PlayStation Studios |OT16| Where we're going, we don't need loads.
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Naughty Dog wants to do a new thing = The Last Of Us
Santa Monica wants to do a new thing = God Of War soft reboot
Bend wants to do a new thing = Days Gone
Guerrilla wants to do a new thing = Horizon
People at Japan Studio want to do a new thing = They need to leave the studio.
I am not against a person leaving any job to do something they want, but I think it is quite dumb from Sony JP not wanting to be the studio that people go or stay to realize whatever they want.
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Naughty Dog's Christophe Balestra leaves = Nobody cares
Santa Monica's Shannon Studstill leaves = Nobody cares
Bend's John Garvin and Jeff Ross leave = Nobody cares
Guerilla's Hermen Hulst leaves = Nobody cares
People at Japan Studio leave after 15+ years at the company = "Sony is surely sidelining Japan"
You clearly didn't read the last week's pages of sony closing bend studio
You don't keep cost lower by growing your studios .
At the start of the gen most Sony studios will be 3 times there size and still growing .
Also you can't keep people that want to leave .
In your next post you say that Sony Japan should give people want they want some of them don't want to make AAA.
If that is the way Sony Japan going you can't keep them .
EDIT a few years ago SE was having problems getting people .
All of sudden in Sony Japan is going to be able to hire a whole bunch of people to make teams ?
Gavin Moore's "open to work" profile photo frame (enabled at least around Demon's Souls launch) on his Linkedin only feeds more speculation.
seems he's leaving too, jim ryan wtf you doing
A few people here were definitely concerned and worried Bend was about to get shut down when we found out John Garvin and Jeff Ross left, and people were genuinely worried about the state of Uncharted 4 and the studio when Amy Hennig and Justin Richmond left in 2014 and to a lesser extent when Bruce Straley left.
Christophe Balestra and Shannon Studstill leaving(second time she's left the studio) wasn't that big a deal because it obvious who was going to take over in their absence, and no one was concerned about Hermen because he was leaving for a higher position in the same organization.
Still, your point is valid in that we're jumping to conclusions on too little information, even if that article seems more and more valid.
His profile still has him at Japan Studio and, even if he did leave, I doubt Jim would've had anything to do with his leaving seeing as he was recently involved in a well received release in Demon's Souls. Also, he has been at Japan Studio for more than 17 years, and at Sony for more than 23 yrs, that's a lot of time to spend in one company.
Ironically some people on your list actually did leave before said "new thing"
ND, SSM, GG for example
but the argument isn't that those vets were hindering new ideas but rather said vets don't want to bunker down on AAA development especially when they want to work on smaller AA titles for their long term futures
their commitment, contribution and legacy at SIE Japan studio will always be remembered in good light but if they want to do AA and SIE wants for example for Japan studio to go AAA then it is fine if said vets want to move on and make their own AA studios
AAA is not for everyone, especially those that which to retire in the future
this is all speculation based on interviews though but on the other hand the Doom theories are all just speculation as well
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I'm sure our armchair analysts know what they're talking about. No question😏
So after having spent roughly 20 hours with Tsushima now i think and i am honestly shocked to say this.
I like Days Gone more than Ghost. The Game has so many Cutscenes but the writing and direction is soo stale and even below the worst Assassin's Creed Games.
The Combat is wonky because you don't have lock on and switchting stances often doesn't work. i press R2 and X and Jin sometimes randomly starts jumping.
The World of Tsushima is much more pleasent to be around in and it is probably the most beautiful Open World Game ever, but Days Gone was a better designed one. This Game takes inspiration from BotW but it doesn't come close to reach it's highs.
The Stealth imo is good, but only when you play it like Batman which was probably intended so that is fine. You will likely never clear a Camp without getting detected but the cool thing is killing 3-5 enemies in quick succession which then terrifies 2 others it creates a really bad ass feeling, sadly i still don't have all the tools for satisfying Stealthplay.
I still kinda like the Game and will definetly finish it, but i am a little dissapointed.
