Support NeoGAF

[Tiago Rodrigues]

Felt one topic to mention all this would be enough instead of multiple topics over stuff announced at the same event.

Sony's expectations for the chinese market this generation:



On acting as publisher for Lost Soul Aside and Convallaria:



Sony's "China Hero Project" program to be a huge deal, with a great investment from them:





Sounds like a lot is happening in China for Playstation, following the success of Genshin Impact.

 

[begotten]

Good to see scuffed DMC Lost Soul Aside still exists.

 

[Tiago Rodrigues]

Batch 1 - 7 games
Batch 2 - 6 games
Batch 3 - bigger than the previous 2

 

[Tiago Rodrigues]

Lost Soul Aside trailer. Looking good!

 

[Elios83]

They should grab Black Myth WuKong, that one seems interesting.

 

[tommib]

Ffs, Sony. You dropped Japan investments and terminated Japan Studios to end up in fucking China? Man.

I understand how gigantic that market is and how Sony wants to double PlayStation sales. But what a bitter pill to swallow.

 

[Elios83]

Ffs, Sony. You dropped Japan investments and terminated Japan Studios to end up in fucking China? Man.

I understand how gigantic that market is and how Sony wants to double PlayStation sales. But what a bitter pill to swallow.

How did they drop Japan investements when they're having deals with Square Enix on the Final Fantasy series, they're funding Kojima, they're funding Team Ninja, they have invested in From Software, they're securing timed exclusives with Konami.
They're also publishing Korean stuff like the really promising Stellar Blade and now they're investing in China as well.
Their interests and investements are in the whole Asia and it's a great strategy, certainly much better than investing in Knack 3

 

[Banjo64]

This does absolutely nothing for me.

Ffs, Sony. You dropped Japan investments and terminated Japan Studios to end up in fucking China? Man.

I understand how gigantic that market is and how Sony wants to double PlayStation sales. But what a bitter pill to swallow.

Amen.

 

[Thief1987]

Lost Soul Aside still showing only cool looking effects and zero substance. Don't have high hopes for this game tbh

 

[FalsettoVibe]

Good.....now it means Lost Soul Aside will actually release.

 

[Mr Moose]

Chasing that 1% dream.

 

[Tiago Rodrigues]

Ffs, Sony. You dropped Japan investments and terminated Japan Studios to end up in fucking China? Man.

I understand how gigantic that market is and how Sony wants to double PlayStation sales. But what a bitter pill to swallow.

Japan studios were doing shit for years. They turned that into Asobi and XDev Japan. Basically the 2 funcional parts of Japan studio.
Asobi has been increasing quite a lot in size and Sony is investing a LOT in them.

About dropping Japanese investments...what?

Add to this the fact they just bought 14% of From Software, strong rumors about another game from them, Persona 6 as a potential exclusive, etc...

Yeah, poor Sony not investing in Japan, lmao.

This is not about Japan. feel free to create a topic on that cause that's what we need right now. Another topic on how Sony doesn't care for Japan when Gaf keeps talking about how Sony moneyhats everything in there

Y'all just need to make up your minds already.

 

[Aenima]

Ffs, Sony. You dropped Japan investments and terminated Japan Studios to end up in fucking China? Man.

I understand how gigantic that market is and how Sony wants to double PlayStation sales. But what a bitter pill to swallow.

They just anounced not long ago they are publishing Rise of Ronin, and they make alot of deals with Square-Enix. Dumb is just thinking Japan is the only worthy country to invest when China and South Korea are putting out very interesting stuff out there.
Also they terminated Japan Studio and created Team Asobi Studio and an Xdev asian division to replace the 3rd party support Japan Studio was doing.

Im more iterested in Stellar Blade that is a Korean game and Black Myth WuKong that is a chinese game, than anything Japan is cooking outside Final Fantasy and Dragon Dogma.

 

[FalsettoVibe]

Looks ok I guess?

 

[Hobbygaming]

Ffs, Sony. You dropped Japan investments and terminated Japan Studios to end up in fucking China? Man.

I understand how gigantic that market is and how Sony wants to double PlayStation sales. But what a bitter pill to swallow.

