Former Sony Exec on Live Service Resistance

Former PlayStation executive Shuhei Yoshida reveals he would have resisted Sony's controversial live service game push, citing inherent risks. Yoshida, SIE Worldwide Studios president from 2008-2019, expressed concerns to Kinda Funny Games about Sony's live service investments.

This comes amidst a turbulent period for PlayStation's live service ventures. While Helldivers 2 achieved phenomenal success, becoming the fastest-selling PlayStation Studios game ever, other titles faltered. Concord, a significant financial setback, was shut down after a short, poorly performing lifespan. The game's development cost reportedly reached approximately $200 million, according to Kotaku, a figure that didn't fully cover development, IP rights, or the acquisition of Firewalk Studios.

This failure follows the cancellation of Naughty Dog's The Last of Us multiplayer game and, recently, two unannounced live service titles—a God of War project from Bluepoint and another from Bend Studio (Days Gone developers).

Yoshida, departing Sony after 31 years, stated that if he were in Hermen Hulst's position (current Sony Interactive Entertainment Studio Business Group CEO), he would have resisted the live service push. He highlighted the resource allocation dilemma, arguing against diverting funds from established single-player franchises like God of War to potentially less-certain live service projects. He acknowledged Sony's increased resource allocation for live service games post-his departure but emphasized the inherent risks involved.

Sony's financial call highlighted lessons learned from both Helldivers 2's success and Concord's failure. Hiroki Totoki, Sony's president, COO, and CFO, pointed to the need for earlier user testing and internal evaluations, suggesting that Concord's problems should have been identified and addressed much sooner. He also criticized Sony's "siloed organization" and Concord's release window, possibly contributing to market cannibalization due to its proximity to Black Myth: Wukong.

Sadahiko Hayakawa, Sony's senior vice president for finance and IR, further emphasized the contrasting outcomes of Helldivers 2 and Concord, highlighting the valuable lessons learned for future development and content management. Sony plans to balance its portfolio, leveraging its successful single-player franchises while strategically managing the risks associated with live service games.

Despite these setbacks, several PlayStation live service games remain under development, including Bungie's Marathon, Guerrilla's Horizon Online, and Haven Studio's Fairgame$.