I like Days Gone more than Ghost. The Game has so many Cutscenes but the writing and direction is soo stale and even below the worst Assassin's Creed Games.
The Combat is wonky because you don't have lock on and switchting stances often doesn't work. i press R2 and X and Jin sometimes randomly starts jumping.
The World of Tsushima is much more pleasent to be around in and it is probably the most beautiful Open World Game ever, but Days Gone was a better designed one. This Game takes inspiration from BotW but it doesn't come close to reach it's highs.
The Stealth imo is good, but only when you play it like Batman which was probably intended so that is fine. You will likely never clear a Camp without getting detected but the cool thing is killing 3-5 enemies in quick succession which then terrifies 2 others it creates a really bad ass feeling, sadly i still don't have all the tools for satisfying Stealthplay.
I still kinda like the Game and will definetly finish it, but i am a little dissapointed.
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i get that there is a lot of hyperbole or doom and gloom when it comes to Sony Studios, i absolutely agree with that. But i wouldn't say the concern regarding Japan Studio is baseless or comparable with the other ones.
when Becker became the president of Japan Studio he said that he want's Japan Studio to be back in a big way, even tough it would need time and work. And also how messy the studio was back then with tons of team working on different projects at the same time.
as someone who is following the studio since 8 years now, i was excited and looking forward how Becker will reshape the Studio & wether Japan Studio would take a similar development like GG, SP or Bend. (not necessarily AAA Games)
But first the other projects had to come out (TLG, GR2, and well both Knack Games)
At Japan Studio I think we have a lot of talented people, but for whatever reason I think we fell behind in terms of technology, and that started way back in the PS2 days and PS3. Japan Studio wasn't producing that many titles. And so with PS4, we're really starting to build the technology back up.
Without having to state too much more, with Gravity Rush 2 finishing up and The Last Guardian finishing up, we reached this big milestone within Japan Studio, and so finally we feel like we're free to do new things
in 2015 Yoshida was talking in a Interview with Greg Miller, about a new project inside Japan Studio and how excited he is for it (Gravity Rush 2 was already announced at that point)
2017 tsutomu kouno said that he want's to reaveal his next game in 2018 and some JS Studio Producers teased new projects aswell.
So who knows what happened. Did the project(s) get cancelled, did Developmt shift to PS5.
What we know is that Becker is no longer president, outside of Astro we didn't see a new game since 2017, several veterans leaving the studio with the Bloomberg Article stating that a lot of contracts are not getting renewed.
there is just a lot of uncertainity around Japan Studio and unlike the western studios we don't get a lot info (interviews, twitter) - did Beckers Restructuring fail, are they slimming down and focussing mainly on VR + the 3rd Party Support.
but that's it from me - i am not going to talk about JS Studio anymore - just wait and hoping for the best.
when Becker became the president of Japan Studio he said that he want's Japan Studio to be back in a big way, even tough it would need time and work. And also how messy the studio was back then with tons of team working on different projects at the same time.
as someone who is following the studio since 8 years now, i was excited and looking forward how Becker will reshape the Studio & wether Japan Studio would take a similar development like GG, SP or Bend. (not necessarily AAA Games)
But first the other projects had to come out (TLG, GR2, and well both Knack Games)
At Japan Studio I think we have a lot of talented people, but for whatever reason I think we fell behind in terms of technology, and that started way back in the PS2 days and PS3. Japan Studio wasn't producing that many titles. And so with PS4, we're really starting to build the technology back up.
Without having to state too much more, with Gravity Rush 2 finishing up and The Last Guardian finishing up, we reached this big milestone within Japan Studio, and so finally we feel like we're free to do new things
in 2015 Yoshida was talking in a Interview with Greg Miller, about a new project inside Japan Studio and how excited he is for it (Gravity Rush 2 was already announced at that point)
2017 tsutomu kouno said that he want's to reaveal his next game in 2018 and some JS Studio Producers teased new projects aswell.
So who knows what happened. Did the project(s) get cancelled, did Developmt shift to PS5.
