Support NeoGAF

[Murdok]

Helping SIE Santa Monica on the PC version of God of War was Jetpack Interactive.

with the great success of the previous God of War on PC (where it is available from January 14, 2022), it is very plausible that Sony wants to repeat itself in the future as well with the new episode. A small but significant clue appears to come from the LinkedIn Profile of Jetpack Interactive, authors of the God of War 2018 PC port, who confirm they are "still working with Santa Monica Studio on the God of War franchise".

It is good to specify that the Canadian software house has given its support to the Californian studio for the development of God of War Ragnarok, however, the words on LinkedIn suggest that the collaboration between the two realities will continue, perhaps with a future PC conversion of the latter. approaching game.

Source: https://www.linkedin.com/company/jetpack-interactive/about/

https://www.everyeye.it/notizie/god...-jetpack-interactive-lavora-serie-611282.html

 

[BennyBlanco]

They did a really nice job with a skeleton crew on GOW 2018. Even runs well on steam deck. Wouldn’t be surprised if Sony bought them as another port house. They’re pretty small but very good at what they do.

 

[pasterpl]

No surprise really. Sony seems to be slowly moving to full support on pc with all of their titles on pc at some stage.

 

[DenchDeckard]

Yeah it will be out in 2023. Ain't no way they're leaving that money on the table.

With my steam deck I might just wait and play on my pc/steam deck combo

 

[Pakoe]

Of course this is gonna happen, and I'm gonna enjoy the PS fanboys crying about it.

Besides that, the ports mostly were flawless. Horizon was kinda shitty on release but patched pretty quickly and I was able to finish it without any issues.

 

[Warnen]

Foolish to think otherwise. Hopes and dreams won’t line Sony’s pockets.

 

[Bernd Lauert]

But yurinka told me that only 4 year old games get ported to PC

As I said before, I fully expect PS and PC versions of Sony first party games to release simultaneously by the end of this generation.

 

[StealthGoblin]

I think you’ll start to see PlayStation either start up or buy more satellite studios in the coming year for a few reasons:

PC ports will be done by Nixxes but other teams will be needed.

Trusted talent will continue to be needed to support single player development.

GAAS titles need a lot of content regularly and having that content worked on by several teams is efficient.

 

[Barlow]

Didn't a few devs already have Ragnarok PC listed on LinkedIn last/this year?

 

[yurinka]

But yurinka told me that only 4 year old games get ported to PC

As I said before, I fully expect PS and PC versions of Sony first party games to release simultaneously by the end of this generation.

The Sony published PC ports are released from 2 to 10 years after their original PS release.

Sony said multiple times they don't plan to release their PS Studios games on PC day one other than maybe some day MLB. They even shown a graph listing their amount of releases per platform for the current fiscal year and the one that ends in 2026, and both had a total of ZERO PS5+PC releases, while there was a PS4+PS5 group.

A very small external support studio who did help port a game working with them again only means that, that they'll work with Sony again, probably helping to port other game again or if lucky handling some additional support work this time.

These are all facts.

They working again with Sony in other game doesn't mean at all that this game would be released on PC faster than usual, and even less day one on PC. This assumption is only a fanboy fantasy wish backed in absolutely nothing.

 

[FalsettoVibe]

Of course this is gonna happen, and I'm gonna enjoy the PS fanboys crying about it.

Besides that, the ports mostly were flawless. Horizon was kinda shitty on release but patched pretty quickly and I was able to finish it without any issues.

Literally why would anyone "cry" about this?

 

[Interfectum]

Yeah it will be out in 2023. Ain't no way they're leaving that money on the table.

With my steam deck I might just wait and play on my pc/steam deck combo

PC w/ DLSS3
Steam Deck for chillin.

No reason not to wait tbh.

 

[ACESHIGH]

They need to update the API for the PC version of this game. A DX11 only game in 2023 is nonsense.

 

[DeepEnigma]

But yurinka told me that only 4 year old games get ported to PC

As I said before, I fully expect PS and PC versions of Sony first party games to release simultaneously by the end of this generation.

The Sony published PC ports are released from 2 to 10 years after their original PS release.

Sony said multiple times they don't plan to release their PS Studios games on PC day one other than maybe some day MLB. They even shown a graph listing their amount of releases per platform for the current fiscal year and the one that ends in 2026, and both had a total of ZERO PS5+PC releases, while there was a PS4+PS5 group.