Tbh I'm more interested in Lost Soul Aside than Sony Japan's catalog. I do want Asobi to create another Astro game though

 

[Hobbygaming]

Lost Soul Aside still showing only cool looking effects and zero substance. Don't have high hopes for this game tbh

It's giving me Returnal vibes, not the game itself but its smaller AAA scope

Which is fine by me

 

[Tiago Rodrigues]

How did they drop Japan investements when they're having deals with Square Enix on the Final Fantasy series, they're funding Kojima, they're funding Team Ninja, they have invested in From Software, they're securing timed exclusives with Konami.
They're also publishing Korean stuff like the really promising Stellar Blade and now they're investing in China as well.
Their interests and investements are in the whole Asia and it's a great strategy, certainly much better than investing in Knack 3

People are just stuck in 2003 when Sony Japan was relevant. That's it.

 

[Ezekiel_]

Ffs, Sony. You dropped Japan investments and terminated Japan Studios to end up in fucking China? Man.

I understand how gigantic that market is and how Sony wants to double PlayStation sales. But what a bitter pill to swallow.

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

"We just want to compete my man, why don't you let us"

 

[remember_spinal]

Sony has been going global, they are expanding like crazy. They know theres a lot of money to be made in Korea and China thanks to investing in games like Genshin Impact and their Aniplex games doing big numbers.

Its why Microsoft recently said they were trying to expand in China. Sony beat them to the punch, thats the forward thinking people knock Jim Ryan for

 

[Tiago Rodrigues]

Sony has been going global, they are expanding like crazy. They know theres a lot of money to be made in Korea and China thanks to investing in games like Genshin Impact and their Aniplex games doing big numbers.

Its why Microsoft recently said they were trying to expand in China. Sony beat them to the punch, thats the forward thinking people knock Jim Ryan for

I mean...we're now starting to see the results of something they started in 2016. MS going there now is something we won't start to notice for years and years to come as well.
I also think since it's microsoft, it will always be tougher for MS in countries like korea and china...but who knows.

 

[{insert code here}]

I'm very optimistic about both the Chinese and South Korean Dev scenes. They both have been accumulating a lot of talent especially in comparison to the West.

This coming from the perspective of someone currently going through their undergrad for CS.

 

[TheThreadsThatBindUs]

Ffs, Sony. You dropped Japan investments and terminated Japan Studios to end up in fucking China? Man.

I understand how gigantic that market is and how Sony wants to double PlayStation sales. But what a bitter pill to swallow.

I think it's more accurate to say that Japan dropped consoles. Sony is only following the market trends. The international market for Japanese games is too small to support modern gaming budgets without leaning into well-known, already-established IPs. Sony Japan Studio was no KojiPro/Capcom/Namco/Sega/Atlus. It was a poorly managed mess that struggled to complete projects. Much better for Sony to invest in 3rd party partnerships with Japanese devs.

China on the other hand is an inchoate growing market. Sony has a chance to get in early and build essentially an entire gaming market in that territory, which has the opportunity to become fucking humongous.

I would only say that Sony also needs to be pushing for partnerships with S.Korean devs too. We need more Japanime, Koreanime and Chinanime games.

I'm very optimistic about both the Chinese and South Korean Dev scenes. They both have been accumulating a lot of talent especially in comparison to the West.

This coming from the perspective of someone currently going through their undergrad for CS.

For me, it's the creativity and originality of artistic aesthetics from Asian-made games. As much as I'm a fan of western games, their art design can often start to feel insufferably samey and stale. Japanese and Korean games, however, I just fucking love em.

Spoiler

Also, the fact that Japanese devs haven't pandered to the wokesters that are pathologically allergic to tits and ass. Based Asians are keeping dat wonderful smut alive in gaming!

 

[FeralEcho]

Sony has been going global, they are expanding like crazy. They know theres a lot of money to be made in Korea and China thanks to investing in games like Genshin Impact and their Aniplex games doing big numbers.

Its why Microsoft recently said they were trying to expand in China. Sony beat them to the punch, thats the forward thinking people knock Jim Ryan for

Yeah I'm not a fan of Jim Ryan's Slippin' Jimmy antics he's constantly been showing since he got in charge of PlayStation but this expansion into Asia is certainly something he should be lauded for.It's forward thinking as you said.

 

[Kuranghi]

Do those games have native language names? Asian games always seem to be called things that are really hard to say if you're not a native english speaker.

 

[spartan30gr]

Lost Soul Aside trailer. Looking good!

Finally!!the final fantasy versus game we deserve

 

[TGO]

That bastard Jim Ryan!

 

[John Wick]

Ffs, Sony. You dropped Japan investments and terminated Japan Studios to end up in fucking China? Man.

