Sony has 10 live service games in development
Bungie is also working on a “major new IP”
Sony has revealed during its earnings call that it plans to ship 10 live service games by 2026.
While speaking on the recent acquisition of Bungie for $3.6 billion, chief financial officer Hiroki Totoki also revealed that the Destiny developer is working on a “major new IP” and that the company plans to harness Bungie‘s experience in the live service space going forward.
While it wasn’t made clear if Bungie would be developing any of these titles, it appears that many first-party developers including The Last of Us studio Naughty Dog are currently working on live service titles.
Speaking during the call (transcribed by VGC) on what Bungie will bring to PlayStation, Totoki said: “Our studios will learn from Bungie, that is a strong wish we have the Bungie side is willing to work closely with us.”
PlayStation has become known for its blockbuster single-player games such as Spider-Man, The Last of Us and Ghost of Tsushima. But last May, Sony said it planned to “develop more service-led experiences” within its first-party roster for release both on and off console, in line with its increasing focus on mobile and PC releases.
“We intend to build upon our growing experience and ambition in the games as a service space to complement our continued strength in the narrative-led titles that PlayStation fans know and love,” SIE CEO Jim Ryan said at the time.
Bungie has said that all cross-platform support for Destiny 2 will continue and confirmed that its future games will not be PlayStation exclusive.
Meanwhile, SIE president and CEO Ryan said the decision to acquire Bungie was motivated by his strategy “to expand the reach of PlayStation to a much wider audience” and to “evolve the gaming experiences that we build”.
VGC recently spoke with GamesIndustry.biz‘s Christopher Dring, who was the first to break the announcement after speaking with both PlayStation and Bungie’s leaders.
When asked about Sony’s approach to acquisitions in light of Microsoft‘s spending spree, Dring was quick to point out the different approaches from the companies.
“When Microsoft bought Activision Blizzard, they didn’t just buy Call Of Duty… they bought every game they’ve made in thirty years of history… Sony is a little more hesitant,” he said, after interviewing PlayStation boss Jim Ryan in advance of the announcement.
You can watch our full discussion here.