What we know is that Becker is no longer president, outside of Astro we didn't see a new game since 2017, several veterans leaving the studio with the Bloomberg Article stating that a lot of contracts are not getting renewed.
there is just a lot of uncertainity around Japan Studio and unlike the western studios we don't get a lot info (interviews, twitter) - did Beckers Restructuring fail, are they slimming down and focussing mainly on VR + the 3rd Party Support.
but that's it from me - i am not going to talk about JS Studio anymore - just wait and hoping for the best.
It isn't baseless. The Bloomberg article was spot on:
"The US office was frustrated by Japan's marketing for PS4, which it believes led to fewer consoles being sold compared to its predecessor. The US office's critical view of the Japanese operation has also impacted its game development efforts, it's claimed.
PlayStation's Japan Studio, which co-developed games such as Bloodborne, Astro's Playroom and The Last Guardian, has seen the rolling contracts of many of its creators not renewed, former employees reportedly told Bloomberg.
Japan-based developer support teams have also been reduced by as much as a third from their peak, it claimed.
The US office believes the PlayStation business doesn't need games that only do well in Japan, employees in the California headquarters reportedly said."
And this is exactly what we're seeing right now. ".... rolling contracts of many of its creators not renewed."
Gonna be interesting to see what SIE will do with Japan Studio now. Japan Studio becoming SIE Japan's XDev Studio with Asobi Team being the only internal development team for small games like Astro Bot/Playroom? Possible. Let's see what happens (and what will be left) after the restructuring is done. So far, the big guys like Allan Becker, Keiichiro Toyama, Teruyuki Toriyama, etc. are already gone.
"....rolling contracts of many of its creators not renewed. Japan-based developer support teams have also been reduced by as much as a third from their peak, it claimed."
Pretty sure all this got canceled long ago, together with whatever the hell RaySpace was. I guess while Shu was still the boss.
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yeah they were definetely spot on with the contracts.
i fear that aswell, if we don't see a announcement next year, assuming they really shifted development to PS5, then they most likely got cancelled.
idk about the other projects but wasn't Knack 2 announced in June of 2017, so I wonder where that fitted in Becker's interview. If I recall early PS5 development started in 2017 too.
Maybe stuff shifted over, maybe they got cancelled? Restructuring and adapting to new tech, getting up to date also takes time as well.
I guess one day all the answers will be clear.
Japan isn't the huge force it was 20 years ago in videogames. Only Nintendo with their legacy ip and a very unique approach has remained successful with some ups and downs. Konami is basically MIA, From is a Souls machine that appeals to western gamers more than japanese ones, Capcom also has some old IP that are huge enough, like RE or SF that appeal WW and one in Japan, MH. S-E that is a DQ and FF machine, also old ips. What else is huge in Japan ? Even games like Yakuza usually sell about 300-400k at most?
Why do people expect Sony, or any other, to spend huge amounts of resources there?
And games made by those that left Sony Japan failed to be relevant at all. So changes, instead of concern, should be seen as a change that may improve things, and if not, at least not waste money on development that hasn't done shit for PlayStation in Japan.
My hopes is that Asobi, with their Nintendo like approach with Astro, may be the spark needed to mimic a bit of Nintendo's output and success. And maybe funding indie like games from new japanese talent and build upon that.
What else can be done? Spending a huge budget and make a huge JRPG that will fail because home consoles aren't popular in Japan, and with some luck, will sell decently in the rest of the world?
I'd rather see that money spent on securing third party japanese support, from many of those small sized studios that make games that sell 50k copies, or even funding some small projects to feed that Japanese centric audience that, let's be honest, since many games aren't exactly pushing the tech, are a better fit on switch.
Why do people expect Sony, or any other, to spend huge amounts of resources there?
And games made by those that left Sony Japan failed to be relevant at all. So changes, instead of concern, should be seen as a change that may improve things, and if not, at least not waste money on development that hasn't done shit for PlayStation in Japan.