I understand how gigantic that market is and how Sony wants to double PlayStation sales. But what a bitter pill to swallow.

Oh it's China automatically bad guy..........
What does it matter where they invest if we get quality new games?

 

[CamHostage]

For those curious about China Hero Project...

Sony has had this program going since 2017, and has backed 14 games in that time (not counting Phase III, which will be larger than Phase I or II, but titles have not yet been announced.) By my count, seven are available now.

• F.I.S.T: Forged in Shadow Torch (out now on PS4/PS5, PC, Switch)
• Hardcore Mecha (out now on PS4, PC, Switch)
• The Walker (out now for PSVR)
• Animal Force (out now for PSVR, PC VR)
• Anno Mutationem (out now on PS4/PS5, PC, Switch)
• In Nightmare (out now on PS4, will be on PC Nov 29)
• Immortal Legacy: The Jade Cipher (formerly "Kill X") (out now on PS4, PC, PSVR&PC VR)
• Lost Soul Aside
• Project Boundary
• Pervader
• Evotinction
• AI-Limit
• Convallaria
• RAN: Lost Islands

 

[kiphalfton]

China - Good graphics bad gameplay
Japan - Bad graphics good gameplay

 

[SSfox]

China - Good graphics bad gameplay
Japan - Bad graphics good gameplay

Genshin Impact has great gameplay.

And Wukong from the trailers sounds a lot of fun to play too.

 

[oji-san]

Looks good, perhaps a bit too much effects on weapons but i'm interested to see more.

 

[Ghost of Caelid]

Ffs, Sony. You dropped Japan investments and terminated Japan Studios to end up in fucking China? Man.

I understand how gigantic that market is and how Sony wants to double PlayStation sales. But what a bitter pill to swallow.

I don't see investing in Chinese studios as a negative. If creatives globally require finance why should they not recive investment. It's smaller studios not tencent...that would be a bigger issue imo. They have some great looking projects coming out of there.

 

[Woopah]

Excellent move by Sony. Would like to see Nintendo do something similar

 

[Rhazer Fusion]

I really do like the investment into more Asian markets because I always loved their games, art and gameplay. I just wish Sony from a first party perspective would get more serious about creating more Japanese/Asian first party offerings developed from in house. With their huge budgets and production values, I think they could make some unique and great games. This could be a start though.

 

[Edgelord79]

Go corporate team!! Invest in China!

Christ reading this thread is like reading a Phil Spencer thread.

 

[CamHostage]

Go corporate team!! Invest in China!

Christ reading this thread is like reading a Phil Spencer thread.

Do you not like videogames? Because there are almost a billion-and-a-half people in China, and not all of them spend every waking moment trying to think of how to topple the American Capitalist's Regime. (Some of them probably spend an afternoon watching Winnie the Pooh cartoons downloaded off the internet, for instance...) It's a massive territory and population, and a percentage of those people are creative and interested in gaming. (Plus, with a few decades of game companies farming work out to low-cost territories, there's a lot of skilled labor in China to make these videogames.) Like it or not, videogames by Chinese developers will increasingly be a part of the gaming library of all game platforms.

Sure, you take a risk in where your dollars go when dealing with a product from a Communist country with an aggressively self-interested central government and a history of committing questionable/disreputable actions of espionage and oversight. (It's a big dark world out there...) Take a hardline stance if you feel you must. You are free to make your choices for your own reasons. I personally have faith that creative types who make enjoyable products are not pouring their hearts into a project solely as a trojan horse for a hidden agenda of global domination, so I just have to let the geopolitical circumstances be what they are and let the world work its problems out. I can't help it, I like videogames.

 

[Edgelord79]

("Edgelord69" was taken, I assume?)

Do you not like videogames? Because there are almost a billion-and-a-half people in China, and not all of them spend every waking moment trying to think of how to topple the American Capitalist's Regime. (Some of them probably spend an afternoon watching Winnie the Pooh cartoons downloaded off the internet, for instance...) It's a massive territory and population, and a percentage of those people are creative and interested in gaming. (Plus, with a few decades of game companies farming work out to low-cost territories, there's a lot of skilled labor in China to make these videogames.) Like it or not, videogames by Chinese developers will increasingly be a part of the gaming library of all game platforms.

