Following rocky releases, delays, and more, Sony is now willing to admit that its live service launches don't always go to plan – but that doesn't mean they're off the table.
As reported by VGC, a Q&A session following Sony's latest financial results saw a caller ask the panel of executives for an update on PlayStation's live service plan – mere months after Sony Interactive Entertainment head Hermen Hulst stated the company is indeed "continuing to invest in new live services" despite Concord being pulled offline and the hero shooter's studio shutting down just two weeks post-release.
In response to the question, Sony chief financial officer Lin Tao explains that the backlash surrounding the company's live service plans after situations like Concord's closure and ongoing issues with upcoming Bungie game Marathon don't spell their end – Tao still considers live service launches worthwhile as they contribute to overall profits, with titles like Helldivers 2 and Destiny 2 serving as examples of successful Sony releases.
"Last year Concord [shut down], and this year Marathon was postponed, so somewhat negative news has been coming out," says the financial lead. "But if we look at the past five years, five years ago, live service games were almost non-existent for PlayStation Studios. We [now] have Helldivers 2, MLB The Show and Gran Turismo 7, and Bungie's Destiny 2, so we have these four live services contributing to sales and profits in a stable manner."
Tao goes over the live service ratio for the fiscal year's first quarter and beyond, admitting that things aren't "entirely going smoothly" – but in the grand scheme of things, Sony's plans might make sense. Even if the numbers aren't quite where the company wants them to be, there's still money to be made. "For Q1 the live service ratio was about 40%," states the CFO, "for the full year it's a little less, probably between 20-30%," Tao details.
"So in terms of the transformation, it's not entirely going smoothly, but from a longer-term perspective, if you look at the changes over five years you see that there's definitely been a change." She says Sony is learning "from mistakes," too. "Of course, we recognise that there are still many issues, so we should learn the lessons from mistakes and make sure that we introduce live service content where there's less waste and it's more smooth."
As for what the future truly holds for both the company and its live service plans, only time will tell.
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