My hopes is that Asobi, with their Nintendo like approach with Astro, may be the spark needed to mimic a bit of Nintendo's output and success. And maybe funding indie like games from new japanese talent and build upon that.
What else can be done? Spending a huge budget and make a huge JRPG that will fail because home consoles aren't popular in Japan, and with some luck, will sell decently in the rest of the world?
I'd rather see that money spent on securing third party japanese support, from many of those small sized studios that make games that sell 50k copies, or even funding some small projects to feed that Japanese centric audience that, let's be honest, since many games aren't exactly pushing the tech, are a better fit on switch.
I really don't see how they were spot on when people wanted to leave .
Secondly Japan Studio was always like Xdev they have been since they were made.
How can they turn into something they already are .
They always only made small games internal after LOD if you can name a big AAA they made since then be my guess.
The Budget of Games like Shadow of the Colossus and the PS2 Ape Escapes surely was on the same level of Naughty Dog and SSM Games during the PS2 Era i imagine. Them not doing AAA Titles started with the PS3 because of all the trouble japan had with getting used to HD.
It's gonna be 2030 and Henrik will still be posting theories about how Rayspace is right around the corner
No way were the budget the same SOC was made with 35 people .
GOW 1 was made by a bigger team and that is not counting things like FMV , Va , marketing etc etc
Still yeah that is when they start to really fall behind .
plus that interview above and that ign piece says PS2/PS3 days they started to fall behind
so maybe near the end cycle of the PS2 when studios/devs started pushing it to its limits and then on to the HD era
it took a long time for some japanese companies to adapt to that, even Square and Capcom had difficulty
I feel SIE Japan was still in that slump even though they started to get things around the early/mid PS4 gen they didn't go above and beyond
I mean ok God of War was probably made by a bigger Team but the gulf between Budget was nowhere near as astronomus as it is now. God of War PS4 probably cost like 100 million while Knack 2 at the maximum highest was 1/5 of that.
PS2 Era was the last time SIE Japan was capable to do similar sized projects as their western counterparts.
The "they wanted to leave" narrative needs to stop. If you believe Becker, Toyama, Toriyama etc. all left because suddenly "they felt the urge to leave", well then I don't know what else to tell you anymore. And those three guys are only the famous ones. Many more left Japan Studio in the last couple of months and weeks.
Regarding the XDev thingy: Japan Studio was NEVER like XDev. XDev Studio don't make their own games. They are a pure support studio. Japan Studio was like Santa Monica Studio during the PS3 era. Internal dev teams + an external dev team.
Bloomberg's story was spot on.
Developed by Polyphony Digital, because Japan Studio is gone by then.
I still have some hope that Japan Studio actually has some kind of bigger project in dev right now that led to some sort of restructre at the studio which meant that many people were let go. But if nothing is announced mid 2021 then it's over fam.
Sony from that point is gonna be a pure cinematic videogame factory after Returnal is gonna horribly flop because nobody is gonna buy it ;(
Sony from that point is gonna be a pure cinematic videogame factory after Returnal is gonna horribly flop because nobody is gonna buy it ;(
This is oddly specific bug on the PS5, but I have this weird thing where whenever I look at my recently played games list, it has "Lara Croft and the temple of Osiris" as my most recently played game, even though I haven't touched it in at least 3 years. and then after that one it lists my recently played games correctly. it's just bizarre?
Has this happened to anyone else?
Has this happened to anyone else?
How was this spot on?
The people that left are long time employees, they aren't contractors. You don't have to renew contracts of perm staff. Also, Japan employment laws are quite strict, you can't just fire someone.
So these devs that left, left because they wanted to. Not because Sony fired them or didn't renew their contracts.
Well, if nobody buys Returnal, Gravity Rush, Concrete genie or games like Pupeteer, it is our fault, not Sony's to focus on what really interests people in the end.
Even a juggernaut like Gran Turismo is in an bit of uncertain situation honestly.
People feel the urge to leave all the time and do other things when there with a company for decades.