A very small external support studio who did help port a game working with them again only means that, that they'll work with Sony again, probably helping to port other game again or if lucky handling some additional support work this time.

These are all facts.

They working again with Sony in other game doesn't mean at all that this game would be released on PC faster than usual, and even less day one on PC. This assumption is only a fanboy fantasy wish backed in absolutely nothing.

I smell a nerd bet brewing.

 

[Graciaus]

Literally why would anyone "cry" about this?

Most of those guys unfortunately got banned. The meltdowns were amusing.

 

[Mibu no ookami]

But yurinka told me that only 4 year old games get ported to PC

As I said before, I fully expect PS and PC versions of Sony first party games to release simultaneously by the end of this generation.

I don't think that will be the case. I think right now you see PS5s flying off the shelves faster than they can stock them, but that won't be sustained throughout the life of the system. Eventually, they'll need to take steps to push the hardware and that will be done through their first-party software efforts.

I could see SOME titles coming out at the same time, but all of them? That's a tall order.

 

[Jaybe]

Smart since they are familiar with the engine. Would do Sony well to release it to PC in the first half of 2023 if they can. Helps justify the full price. Could beat the Starfield’s release. But who knows, it may not be possible in that timeframe or they may want to hold off letting the PS4/PS5 versions sell.

 

[Thirty7ven]

Uh no shit Sherlock? Haters still pretending this is going to be a shock L or something? Sony has laid out the strategy already, anybody wondering what will happen is slow.

 

[DeepEnigma]

Smart since they are familiar with the engine. Would do Sony well to release it to PC in the first half of 2023 if they can. Helps justify the full price. Could beat the Starfield’s release. But who knows, it may not be possible in that timeframe or they may want to hold off letting the PS4/PS5 versions sell.

I would be shocked to see it that early. Earliest 1 year out in 2023, but I could also see it 2024.

 

[Mister Wolf]

A year from the console release date.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Literally why would anyone "cry" about this?

Plastic box worshippers.

Even though Game X will come out on their system day one, they dont like it when other platform gamers play the same game because they get more fun playing it isolation thinking they belong to a snobby private golf club. It goes like this:

100% exclusive = super happy
Timed exclusive = semi pissed
Day one multiplatform release = go to the doc and ask for a prescription of anti-depressant pills

Gears of War was the biggest new IP way back for 360. When it was announced PC was getting the game a year later with extra content and a good PC rig could play it at 60 fps, who cares. I never thought to myself "Oh man, PC gamers now get to play it. Where's the nearest bridge I can jump off?"

 

[Pakoe]

Literally why would anyone "cry" about this?

You'd be suprised. I saw someone on neogaf crying about the PS5 had no real exclusives now that the games are releasing on PC.

 

[NovaSe7en]

I mean, if Microsoft can get away with simultaneous releases, I have no reason to think Sony won't do the same.

I could see them pulling back from that strategy if, at any point, SteamOS were to become a serious threat though. Like if Valve got bold enough to pair it with a console form factor in a few years or something.

 

[deeptech]

bad news for the mentally ill around here

 

[Vick]

Plastic box worshippers.

Even though Game X will come out on their system day one, they dont like it when other platform gamers play the same game because they get more fun playing it isolation thinking they belong to a snobby private golf club.

Reminds me of something:

Cause I can’t enjoy my games unless I let others know that I am able to play my games at maximum graphics. Honestly I don’t even play games. I just build pcs to run games at maximum, knowing peasants can never have what I have. That’s a bigger dopamine than games

Same energy. It's a bigger dopamine than games after all.

 

[Skifi28]

Literally why would anyone "cry" about this?

For the same reason others will gloat, fanboys are weird.

 

[ripjoel]

bloodborne pls

 

[ArtHands]

But yurinka told me that only 4 year old games get ported to PC

As I said before, I fully expect PS and PC versions of Sony first party games to release simultaneously by the end of this generation.

This guy also previously boldly claims that Martha is Dead censorship is due to ESRB , before he was contradicted by the publisher themselves stating this is due to Sony among other things.

 

[ArtHands]

Reminds me of something:



Same energy. It's a bigger dopamine than games after all.

Same guy also beg others to buy a PS5. Perhaps he doesn’t want others to experience the same dopamine hit as him.

