud.

@Chris- "Last generation they were not common" LMFAO! Um...ok, not sure what gen you where watching.

Sony delayed, Motorstorm, Killzone 2, GT5, MS delayed Gears 2, Gears 3, some of their Forzas,

Other titles that got delayed.
Tomb Raider reboot,
Bioshock Infinite,
Aliens: Colonial Marines
South Park: The Game
GTAIV
Ni no Kuni
Metro: Last Light
DmC: Devil May Cry
MGS4
The Last Of Us
LA Noire
Sly 4
Spore
Mafia 2
Alan Wake
Brutal Legend

and many more, but hey "not common" lol Some of the same studios delaying games last gen, are the ones delaying games this gen.

You know whats even funnier about your comment? LMFAO! Crackdown 1 and 2 both got delayed, Fable was delayed last gen and the team that made Quantum Break delayed Alan Wake several times. Soooooo very funny when your own examples of delays are by IPs and teams that have delayed in the past, but yes...."not common"

(proceed to name the same IP and teams that have delayed games last gen too)

[MKUltra]

Sony has just had more high profile exclusives get delayed. Microsoft is still developing a lot of its exclusives for release next year. Anticipate delays from them too.

[FallenAngel1984]

People try to sweep the delays of Crackdown 3, Halo Wars 2, Quantum Break, Scalebound, ReCore, Below, & Sea of Thieves under the rug.

They either don't want to admit that Microsoft delays their games just as much as Sony or they really don't care about Microsoft's entire lineup to even notice these numerous delays.

At least Sony continues to release their games all throughout the year. Microsoft seems to continue having long periods of gaps between first party releases

[Automatic79]

@FallenAngel1984

So after Uncharted what are you getting from Sony?

7 months with no games.

You seem to not want to admit delays are apparent on your system of choice. At this point Sony has become a one game a year worth purchasing system.

FYI please don't include indies because than your point becomes moot. Further how do yo drop a system like PS4 PRO and no good games to back up. Let's call a spade a spade. I don't ever want to hear any Sony fans say MS has no games. Those of you reading let's cut the hypocrisy out.

By the way if you add third party than us Xbox fans will add third party. All E3 2016 games will now come out in 2019.

[FallenAngel1984]

@ Con

Because ReCore was meant to come out in the spring but it was delayed to release this fall.

Are you really trying to damage control here? A delay is a delay. You can't hold these companies to different standards when they delay their games.

@ Michael

Gravity Rush 2 & The Last Guardian beg to differ about that 7 month gap.

You seem to not understand the point I'm making. I'm already aware of the delays that occur on PS4 just as I am aware of the delays on XO. Idk how something so basic went over your head.

I also don't get how you fail to understand that PS4 continues to receive plenty of exclusives all throughout the year. When you factor in third party exclusives then it becomes abundantly clear that PS4's lineup consistently dwarfs XO's.

You seem to enjoy neglecting plenty of exclusive AAA PS4 games, but hey that's your loss

[jznrpg]

MS delays less , but they release lesser amount of games so it evens out. They did delay Fable forever ,literally

[Pancit_Canton]

This game deserves a 4K and HDR support. I don't really mind the delay, I'm patient enough to wait almost 10 years for this game, so another couple of months is not a deal breaker.

[Ra3v3r]

You could be onto something. With the Pro just around the corner maybe they were asked to implement Pro features somewhere along the line and that's extended the bug fixing period. Team Icos games always have beautiful lighting, why not make it even better with HDR?

[UltimateOne88]

The answer is simple ... Marketing wants to build hype despite the time frame the developers indicate will be needed to accomplish said hype. I develop software for a living (not games) and Marketing only hears what they want to hear.

[Tzuno]

Delays are good, it makes games better quality and give us more time in the real life, go out have fun, it will come.

[Aenea]

Of the first 7 posts, 4 are from Xbox fans.... on a PlayStation article.... (first 27, 15 are from Xbox fans, amazing how interested Xbox fans are in PS related topics these days....)

---------

On topic: I don't mind delays most of the time, especially not in the fall when there's already way too much being released anyways. I also do not feel it's just a Sony thing and I do feel it's again Sony which is being singled out...

[Kiwi66]

So you only like to point out the fact that some xbox fans comment in a ps article yet don't say the same when ps fans do the same in an xbox/nintendo article so would you prefer that people not comment in any article even though this is a public forum and as for the topic ms have recieved flak for delaying games as i'm sure you've seen due to having here long enough so no its not just a sony thing

[Aenea]

You know darn well what I mean by this...

[blackblades]

These days with all the complaining and all. Either hear people complaining about delays or harsh complaining with issues of the game bugs etc... when released unfinished.

[Silly gameAr]

Here we go with this crap. Ignore every delay unless it's a Sony game and get those clicks.

[BlackTar187]

Sony delayed a game? The sun also came up today? You don't say

LOL.

We can play a game which game won't get delayed from sony. Whoever guess the right one wins a car.

[BlakHavoc]

The solution to all of this is to quit announcing your games so early

[Ashunderfire86]

HDR Ps4 Pro support I bet for the delay.

[jznrpg]

Every game company has delays, because they guesstimate time for production. Something that takes years to make and has so many lines of code is going to have snags and hard to estimate. They have to give a general date to get people to anticipate the game. It will never be perfect and I would rather they delay then just release it despite the issues. Even after fixing most of the issues games will have problems, they are so complicated now, its not like the old days of 8mb games that wee much easier to make and fix.

[showtimefolks]

delays are part of game development. i would like for publishers not to give a release since most times releases are delayed. excuse is always the same for more development time and polish

i don't mind waiting 6 months longer if end product will be really polished and be great quality wise

let's not act like it's just sony, delays are happening all the time by almost every major publisher

[_-EDMIX-_]

I see.

Soooooooo Buggy games release, folks question why.

Games get delayed to fix said bugs.....folks question why.

What gets me, is we have an example of EA release BF4 in a state that many didn't care for (me being a HUGE BF fan especially), EA starts actually delaying their games, delays BF Hardlines, delays Mirror's Edge, Mass Effect to name a few, suddenly.....lets all cry about EA delaying games.

Soooooooo what were saying folks is, complain when its rushed and buggy, but also complain when the same publisher is actually delaying their titles to avoid what they've done in the past?

As for Sony, they've made amazing titles, if its not ready....feel free to delay. I'd rather have a damn game good and WORKING then meeting some ironclad deadline.

Let me guess, if it released years ago buggy, we'd be seeing the same folks say "Understanding Sony's issue with rushed, buggy games" lol

When people start questioning a company for working on a game longer, something is deeply wrong.

[DimensionalSound]

Publisher =/= Developer.