It has been a major day of news for gamers in the PlayStation ecosystem, as the new PlayStation Plus revamp has been revealed, channeling new offerings to rival and perhaps surpass those of Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass. While providing more choices for consumers to pick from when subscribing to PlayStation Plus was the big topic of our exclusive conversation with Sony Interactive Entertainment head Jim Ryan, he also spoke about the future of PlayStation and on that front, the gaming giant is envisioning a strategy that includes not just internal investments, but also more acquisitions for the PlayStation brand.
As Ryan shared more about the cycle of success for the brand and its content, he pointed out that “with PlayStation studios, we invest, we have success, then we can invest more and have more success. That investment is taking the form of organic investments, or indeed, acquisitions.”
“We’ve always forged a path and that’s what we’re continued to do. I hope you’ll agree that our studios have enjoyed very considerable success over the PS4 cycle in a transformational way. And we really want to build on that and sensed a huge opportunity to turn something that has been for many years, very good, into something that’s really excellent.”
“And we are doing that through organic investment in the studios just by hiring more people and making the teams bigger and stronger, but also by acquiring studios.”
While we cannot speak to new hires at existing studios, we have seen Sony acquiring the likes of Bungie and Haven Studios in recent months, and from the way Ryan speaks, it looks like there might some more coming up that has not been revealed yet.
The success of its current first-party lineup also strengthens Sony’s position when it comes to choosing the right partners to work with, with a track record of great successes made possible by the gaming giant’s resources and fanbase. Any new acquisition will hopefully be able to repeat those successes and go on to bigger things. This will also expand the content offerings for consumers, especially now that PlayStation Plus is bigger than ever before, and there appears to be a commitment in expanding the family of studios, brought about by sustained cooperation and the right timing for acquisitions.
With rival Microsoft splashing big on both ZeniMax Media/Bethesda and Activision Blizzard, there has been a clamour for Sony to do the same, though the Japanese gaming company is going more for bang than flash here. Along with this revamp, and some smart moves like improving its services and striking at the right timing, the company is making tactical approaches when it comes to competing at the highest level, while still entertaining the masses.
Acquisitions will continue to be something that will be explored alongside the further empowerment of its current studios, and we will continue to see the fruits of those labours in the years to come. That said, we are definitely not opposed to a Konami buyout or perhaps even Square Enix, but those are dreams for the distant future.
Jake is a full-time trophy hunter and achievement gatherer on consoles, and part-time Steam Sale victim. He has a thing for Batman and awesome statues, and running out of space for both. Send help.
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