Just to name a few things that went wrong lately for SIE:
- Deviation Games x PlayStation collaboration is pretty much dead. One live-service game gone.
Possible, but unconfirmed. We have confirmation of a dozen+ of people leaving their project from either this studio or a -supposedly working for them, something unconfirmed- external outsourcing support studio. We have no confirmation of the game getting cancelled or delayed.
- PixelOpus got shut down. One singleplayer game gone.
It was a small team that didn't even have their own office and we didn't know if their game was SP or MP (more likely SP) but yes, they did shut down the studio.
Sony still has more than two dozen games under development, being the majority of them single player, non GaaS titles.
- TLOU Online/Factions is on ice.
This is a random internet "rumor", very likely bullshit. According to what ND said a few months ago they are working in the game but it needs more time. That is the last factual news we have from proper sources. Other than that we only have a couple low tier firings (testers etc) confirmed who could be normal firings unrelated to the game development paused etc.
Yes, in most moderately big companies/studios, not only from gaming, there's someone fired every year. Doesn't imply having issues with a specific project or to have cancelled it.
Another live-service game gone.
They didn't announce any cancellation, very likely it's another made up fake new from random internet users.
- Media Molecule ending Dreams support. Developers got fired.
Yes, sooner or later all games end receiving support depending on their performance and studio plans. We have no confirmation of developers fired other than an internet "rumor" from annonymous source/random internet user.
- Visual Arts lost developers.
As I remember we got a handful confirmed. Could be normal firings, maybe related to a game or two being delayed. But some gaming outlets reported a couple supposed San Diego VASG guys getting fired but one one them never worked in USA (always worked on Quebec, so very likely is from Haven) and other one was a SIE guy working in their San Mateo office for all the studios.
Reason could be the canceled TLOU Online project.
Reason could be that a meteor impacted in USA too. We have the same amount of facts supporting both theories. There's no confirmation at all of TLOU Online being cancelled, the fact we have about this project is that a few months ago ND said that they continue working on it and that they decided to give it more time, so that we'll have to wait to see it.
- Firesprite having some issues
According to random annonymous internet users who pretty likely were trolls acting as if they were Firesprite former workers in Glassdoor reviews, yes.
Most things they mentioned in these reviews that can be fact checked turned out to be lies. So probably all they mentioned were lies. You can enter Glassdor and make a (fake) review of your working experience as Sony CEO. There's no difference between glasdoor reviews and a 4chan or Twitter annonymous post.
- Bungie having issues. Destiny missing revenue forecasts by 45%. That's a lot. 8% of their workforce got fired.
I suggest you to don't believe Bloomberg when they are the first ones to post some supposed bad news about Sony, often they end being confirmed as lies / wrong info. Something that happened many times.
Since it's the case of most bad news about Sony where they are the first ones to report it (and later other media copy paste it), it makes sense to think that they made up fake news about Sony on purpose probably to affect the stock value of Sony or their direct competitors, something that may benefit to who funds Bloomberg.
Those are mostly FACTS. Not rumors. And it's PERFECTLY FINE to talk about this.
Show me a single fact of Sony or these studios mentioning they had layoffs. The only fact we have is that in a studio fired a guy, in other two or a few, etc.
In some cases, these guys aren't even from the studio that the gaming news outlet show as example of the supposed layoffs of that studio. As an example, there was a (I think it was HR or finantials) guy from the Sony San Mateo office that according to game outlets were from the Sony VASG from San Diego. But no, that guy from San Mateo worked in projects of several different studios, and one of them was with VASG.
Because Sony had no showcase last year and a terrible showcase this year. Why? Because they canceled and delayed games. Because they have some issues. They had nothing to show besides Spider-Man 2. And because they don't have enough studios yet.
You not liking the games shown in a showcase doesn't mean that the showcase -or they- didn't have more games (there were many of them in the showcase, previously announced or not, and many other already announced and in the works but not shown there) they have issues or that there are cancelled (something common) or delayed (something super common) games.
They had a lot of great games this year including: 1st, 3rd, exclusive and multi, AAA and indie games. As they did in 2022, 2021, 2020 etc and will in 2024 and beyond.
Criticism is fine. Sony is far from being perfect.
Yes, criticism is ok but criticism isn't the same than believing "rumors" -pretty likely- bullshit lies from random annonymous people in internet or "journalism (propaganda) "outlet who constantly throw fake news about a specific company (as is the case of Bloomberg vs Sony), complaining about non-existing issues or mading up stuff etc. That is commenting unverified "rumor" stuff that very likely are only bullshit lies from internet, issues that maybe don't even exist.
Criticism is to say: hey, I don't like they increased the price of X because I think the new price isn't worth it and they didn't justified it (or whatever valid reason). Or 'I don't like this thing they did in this game because X reason" or "I don't what they (in this case someone from Sony or one of their studios) said or shown in that document becuse of X reason" or "they (Sony or someone from their studios) mentioned that with their straategy want to make X and I'd prefer to see them doing Y instead". Basically to complain about things that are factually confirmed to exist.
“Sony is having a rough year.”
Let's see some positive 2023 takes:
- Released PSVR2 with better launch window sales than PSVR1 and a larger year 1 lineup with more popular IPs than PSVR1 and maybe any other
- PSVR2 got Horizon CoM, Gran Turismo 7, Firewall Ultra, RE Village, RE 4 Remake, many of the most popular VR titles like Moss 2, Rez Infinite, Beat Saber, No Man's Sky, Tetris Effect etc.
- Posted many records in their fiscal year report with PS5 making a comeback now that they can produce enough units once components are available again to the point that maybe now is again ahead of PS4 launch aligned, sell more games than ever for PS, the PC revenue has exponential growth, make more money from game subs than ever, record revenue in accesories, record engament and so on
- Released multiple accesories like good headsets made by a company they bought and gamepad with a screen for RemotePlay
- EVO had record numbers and even won awards and recognitions, and attending competitions praised the organization and available material (Sony eSports accesories) compared to previous years
- PS5 got tons of great games like Hogwart Legacy, Final Fantasy XVI (exclusive), Armored Core VI, Diablo IV, RE4 Remake (ps4 gen and VR exclusive), Street Fighter 6 (PS4 gen exclusive), Blasphemous II, Mortal Kombat 1, Sea of Stars, Baldur's Gate 3 (unintended console timed exclusive), Cocoon, Alan Wake 2, Spider-Man 2 (exclusive) and many more great games
- We saw the PS5 console exclusive Goodbye Volcano High beating the Xbox console exclusive Starfield in Steam reviews and almost in Metacritic
- ABK was bought by MS, but CoD is secured for 10 years on PS and once it expires they'll negotiate an extention. PS will be able to get for their game subs and game streaming via Ubisoft all the past ABK games and all the ones to be published the next 15 years
- First Bungie game announcement as a Sony studio broke records in PlayStation's youtube channel and we saw more upcoming promising exclusives like FFVII Rebirth, Helldivers 2, Concord and more, on top of the previously known Wolverine, Death Stranding, Rise of the Ronin, Stellar Blade etc.
Sounds like a great year to me.