Just get a PS5 then, it’s cheaper than a GPU. Kinda weird to be seeing pc players demanding anything lol.

You kinda have to intuit their overarching strategy in the PC space. It’s one dimensional to think Sony is trying to go about it by just separating exclusives, but rather using it as a vessel to get pc players into the Sony ecosystem. Ratchet & Clank is apart of that. Another poster mentioned leaks for Ratchet & Clank coming to PC anyways. Using your same argument, is returnal not a PS5 exclusive and it has a PC build being demoed at GDC? Sony isn’t going to devalue you with their PC initiatives, it’s a process as a part of a greater strategy for customer acquisition

 

[bender]

bloodborne pls

 

[nocsi]

Same guy also beg others to buy a PS5. Perhaps he doesn’t want others to experience the same dopamine hit as him.

I don’t see how that’s begging people to buy a ps5. Both of those quotes were in jest in one way or another

 

[adamsapple]

Not surprising at all.

 

[AmuroChan]

This is in line with their long term strategy, now accelerated by the fact that the global economy is in the dumpster and companies need to maximize their revenue streams as much as possible.

 

[ArtHands]

I don’t see how that’s begging people to buy a ps5. Both of those quotes were in jest in one way or another

Oh, my post is in jest too.

 

[PixelatedBeast]

I mean, if Microsoft can get away with simultaneous releases, I have no reason to think Sony won't do the same.

I could see them pulling back from that strategy if, at any point, SteamOS were to become a serious threat though. Like if Valve got bold enough to pair it with a console form factor in a few years or something.

Lol, yall keep confusing xboxs necessity to sell games with Sonys luxury to port old games. Microsoft releases games on pc to maximize profits since xbox gamers, by in large for the most part dont buy a lot of xbox games. Sony releasing exclusive games on pc 2-3 years after release is far from day and date and isnt even done by the original dev teams.

If Sony was planning on doing date and date simutaneous pc releases for their exclusives, they would just have the original studios port the game themselves, rather than select and choose what titles to bring by 1-2 dev teams. Remember, they arent making a ton of money from pc gamers, hell they only made like 3-400 million with all the games they released since Days Gone.

Kind of funny how pc players think a console market leader would rather cannibalize their profits to pay 30% of 1st week of game sales to a pc company....I'm sure Sony cant wait to lose money for goodwill from pc players.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Yeah it will be out in 2023. Ain't no way they're leaving that money on the table.

With my steam deck I might just wait and play on my pc/steam deck combo

Spring 2023 is my guess

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Lol, yall keep confusing xboxs necessity to sell games with Sonys luxury to port old games. Microsoft releases games on pc to maximize profits since xbox gamers, by in large for the most part dont buy a lot of xbox games. Sony releasing exclusive games on pc 2-3 years after release is far from day and date and isnt even done by the original dev teams.

If Sony was planning on doing date and date simutaneous pc releases for their exclusives, they would just have the original studios port the game themselves, rather than select and choose what titles to bring by 1-2 dev teams. Remember, they arent making a ton of money from pc gamers, hell they only made like 3-400 million with all the games they released since Days Gone.

Kind of funny how pc players think a console market leader would rather cannibalize their profits to pay 30% of 1st week of game sales to a pc company....I'm sure Sony cant wait to lose money for goodwill from pc players.

Of course PC port sales havent been high. There have only been a handful of games released in that number.

As for cannibalizing PS sales, that assumes the gamers in question are duo platform gamers on PS and PC and they'll purposely buy the PC version first.

If releasing PC games on day one is bad giving up Steam's 30% cut, Bethesda and EA wouldnt do games on Steam and just have it on their launchers first and then allow it on Steam or GOG later.

 

[shubik]

Of course this is gonna happen, and I'm gonna enjoy the PS fanboys crying about it.

Besides that, the ports mostly were flawless. Horizon was kinda shitty on release but patched pretty quickly and I was able to finish it without any issues.

Why should Sony Fan boys cry about this? I don’t want a PC. I’m happy with my console and absolutely don’t care if PC players can enjoy those games somewhere down the road. This does not hurt PlayStation 5 sales.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Why should Sony Fan boys cry about this? I don’t want a PC. I’m happy with my console and absolutely don’t care if PC players can enjoy those games somewhere down the road. This does not hurt PlayStation 5 sales.

