ABK acquisition has been stopped for all intents and purposes
Microsoft is fumbling over itself with Redfall
PS5 selling record amounts on the back of the last advertising push
Time to strike while the iron is hot. I don't want to be waiting until September like 2021, or not at all like 2022
We've had little idea what the future looks like since November last year. And I especially don't want Sony just clogging their games into Keighleys show like they are just another random publisher
It had nothing to do with the ABK deal. It's because Sony didn't have anything to show. Even after a 1 1/2 year break, they still can't have a good and long showcase. Even Grubb mentioned it. He said they thought about showing something last year (Helldivers 2) but in the end they didn't have enough content for a showcase.
Sony's problem is that they only have 5 good/relevant studios. The rest of them are mediocre or just support studios.
Just take a look at Sony's PlayStation Studios:
Polyphony Digital: Gran Turismo factory. They're working on microtransactions/DLC for GT7.
Team Asobi: Working on Astro Bot VR games that no one plays.
Firesprite: A mediocre VR studio is trying to be an AAA studio. Next game is a Twisted Metal GaaS game. Flop.
Guerrilla Games: Next game should be the Horizon multiplayer game.
Housemarque: Former indie studio that made some niche arcade games literally no one was buying. Returnal just came out.
London Studio: The former SingStar studio, then VR studio and now GaaS studio. Their GaaS game will be another flop.
Media Molecule: Dreams was a 10+ year flop. It finally got canceled. They just started working on a new game.
Nixxes Software: PC port studio. The next PC ports should be Ghost of Tsushima and Demon's Souls.
Savage Game Studios: Small mobile no-name indie studio for some mediocre mobile games.
XDev: Rise of the Ronin and Stellar Blade. Rise looks good but Sony doesn't own the IP. SB looks bad.
Bend Studio: Days Gone is dead. They're working on a new IP. Too early in development.
Bluepoint Games: A small remake studio is trying to make their first AAA game. Guaranteed flop.
Firewalk Studios: No-name studio working on their first GaaS game. Guaranteed flop. Might be ready for a reveal.
Haven Studios: No-name studio working on their first GaaS game. Guaranteed flop. Not ready for a reveal.
Insomniac Games: Marvel factory. Can't make their own successful IPs anymore. Spider-Man 2 is Sony's big 2023 game.
Naughty Dog: TLOU factory. The next TLOU game will be TLOU Online. Another GaaS game.
PixelOpus: Small AA studio working on another niche game after Entwined and Concrete Genie flopped.
San Diego Studio: MLB The Show factory. MLB The Show 2023 just launched a few weeks ago.
Santa Monica Studio: God of War factory. Loki spinoff (like Uncharted: The Lost Legacy) might be ready for a reveal.
Sucker Punch Productions: Ghost of Tsushima 2 could be ready for a reveal.
Valkyrie Entertainment: Support studio. Might work on a small game like GUNS UP 2. GUNS UP 1 horrendous. Flop.
There is not much to show. That's why Sony's showcase will be roughly 40 minutes long.
Meanwhile Microsoft's showcase will be 90 minutes long. And the Starfield portion of the showcase will be an additional half an hour.
This was always one of Sony's big problems. They only have 5 good 1st party studios.
Naughty Dog, Insomniac Games, Sucker Punch Productions, Guerrilla Games and Polyphony Digital. And two of these studios are Marvel & Gran Turismo factories. So don't expect much from Sony this year. All they have is Spider-Man 2. One game. An IP they don't own.
