Sony Reportedly Investing Over $250 Million in Bend Studio’s Next Game
- Thread starter Eternal_Wings
- Start date
I think he's saying $250M as a guess because this is more or less what a AAA cost today, >$250-300M. Remember that the budget of HFW and TLOU2 were 212M and 220M and since every generation get more expensive should be above this (and if it's MP GaaS even more).
And well, the budget normally is considered as confidential, in a big studio basically only the studio head and a few producers and the finances guy know the number and can't be revealed, which includes to former coworkers.
Considering he didn't have a good relationship with the studio boss/bosses, one of the few main studio producers friend of him would have leaked it to him and that person would get in trouble and would be easy to spot.
When Hermen did talk about the costs in the west coast he wasn't talking about the SIE HQ, he was talking about the cost of gamedev studios instead, because he was talking about reducing the costs of game development in general and one of the typical ones to reduce gamedev costs.
Their gamedev studios of the west coast have many hundreds of people combined. Most of them wouldn't want to relocate to a different continent and see their salary reduced, even less when that includes some of the most talented people in the world that is working in places like SSM, ND or Insomniac.
And Hermen and Nishino didn't say absolutely nothing remotely close to having plans to relocate anything. Hermen just explained how any publisher reduces costs in AAA game development by outsourcing and codeveloping.
In fact, Hermen is opening a new team in California with former Deviation devs.
Blundell's new SIE studio that Hermen is building with ex-Deviation workers is in Los Angeles, California. Same city where Deviation was.
We also have to remember that in addition to acquire new studios, they also heavily invested on growing the manpower of most of their existing studios, which include ones from California like ND, or SSM, now working on more projects at the same time -and having more people per project- than ever were before.
And well, even if in Washington (which I assume shouldn't be way cheaper) let's remember they also almost doubled Bungie's manpower since they acquired them. And well, they also have Firewalk and Sucker Punch there, who I assume also have been growing.
Regarding acquisitions in other locations, they basically acquired talent wherever the team is, teams that deliver good enough projects and maybe some IP they had. This is what it's really important for them when acquiring. I think cost of the studio is secondary but obviously is a plus.
Same goes with being in an area where they don't have other studio: it's something secondary but helps to their HR to don't have multiple studios from their own company competing for the same talent.
If Hermen wouldn't have interest in the IP then he wouldn't have made a PC, wouldn't have included it in PS Plus Collection and wouldn't be making a movie adaptation.
Maybe they thought that when the sequel was going to start they were already working on a lot of other sequels and wanted a new IP instead, and liked DG so asked them for another new IP.
They can always make a sequel later in the road.
Last edited:
OP
OP
Remember when I said two years ago Jim Ryan would resign and people didn't believe me? Well look now where Jim Ryan is. To clarify I am not the insider but the guy who shares his info with me is indeed. At this point I don't know if he is a Sony employee but he definitely knows stuff. It was a lucky coincidence that I have met him. Anyway he told me there are big internal changes coming. I trust him with that Sony will reallocate their HQ back to Japan. Japan is with its state of economy and pricing, very much attractive for a profit oriented corporation like Sony. Example is here that Hermen and Nishino didn't hide that they are not satisfied with the expenses and development in California overall, they literally said it at PlayStationBusiness meeting. And yes everyone still denying that California is not expensive, should awake from his bubble. Marvel Spider-Man with a 330M budget does greet.
Last edited:
Oh shit you're right ...
Where wind meets (Chinese), MonHun wilds, Silent Hill 2, infinite Nikki, Astro Bot, (Japanese).
All of these looked great.
As much as i love studios like Santamonica, Naughty Dog, Guerilla, Insomniac, etc. I Love to see this focus on Asian games as well which I think PS has lacked in several years.
Love to see this.
UK ain't that great. i think better places would be Spain, Italy for californians. better weather. even Greece.
OP
OP
I think (if they really move their studios to UK), then probably it's primarily because of the language.
This is Damage Control.
Sony needs for their Showcase/PS5 Pro to reveal big hitters. people are done waiting.
Sony needs for their Showcase/PS5 Pro to reveal big hitters. people are done waiting.
People demand for huge hitters is something I fail to understand when there's constantly huge games going on. & they act like huge AAA quality titles are made in 1-2 years. It's so fucking stupid.
That doesnt include cost of bringing in outside resources. Which every Sony studio does.
You don't know what it includes, because you don't know if it's a real number in the first place.
OP
OP
It supposed to be a Stealth Espionage game. Probably a new interpretation and spiritual successor to Syphon Filter. Setting is rumoured in Russia (cold war).
Somewhere... in the shadows, a WILD (David) Jaffe is ready to pounce (on this news)!
@Eternal_Wings
It would also be a great course correction (moving the HQ back to Japan), if both Noshino and Hulst are serious about reviving the Japanese market, and bring it back up to level with N.A./Europe.
@Eternal_Wings
It would also be a great course correction (moving the HQ back to Japan), if both Noshino and Hulst are serious about reviving the Japanese market, and bring it back up to level with N.A./Europe.
OP
OP
Probably a mix of both. Setting the office in UK but also enable to work from home/small office. Would migitate costs in resources and infrastructure imo.
Londonistan should be the last place they should move their HQ too. If california is a shitshow then uk is a shit sandwich
Add Jeff Ross to the scorned lovers list. You now have:
David Jaffe
Jonathan Cooper
Chris Grannell
I'm noticing a pattern... these 4 have major anger/psychotic issues.
David Jaffe
Jonathan Cooper
Chris Grannell
I'm noticing a pattern... these 4 have major anger/psychotic issues.