Because some ecosystem warriors care.

As for hurting PS5 sales, it depends which side of the fence you're on. Most gamers dont care and don't think it wont affect PS. But you got some gamers who have a theory if you release PC ports, they will sell their PS and buy a PC rig to go PC only going forward.

 

[Chris_Rivera]

But yurinka told me that only 4 year old games get ported to PC

As I said before, I fully expect PS and PC versions of Sony first party games to release simultaneously by the end of this generation.

Don’t they though? And why would they stop doing that, the double dip crowd is the way for them to go. Make a point.

 

[3liteDragon]

Late 2023/2024 is my guess, I don't see them bringing it to PC even next year though (could be wrong on that). This is gonna be selling gangbusters, they're most likely gonna wait it out. And wasn't it already known that a PC port was in development when Ragnarok was first revealed last year? Like I said, the only first-party titles I'm expecting D&D from them for now, are their live-service titles, not the single-player ones.

 

[Pakoe]

Why should Sony Fan boys cry about this? I don’t want a PC. I’m happy with my console and absolutely don’t care if PC players can enjoy those games somewhere down the road. This does not hurt PlayStation 5 sales.

Thats good, if only everybody was like this. Unfortunately thats not the case, ive seen people disliking sony expanding.

 

[Mibu no ookami]

Sony is sitting on billions of dollars in sales.

#1 Porting over widely successful PS4 titles
#2 Selling new installments to successful franchises
#3 Remaking classic games that never had life on PC and introducing PC (and by extension PS5) fanbases to some of their critical acclaimed franchises.

I think if Sony had adopted their PC/mobile strategy early enough, they might have looked into buying Crash and Spyro back from Activision.

#Gran Turismo 7 will come to PC (and some element of the franchise will go to mobile)
#Hot Shots Golf will come to PC (surprised they haven't been more aggressive with getting Clap Hanz, who just did their own golf game on mobile)
#I expect eventually a Syphon Filter Reboot and movie or tv tie in
#Twisted Metal is already in development for PS5 but probably PC as well. TV Show is already in production.
#Would love to see Arc the Lad 1+2 remade, but I doubt this would happen
#Same with Legend of Dragoon
#JetMoto could return for PS5, PC, Mobile
#Same with CoolBoarders
#God of War 1-3 remakes
#SOCOM

Expanding to PC and Mobile could be a great thing for console owners. We're potentially looking at games with bigger budgets and more risk because you have an expanded portfolio and much higher sales potential. When some games underperform, it's not the end of the world.

Sony's now in a position where they simply can't come out with enough games and really need to diversify outside of single-player 3rd person action games.

The purchase of Bungie gets them into the FPS and GaaS market.

But I think they need to really invest in WRPG, MMORPG, and I think quite a few people would appreciate a AAA JRPG from them.

 

[yazenov]

Lol at people thinking Sony will put their Non-GAAS 1st party titles to the PC on day one.

Sony's main bread and butter are selling consoles and keeping you in their walled garden like Apple and Nintendo. They want you to buy their consoles, additional controllers, and all those accessories such as headsets, PS VR, etc..... They want you to subscribe to their subscription services and keep you locked in their PS ecosystem so you may later upgrade to their next latest hardware.

A PS consumer is more valuable to them than a PC gamer that buys their games only. Not to mention 100% revenue is better than 70%, right? (30% of sales to Steam I assume).

Sony gets 30% of the sales from all those PS gamers buying 3rd party games, DLC, and MTX on PS4/5. If I'm not mistaken, most of their revenue and profit came from software sales of people purchasing games from their platform.

I mean, Sony made fuck you money from Fortnight, a free to play game that it available on every platform under the sun. But alot of money was made of Playstation due to their huge console userbase purchasing mtx on their platform. Another game comes to mind is Genshin Impact. See? PS console players are more valued to Sony.

Sony just needs to keep doing what they were doing during the previous generations and dominate. A little extra money on the side from PC years later from old ports doesn't hurt. Not as long as they don't impact their console sales.

 

[Mibu no ookami]

Lol at people thinking Sony will put their Non-GAAS 1st party titles to the PC on day one.

