PlayStation Legend Shuhei Yoshida 'Would've Tried to Resist' Sony's Live Service Push

Former PlayStation executive Shuhei Yoshida reveals he would have resisted Sony's controversial live-service game push, citing inherent risks. Yoshida, SIE Worldwide Studios president from 2008-2019, voiced concerns to Kinda Funny Games about Sony's live-service investment strategy.

This statement follows a period of mixed results for PlayStation's live-service ventures. While Helldivers 2 achieved phenomenal success, selling 12 million copies in 12 weeks, other titles like Concord faced disastrous launches and subsequent cancellations. Concord, costing an estimated $200 million (according to Kotaku), proved a significant financial setback for Sony, leading to the closure of its developer. This failure followed the cancellation of Naughty Dog's The Last of Us multiplayer project and, more recently, two unannounced live-service games.

Yoshida, departing Sony after 31 years, hypothetically stated that if he were current CEO Hermen Hulst, he would have advocated against the heavy investment in live-service games at their inception. He emphasized the importance of balancing live-service development with continued investment in successful single-player franchises like God of War. He acknowledged Sony's increased resource allocation for live-service titles, but believes the inherent risks in a highly competitive market should have prompted a more cautious approach. The unexpected success of Helldivers 2 highlights the unpredictable nature of the gaming industry.

Sony's financial reports reflect this mixed experience. President, COO, and CFO Hiroki Totoki attributed Concord's failure to insufficient early user testing and internal evaluation, as well as a siloed organizational structure and an unfortunate release window near Black Myth: Wukong. Totoki stressed the need for improved internal processes and better release window management to avoid future cannibalization. Senior vice president Sadahiko Hayakawa highlighted the contrasting outcomes of Helldivers 2 and Concord, emphasizing the lessons learned and the importance of a balanced portfolio that includes both single-player and live-service titles.

Despite these setbacks, Sony continues to pursue live-service development, with titles like Bungie's Marathon, Guerrilla's Horizon Online, and Haven Studio's Fairgame$, still in development. The future success of this strategy remains to be seen.