Like 2 of the biggest people leave Bend does that mean they in trouble .
People leave ND before and after UC4 does that mean ND was in trouble.
Mind you don't need to renew contracts for people like Toyama, Toriyama since they would full time but i guess that don't matter either .
Still this will go no where so time will tell what will happen .
I think you may be projecting here. You need to realise some of these guys have been at the company for decades (and they aren't getting any younger) so it makes sense they want to pursue their passion projects. In addition to that the games industry has a high turn over rate, it's normal. Nothing about that implies they were "side lined" therefore that Bloomberg clickbait article was not spot on.
What does this mean?
SIE leadership wasn't happy that JP Studio wasn't pumping out global AAA sellers?
Does the recent overhaul in management and staff mean we can expect bigger and better things from them going forward?
The studio is getting restructed. Jobs/positions will disappear, etc. Them and many more left for certain reasons. Not because they suddenly got bored and wanted to leave. Like I said, they're not the only ones. Search on twitter and you will find more employees who left.
So let's see what will happen. Japan Studio getting smaller, as it seems. And like I said, as far I can see, the Bloomberg article was spot on. Mochi knows what he's doing.
Mochi has been wrong with all his PS info and even some nintendo news
In fact in his latest one he try to use Japan as a base for how PS doing WW .
Sure. All those devs at Japan Studio got bored and didn't know what to do anymore, so they suddenly left.
Nothing to see here, folks.
Bloomberg, etc. are all projecting. All these devs left because they suddenly got bored. Only a few guys on ResetEra know what's up.
Only SIE knows. The marketing strategy for software and hardware. The games they made. The deals they made, etc. Fact remains, SIE San Mateo wasn't happy.
I mean Toyama I believe said in his interview that he was inspired by Ueda leaving and making his own company. Not sure what else to take from that.
Some of them wanted to do other stuff and some dev not getting there contract renew is not news either .
Load of company do contracts and don't renew them until they need people again for projects .
Wait and see what happens. We will hear more in 2021.
It's kind of what Toyama was saying on his interview, he don't want to work on a AAA game with a big team so it would seems that this where Japan Studio is going but it's impossible to really know at this point.
When you look at the games that Japan Studio has made internally for the last decade, it's not really hard to say that they never made a game that was a big success. Their games doesn't have any impact on the japanese market, so yes i think things need to really change in Japan Studio.
Personnally i think it's a good thing that now they have an Internal Development Department and an External Development Department.
Trying to piece together various pieces of the Bloomberg article and post-departure interviews...
- At least one or two games probably got canned at Studio Japan in the last year or so.
- Sony brass probably wanted the studio to retool around a singular large project aimed at a global audience.
- Several studio veterans weren't terribly keen on that idea and/or weren't happy with the plug being pulled on their recent projects and left.
The studio still played a significant role in two high quality PS5 launch titles. We may not be getting Flying Anime Girl 3 or a dream horror project, but acting like it's dead feels like an impressive overreaction. But I suppose I should be used to it.
- At least one or two games probably got canned at Studio Japan in the last year or so.
- Sony brass probably wanted the studio to retool around a singular large project aimed at a global audience.
- Several studio veterans weren't terribly keen on that idea and/or weren't happy with the plug being pulled on their recent projects and left.
The studio still played a significant role in two high quality PS5 launch titles. We may not be getting Flying Anime Girl 3 or a dream horror project, but acting like it's dead feels like an impressive overreaction. But I suppose I should be used to it.
Maybe it is different abroad but I feel Japan Studio should follow the Insomniac model if they want to go from multiple mini projects and teams with unfinished work to a more mainline efficient production set up
Insomniac made a ton of side titles while independent, while also doing Sunset OverDrive, Spider-Man, R&C, etc....
I just wonder how big is or was SIE Japan compared to Insomniac?
Insomniac made a ton of side titles while independent, while also doing Sunset OverDrive, Spider-Man, R&C, etc....
I just wonder how big is or was SIE Japan compared to Insomniac?
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