Sony's main bread and butter are selling consoles and keeping you in their walled garden like Apple and Nintendo. They want you to buy their consoles, additional controllers, and all those accessories such as headsets, PS VR, etc..... They want you to subscribe to their subscription services and keep you locked in their PS ecosystem so you may later upgrade to their next latest hardware. A PS consumer is more valuable to them than a PC gamer that buys their games only. Not to mention 100% revenue is better than 70%, right? (30% of sales to Steam I assume).

Sony just needs to keep doing what they were doing during the previous generations and dominate. A little extra money on the side from PC years later from old ports doesn't hurt. Not as long as they don't impact their console sales.

I think what you fail to realize is that the market is changing DRASTICALLY.

The PS5 at least for now, sells itself. Since the advent of God of War 2005, Sony has really quickly become a top notch software development studio. There's honestly way more money in this and Sony has sidelined a lot of their profit over the years to prop up their hardware market. Obviously, they make a ton of money on royalties from 3rd party software sales, but they can somewhat have their cake and eat it too.

You look at the valuation of some of these 3rd party publishers and you see how well they're doing compared to Sony (who is in most cases better than they are).

Activision is worth 58 billion dollars
EA is worth 32 billion dollars
Epic Games is worth 32 billion
Take 2 is worth 18 billion dollars

Sony is worth 84 billion dollars

Any Sony isn't just PlayStation, you're looking at Sony Pictures, Sony Electronics, and Sony Music among others.

The one thing Jim Ryan has been really smart about is better leveraging their IP with the creation of PlayStation Studios. He is taking lessons from Disney with their purchase of Marvel and the creation of Marvel Studios and LucasFilm.

The amount of money they can make on software sales by not limiting themselves to PlayStation hardware is immense. Further, if they can get royalties for PC software sales like Steam and EGS, that's another revenue stream previously untouched.

You have
#1 Movies and TV will not only make money on their own (and potentially lots of it) but basically advertise the games as well
#2 PC games which is a largely untouched market for them, which they could leverage into the own launcher, which increases their take home for their own games, as well as additional royalties from 3rd parties

You look at something like Mission Impossible. Has 3.6 billion dollars at the global box office. Could Syphon Filter have had a similar run? Maybe with the right actor? Give that to someone like Robert Pattison or Sebastian Stan with a good director like Denis Villeneuve.

You look at Apple and they realized they couldn't make money on Apple TV+ limiting it to Apple hardware, so they made deals with hardware manufacturers across the board.

 

[yazenov]

I think what you fail to realize is that the market is changing DRASTICALLY.

The PS5 at least for now, sells itself. Since the advent of God of War 2005, Sony has really quickly become a top notch software development studio. There's honestly way more money in this and Sony has sidelined a lot of their profit over the years to prop up their hardware market. Obviously, they make a ton of money on royalties from 3rd party software sales, but they can somewhat have their cake and eat it too.

You look at the valuation of some of these 3rd party publishers and you see how well they're doing compared to Sony (who is in most cases better than they are).

Activision is worth 58 billion dollars
EA is worth 32 billion dollars
Epic Games is worth 32 billion
Take 2 is worth 18 billion dollars

Sony is worth 84 billion dollars

Any Sony isn't just PlayStation, you're looking at Sony Pictures, Sony Electronics, and Sony Music among others.

The one thing Jim Ryan has been really smart about is better leveraging their IP with the creation of PlayStation Studios. He is taking lessons from Disney with their purchase of Marvel and the creation of Marvel Studios and LucasFilm.

The amount of money they can make on software sales by not limiting themselves to PlayStation hardware is immense. Further, if they can get royalties for PC software sales like Steam and EGS, that's another revenue stream previously untouched.

You have
#1 Movies and TV will not only make money on their own (and potentially lots of it) but basically advertise the games as well
#2 PC games which is a largely untouched market for them, which they could leverage into the own launcher, which increases their take home for their own games, as well as additional royalties from 3rd parties

You look at something like Mission Impossible. Has 3.6 billion dollars at the global box office. Could Syphon Filter have had a similar run? Maybe with the right actor? Give that to someone like Robert Pattison or Sebastian Stan with a good director like Denis Villeneuve.

You look at Apple and they realized they couldn't make money on Apple TV+ limiting it to Apple hardware, so they made deals with hardware manufacturers across the board.

Look at Sony's Financials.

Most of the money came from 3rd party game purchases, MTX, and DLC where they got a 30% cut from every sales.

1st party games sales are a tiny amount of the sales.

