Was Sony’s E3 conference strong simply for its nostalgia or did it stand on its own as a mix of the old and new? SCEE CEO and president Jim Ryan believes it’s the former despite the fact that announcements like The Last Guardian, Shenmue 3 and Final Fantasy 7 are what stole the show.
Speaking to Metro UK’s Game Central, Ryan agreed on the increased diversity of studios in Sony. “That’s true, that’s a fair point. And it’s not just Japan, you’ll find we work with developers from all around the world for that very reason.”
On whether Sony was trying to attract older gamers or simply encourage older styles of play, though Microsoft emphasized nostalgia just as much in its E3 press conference, Ryan said, “I obviously can’t speak for them, but I think I’d probably… this might surprise you but I’m probably gonna disagree with you a bit on that, and say that I thought our show struck a very good balance between…”
Ryan further stated that, “I don’t think there was an emphasis on nostalgia.”
However, after being reminded that the biggest announcements were Final Fantasy 7 and Shenmue 3, Ryan said, “I think some of that might have been down to the reception that some of that stuff got from the audience, that I think heightened it. But I thought we struck a good balance between the old and new.”
There was still plenty of new stuff at Sony’s E3 show though. Horizon: Zero Dawn, for example, impressed more than its share of gamers. Do you agree with Ryan’s views though? Let us know in the comments.
