Where ARE the single-player/non-GaaS games? If the shift to GaaS for these studios has had as much impact as believed, and are the games scheduled to drop first, then the non-GaaS titles from these studios are even further out than initially suspected.
I hate to say it but right now Microsoft's future slate does seem the more enticing/interesting out of them and Sony, and yeah the acquisitions do have a small part to do with that. But it's also the fact we at least have a decent idea of their lineup post-2023 and outside of GaaS/live-service titles, and that's without turning to 3P exclusives (granted, mainly because MS have very few worth talking about). They also still seem interested in doing some 1P AA stuff which, yeah, we know a big reason for that is to have "simpler" games that can run on the Series S without looking like an embarrassment. But at least they're actually making them, and obviously, those games will have shorter dev times and lower budgets, so you can take more chances with creative elements in them. If Xbox didn't have some of the most unappealing messaging & marketing I've ever seen from a platform holder (with some of the most condescending people running it), I would be more openly supportive of their efforts.
1P-wise the only non-GaaS title we know coming from Sony after Spiderman 2, is Wolverine, which MIGHT be 2024 but it could also be later. I guess that would depend on some MCU-related plans (at this point X-Men would be better off under Sony Pictures than Disney/Marvel but I digress). Aside that though? We know absolutely nothing; just very vague rumors and generic "1 Sci-Fi Action/Adventure with RPG Elements"-like descriptions, which could suggest almost anything. We know more about Sony's live-service/GaaS slate than the non-GaaS titles and that's kinda ass. We know more about their planned PC ports than new non-GaaS 1P for PS5 and that's especially ass. We know more about upcoming hardware launches than games; their 2024 so far is looking to be carried by, once again, Square-Enix/Final Fantasy, and other 3P titles like Stellar Blade (which was supposed to come out this year) and Rise of the Ronin (which could be delayed out of 2024).
The lack of 1P (either wholly or partially) developed AA non-GaaS titles is really starting to show for PlayStation IMHO, because there isn't much coming exclusives-wise between the big AAA releases. I think if some of the PSVR2 efforts were designed to be compatible with both it and the PS5, this would be different. You could say Call of the Mountain, for example, is a higher-budget AA game, that could've been made playable with or without a PSVR2. But then I suppose Sony feels that creates a problem of thinking, that diminishes the need of a PSVR2.
Yeah they may "luck out" with ironic timed exclusives like Baldur's Gate 3 (also on PC, and earlier) but that's nothing in terms of a planned strategy; it's happenstance. They still get all the 3P games, marketing rights on some of them, but that's not the same thing as having an actual exclusive. It's not looking particularly rosy post-Spiderman 2 with all these things considered.
Is this true? I mean, I would hope it is. I've said before that Sony have too many GaaS titles wanting to push out, and potentially with too much overlap. Why make a game knowing it's going to fail, just to hope that another games you're making is successful enough to make up for it? Why not just...develop one less game but make sure the one you develop has a better chance at succeeding?
Better yet, why not take the GaaS approach one-at-a-time? See how well the first one goes, then either replace it with another or, if it does well enough, support it while branching off to another GaaS or two. It just sounds like a bad idea to try pumping out 10-12 live service/GaaS titles in the span of a couple of years.
AKA all non-GaaS titles.
Which was the worry.