Sony want/needs you to buy their consoles. The most userbase, the more profit is to be made.

Selling 1st party games on other platforms day one lies counter to Sony's interest. That's not up for a debate.
They don't want people to think they don't need the console.

The thought that Sony needs to mimic MS PC and Gamepass business model is better for Sony is pure fantasy and quite frankly foolish.


MS adopted that strategy due to them being dominated by the competition. Sony and Nintendo are doing just fine.

 

[Skifi28]

Lol at people thinking Sony will put their Non-GAAS 1st party titles to the PC on day one.

I could easily see them opening up their own store where games are day one and maybe releasing them a few/several months later on steam/Epic.

 

[yazenov]

I could easily see them opening up their own store where games are day one and maybe releasing them a few/several months later on steam/Epic.

Sony probably made more money from Fornite, a free to play 3rd party game than all their 1st party games on PC combined together.

Userbase is king and Sony wants people to buy their consoles 1st and foremost due to reasons I mentioned above.

Sony already has their own store, its called the PS5 . No, they won't compete with Steam and Epic

 

[Mibu no ookami]

Look at Sony's Financials.

Most of the money came from 3rd party game purchases, MTX, and DLC where they got a 30% cut from every sales.

1st party games sales are a tiny amount of the sales.

Sony want/needs you to buy their consoles. The most userbase, the more profit is to be made.

Selling 1st party games on other platforms day one lies counter to Sony's interest. That's not up for a debate.
They don't want people to think they don't need the console.

The thought that Sony needs to mimic MS PC and Gamepass business model is better for Sony is pure fantasy and quite frankly foolish.


MS adopted that strategy due to them being dominated by the competition. Sony and Nintendo are doing just fine.

Like I said, the market is changing.

Sony can have their cake and eat it too. They don't need their software to sell hardware units and honestly never really did. I'm not saying they give up PlayStation hardware the royalties that come with it, but their ability to sell software across the board has serious implications for them down the line.

The platforms are becoming more and more ubiquitous. What they're selling now is the PlayStation brand and as long as gamers can get games on it, they'll be happy. They don't have to be exclusive. Most people aren't going to buy a gaming PC rig just because Sony Interactive games are on PC.

Xbox Series X/S might be the best-selling Xbox console when all is said and done and that will be because of the strength of brand rather than any exclusives.

I didn't say anything about game pass. Sony's model is already more profitable because they have as high if not higher a sub base and they keep their first party sales on PS and PC.

 

[yurinka]

This guy also previously boldly claims that Martha is Dead censorship is due to ESRB , before he was contradicted by the publisher themselves stating this is due to Sony among other things.

It is a fact that big American retailers don't put AO games on their shelves.

It is fact that is mandatory to get proper ESRB rating for retail games, which is separated, way more expensive and more strict than the ESRB rating digital only indie games receive via the international age rating bundle IARC.

It is a fact that Sony doesn't handle the content / age rating of their games, if something they only may guide publishers/devs telling them 'be careful with this, ESRB/PEGI may ask you to raise the rating to certain other one'.

It is a fact that Martha Is Dead was released in retail only on PS, and that in most cases where there is self censorship, the self censorship when applied only to some platforms are the ones for the platform released on retail for USA. Which tradionally are for the best selling platforms, Switch and specially PlayStation. Many publishers don't release their games in retail for Xbox and PC because sales are too low for them to consider it worth it.

There's also country specific censorship in some other games, again not censorship coming from Microsoft, Nintendo or Sony, but due to the age ratings or regulations of these countries.

Games like the Japanese versions of Resident Evil aren't censored in all platforms because Microsoft, Nintendo or Sony tell them to censor the games, they only require devs releasing games for their platforms to follow the rules and age rating of each country regarding game -and particularly physical- releases.

These are all facts.

It is also a fact that the article you posted doesn't say that Sony mandated them to censor the game, the most remotely similar thing they say is "Neil Broadhead, marketing head at Wired Productions, told IGN that these changes were made due to talks with Sony itself: 'The changes in content were made as a result of conversations with PlayStation in the lead up to our launch.'", which matches with my explanation of how age rating and game certification works (I'm a dev btw) and even says "A spokesperson for the [ESRB] board told IGN that it's unusual for companies like PlayStation to take decisions about what's appropriate into their own hands."