PlayStation’s Hermen Hulst discusses reviving legacy IPs, expanding to PC, third-party partnerships, and live service plans.
The past year has been a rollercoaster for PlayStation, filled with thrilling successes and a few stumbles along the way. The adorable Astro Bot took the gaming world by storm, winning the Game of the Year award at The Game Awards 2024.
It was a nostalgic nod to PlayStation’s legacy, and fans couldn’t get enough of its charm and playful homage to iconic characters from the PlayStation universe. On the flip side, the live-service title Concord failed to meet expectations, resulting in Sony shutting down the game and closing Firewalk Studios, the developer behind it.
Despite these challenges, the PlayStation ecosystem continues to thrive. 2024 saw a strong lineup of releases, including third-party collaborations like Rise of the Ronin by Team Ninja and Stellar Blade by SHIFT UP, both of which were met with critical acclaim.
PlayStation Exploring Classic Games & IP Revival
In a recent interview with Famitsu, Hermen Hulst, CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment’s Studio Business Group, offered a glimpse into PlayStation’s evolving strategy. The discussion covered a wide range of topics, from reviving dormant IPs to collaborating with external studios and expanding the PlayStation experience to PC players.
When asked about the possibility of bringing back beloved but dormant PlayStation IPs, Hulst didn’t shy away from the topic. “Our extensive IP portfolio is an important asset for PlayStation, and as part of our efforts to strengthen our portfolio, we continually explore opportunities to leverage our legacy IP as well as develop new franchises,” Hulst shared.
PlayStation’s collaborations with external studios like Team Ninja and SHIFT UP have been pivotal in 2024. According to Hulst, these partnerships allow for a broader range of creative projects.
“Creativity and great games come from everywhere. We develop content within PlayStation Studios, but we also actively collaborate with external development studios. It is important to have a wide variety of games in our portfolio that can be enjoyed by all types of players
“To provide fresh joy and experiences to PlayStation players, we are constantly reviewing the contents of our portfolio and considering expanding the genres that are in demand and introducing new types of games.
“Our aim is to publish games from the world’s best creators, both internal and external, and we have had a lot of success by working closely with external development studios,” he said.
The expansion of PlayStation’s titles to PC has been a hot topic, especially with the success of games like Helldivers 2. Hulst explained the company’s strategy for balancing its console-first focus with a growing PC audience.
“Live service titles are released on multiple platforms, so attracting new players and increasing the number of players is key to their success. Therefore, maintaining the momentum at the time of release and penetrating a wide range of players is especially important in the live service field.
“Single-player games are an important element in enhancing the appeal of the PlayStation platform, and we set strategic sales periods for each title. While consoles remain our core business, expanding to platforms such as PC will enable us to offer our games to more people.
“We always prioritize providing the best experience to our players, and as part of that, we are also promoting the linking of PSN accounts on PC,” said Hulst.
Hulst emphasized that while consoles remain the core of PlayStation’s business, the inclusion of PC players helps broaden the reach of their games. Initiatives like linking PSN accounts on PC are part of this effort to create a seamless player experience.
2025 is shaping up to be a big year for PlayStation, with major releases on the horizon, including Ghost of Yotei, the highly anticipated new title from Sucker Punch Studios, and Death Stranding 2: On The Beach.
What do you think of PlayStation’s evolving strategy? Are there any legacy IPs you’d love to see revived, or are you more excited about the new titles on the horizon? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
