Without question, the reach of live service games is growing increasingly extensive, with a myriad of titles, such as Destiny 2, The Division 2, and Fallout 76, all looking to keep players engaged long past their initial release dates. For fans that primarily enjoy finite, narrative-driven games, this trend away from single-player offerings, and towards games as a service titles, may be alarming. However, PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan suggests that these fans have nothing to worry about when it comes to Sony's future plans.
In a recent interview with CNET, Ryan was questioned about his opinion on live service games as a genre, and the PlayStation CEO offered a moderate response. Specifically, Ryan indicated that there are "good examples and less good examples" of live service games, and that it is "really not easy" to develop one that is successful. According to Ryan, this difficulty comes from the necessity that these games be "evolved and iterated," and that cannot be achieved by those that simply "plunge in and build one."
Furthermore, Ryan indicated that Sony has no intention of ever abandoning story-based games in deference to these types of live service titles, stating that the company has "never had greater success" with its narrative-driven offerings than it is having right now. Ryan further emphasized this point by saying that story-centric titles are "certainly not a genre of gaming [Sony will] ever walk away from."
That said, Ryan did acknowledge that he believes that live service games will continue to grow in popularity, but only as part of the "overall gaming ecosystem." As such, fans may begin seeing more first party, live service titles from Sony in the future, but it seems as those these fans need not worry about the company ever ending its work on games primarily focused around narrative.
Certainly, the upcoming The Last of Us 2 and Ghost of Tsushima appear to be proof positive of Sony's commitment to this type of game, and Ryan's statements are likely to come as a relief to those that might be concerned about the trajectory of Sony's development. Indeed, those that have been worried that Sony's first party PS5 games might move away from story-driven experiences entirely can now rest easy.
Source: CNET