PlayStation’s head of third-party content has said the platform’s upcoming games slate is “unbelievably positive” and argued that the industry should be more optimistic about the future.
Christian Svensson, Sony Interactive Entertainment’s VP of second and third-party content, was speaking to The Game Business about the future of the games industry, at a time when layoffs, studio closures, and turbulent player spending still regularly occupy news headlines.
Svensson’s team is responsible for supporting developers who want to make games for PlayStation 5 and thus has a unique view of what companies have planned for the upcoming years.
He said that, based on the games he knows are coming, he believes that developers and publishers are making “very smart decisions” and that the games industry should feel more comfortable about the future.
“In the future, there’s going to be more touch points with players than ever, and figuring out how to navigate the number of devices, the number of audience segments, and finding your audience for your game, that’s going to continue to be where the challenge is,” he said.
“I’m in an incredibly privileged position to have amazing visibility into what games will be for the next 3, 4, 5 years. I literally cannot explain to you… last year was an amazing year for games.
“This year will be even better. Next year will be better still. The trajectory of content is unbelievably positive. And we as an industry should be super optimistic about where we’re going in spite of the headwinds.”
Svensson noted that, because games take years to make, the decisions made by developers and publishers today might not necessarily be seen for some time.
“Obviously, the decisions we’re making now take into account where we are at this moment,” he said. “We’re anticipating where we’re going to be. There are no dire times for the industry ahead as far as I’m concerned. Very smart decisions are being made by our partners and by platforms. Be more comfortable than you think you should be.”
The exec’s comments come months after PlayStation’s studios boss Hermen Hulst warned that “rising development costs, slowed industry growth, changing player behavior, and broader economic headwinds are making it harder to build games sustainably,” in an announcement that it was closing Demon’s Souls remake studio Bluepoint.
“While I know this is hard news to hear, I’m confident in the direction we’re headed. Creativity, innovation, and building unforgettable experiences for players remain at the heart of PlayStation Studios,” he said.
Then in March, Sony confirmed a significant price increase for PlayStation 5 consoles globally, with all models increasing by at least $100.
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