Sure, you take a risk in where your dollars go when dealing with a product from a Communist country with an aggressively self-interested central government and a history of committing questionable/disreputable actions of espionage and oversight. (It's a big dark world out there...) Take a hardline stance if you feel you must. As a gamer, I have faith that creative types who make enjoyable products are not pouring their hearts into a project solely as a trojan horse for a hidden agenda of global domination, so I just have to let the geopolitical circumstances be what they are and let the world work its problems out. I can't help it, I like videogames.

Yes I like playing them.

 

[Kusarigama]

Has any game even released from this china hero project so far?

 

[vivftp]

Has any game even released from this china hero project so far?

Yes. Scroll up.

 

[CosmicComet]

Lost Soul Aside looks cooler than ever.

Will Sony own the IP since they are publishing or will they allow Ultizero to keep it?

If the death of Japan Studio means the rise of Chinese and Korean based Sony owned studios, I'm ok with that. We get the same East Asian flavor of games with better creative direction than Japan Studio had-- seriously Knack and Gravity Rush level games were never going to cut it for long.

 

[3liteDragon]

Will Sony own the IP since they are publishing or will they allow Ultizero to keep it?

Well it’s not really them “allowing” the devs to keep it if the devs already trademarked it. We would’ve seen a PlayStation Studios logo in the beginning I think if they owned the IP.

 

[lh032]

maybe in the same time Sony is looking for a studio in China for acquisition

 

[remember_spinal]

Lost Soul Aside looks cooler than ever.

Will Sony own the IP since they are publishing or will they allow Ultizero to keep it?

If the death of Japan Studio means the rise of Chinese and Korean based Sony owned studios, I'm ok with that. We get the same East Asian flavor of games with better creative direction than Japan Studio had-- seriously Knack and Gravity Rush level games were never going to cut it for long.

Its hard to say. They could own the IP like Death Stranding or they could simply own the publishing rights like Nioh. At this point only Sony knows. The Copyright makes it seem like SHIFTUP own the trademark though

 

[CosmicComet]

Well it’s not really them “allowing” the devs to keep it if the devs already trademarked it. We would’ve seen a PlayStation Studios logo in the beginning I think if they owned the IP.

If Sony is publishing then they could ask for terms that the IP belongs to them in exchange for funding.

Don't really know how the terms ended up there.

If we see a copyright line of Lost Souls Aside with Sony's name next to it that could answer it but I don't see that either way.

 

[SSfox]

Its hard to say. They could own the IP like Death Stranding or they could simply own the publishing rights like Nioh. At this point only Sony knows. The Copyright makes it seem like SHIFTUP own the trademark though

The True next Gen Bayonetta game we deserved!!! Can't wait!!

 

[remember_spinal]

The True next Gen Bayonetta game we deserved!!! Can't wait!!

Will make for some good hentai gifs either way

 

[Techno_Inked]

They should grab Black Myth WuKong, that one seems interesting.

Even though I think that would be great for both parties as well for us gamers, Game Science simply doesn't need the funding. They've already got massive funding behind them. Sony might be able to grab Project: The Perceiver and Where Winds Meet though.

 

[remember_spinal]

Even though I think that would be great for both parties as well for us gamers, Game Science simply doesn't need the funding. They've already got massive funding behind them. Sony might be able to grab Project: The Perceiver and Where Winds Meet though.

Yep, Tencent beat them to the punch

 

[yurinka]

Ffs, Sony. You dropped Japan investments and terminated Japan Studios to end up in fucking China? Man.

If the death of Japan Studio

Bullshit, Sony didn't drop Japan investments and didn't terminate Japan Studio. They just released Gran Turismo 7, restructured Japan Studio downsizing it, changing its management and splitting it into Team Asobi (merging their internal dev teams there) and a new office for what it was its 2nd party publishing side, which got expanded to now also publish games from the rest of Asia.

This new 2nd party publishing XDEV Japanese office, as they did before in EU and USA, got branched off into their own office to now report to the global XDEV team instead of to a local gamedev studio. After the restructuring they published Death Stranding Director's Cut (Japanese) and will publish Rise of the Ronin (Japanese), Stellar Blade or the two announced today.

Team Asobi will obviously continue making games and has devs from most well known Japan Studio internally developed games of the last decades.

Sony also invested on many Japanese 3rd party exclusives recently like multiple Final Fantasy games and Forspoken from SE or RE4 Remake, RE Village VR, Street Fighter 6 from Capcom, Guilty Gear Strive from ARC System Works or Silent Hill 2 remake from Konami to name a few of them.