PlayStation Boss Says Sony Will Continue To Make Story-Driven Single-Player Games

While over the years Sony Interactive Entertainment has released countless story-focused single-player games, many of which are bonafide classics, it especially targeted that piece of the market this generation. And not only did it successfully do this with games like God of War, Horzion: Zero Dawn, and Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, the market has responded positively and awarded Sony for its commitment to single-player story experiences while many chase the trends in the multiplayer space.

That said, Sony has reaffirmed it's committed to making similar games in the future. Speaking to Game Informer, PlayStation boss Shawn Layden said that single-player games is something the company is going to continue to push in this industry, though it may also look to dabble in the multiplayer space as well.

“I think we have to do both,” said Layden. “That’s not a cop-out. I think we have set the high-water mark for being the best in long-form narrative gaming. We have some of the best storytellers in the business working on Worldwide Studios projects, whether that’s Sucker Punch or the team at Bend working on Days Gone, and of course Naughty Dog and Santa Monica Studios. I think that’s a super strength of ours. I was very happy to see that three of the five of the game of the year nominees are Worldwide Studios games.

“To know that the choices we’re making to lean heavily into stories and narrative and to create worlds where people will lose themselves in the story of another person or culture or an environment. We’re very proud of that. We will continue to execute our franchises on that.”

Layden continued, but talking about the growing multiplayer space, noting that while Sony hasn't historically performed well in this realm, it's not opposed to trying again.

“As far as games-as-service and esports, or recurring revenue models or whatever... If we can do something interesting and meaningful in those areas, we’ll do it," said Layden. "If we were going to partner with another team in some capacity to deliver, again, something interesting and meaningful, we’ll be there and we’ll do it. It’s not that we’re not interested in those areas, it’s just an area we haven’t historically performed very well.

"We want to push the boundaries in all the different areas of gaming. It’s important for us to do that."