Sony broke the major publisher mould at E3 this year by announcing and showing off new IP, bringing Quantic Dream’s Beyond: Two Souls and Naughty Dog’s The Last of US.
It’s long been accepted that the most successful way of launching new IP is to do it at the beginning of a console’s life span. Why are Sony doing this now then?
Well Andrew House, who will soon be CEO at PlayStation, thinks it’s the duty of the platform holder to continue to innovate and bring about fresh ideas and experiences regardless of the point of the console’s cycle.
“It is absolutely critical [to create new ideas],” he explained to MCV.
“We’ve always felt that the strength of our platform has been a kind of symbiotic relationship between the platform being created and strengthened by new experiences. And then that reinforcing the strength and one hopes the longevity of the platform overall.
“I’ve heard conventional wisdom in the industry that says – and it is kind of like an American presidency – that the first two years in a lifecycle is the only chance to innovate with a new audience.
“We take a different view. It is part of the role of a platform holder to have the confidence and to make the investment where necessary to show that six years into a lifecycle, there is a significant audience that is going to actively peruse new IP. And the onus on that is to deliver on those expectations.”
Beyond: Two Souls and The Last of Us are scheduled to be released at some point next year on the PlayStation 3.
