During its recent business update for the Sony Interactive Entertainment division, Sony’s executive leadership has given its thoughts about the latest console to hit the market – the Nintendo Switch 2. SIE president and CEO Hideaki Nishino spoke about the new console in relation to how it would complete with PlayStation, and whether the fact that Nintendo is fostering better relationships with third-party developers and publishers was a cause for concern for Sony.
“We closely monitor the overall gaming industry, including the actions of other market participants,” said Nishino (as caught by VGC). “Additionally, catalysts in the market are great for the industry as a whole, as they invigorate the excitement and demand more broadly. So it’s great to have people launching new things.”
Continuing his answer, Nishino spoke about how PlayStation’s current-gen console – the PS5 – offers unique “immersive” gaming experiences thanks to its raw horsepower as well as the unique features present in the DualSense controller.
“However, as I mentioned previously, we have a differentiated strategy,” continued Nishino. “PlayStation 5 is designed for an immersive gaming experience, and this includes the innovative DualSense controller features as well. We believe PS5-level performance is required to achieve a great experience on big screens. And in this way, we have provided a unique offering for players and creators in this current console generation.”
When it comes to relationships with third-party publishers and developers, Nishino notes that several companies are moving towards multi-platform strategies for their upcoming game releases. While this might ultimately end up meaning fewer third-party exclusives for PlayStation consoles, Nishino notes that Sony is still working towards making the PS5 a good place to develop and release games for.
“However, publisher strategies are increasingly shifting towards being multi-platform, so more platforms can run the same game, which is great from a creator’s perspective.” said Nishino. “Among those platforms, our mission is that we will continue to be the best place to play and publish. As such, we have empowered our creators to leverage our offering and services to create amazing, unique experiences for players with high engagement and great monetization opportunities.”
“We have done this consistently as the industry and competitive dynamics have evolved. And of course, PlayStation Studios, our franchises, have a special role in showcasing the PlayStation experience and then strengthening the player’s vision with us.”
Nishino also responded to concerns that some Sony investors were feeling about Nintendo’s appeal to younger audiences thanks to the kinds of games that the company releases. To assuage these fears, Nishino referred to the PlayStation user base as being “multi-generational”, thanks to massive hits like Marvel’s Spider-Man and Guerrilla Games’ Horizon franchise, as well as Team Asobi’s Astro Bot.
“In addition to our franchises with more, I would call it ‘multi-generational’ fanbases, such as Marvel’s Spider-Man, we also have franchises that appeal to a range of different player segments,” Nishino explained. “Horizon is a good example, it’s been very popular with female players, Astro Bot from our lovely Team Asobi in Tokyo, it’s been a hit with children and adults alike.”
“We also continue to drive engagement with the PlayStation ecosystem and brand by bringing our franchises to new formats, film, television, and anime. Anime in particular is appealing to key younger audiences, so that’s going to be very helpful for us.”
For more details about Sony’s business update, check out our coverage of the company’s “multi-device” strategy of releasing games across PS5 as well as PC.
