PlayStation has a dedicated team that discovers exciting new video games that might otherwise fly under the radar. This group, known as the “Content Ventures team,” helps bring unique games to PlayStation consoles.
Phil Rosenberg, who’s been with Sony PlayStation for 20 years as the SVP of Global Partner Development and Relations, recently shared details about this team in an interview at Sony Interactive blog. Though Rosenberg plans to leave Sony at the end of 2025, he had high praise for his colleagues who hunt for these “hidden gems.”
“We have the Content Ventures team led by Christian Svensson. There’s nobody better in the world than Christian and Shawne Benson at finding hidden gems and nurturing up-and-coming companies that are probably off the radar for most of us,” Rosenberg stated.
You can see the team’s success in some of the popular games they’ve helped bring to PlayStation. Rosenberg mentioned they worked with Annapurna Games on “Stray,” the hit game where you play as a cat in a cyberpunk world. They’ve also backed other successful titles like “Genshin Impact,” “Black Myth: Wukong,” and “Stellar Blade.”
This strategy has worked well for PlayStation. “Stellar Blade,” for instance, sold over a million copies in just two months and grabbed nominations at big events like The Game Awards. While Black Myth: Wukong has seen greater success on PC, reports indicate it sold around 5 million units on PS5 as well.
Sony’s approach makes perfect sense. While they have awesome first-party titles like “Ghost of Tsushima” and “God of War Ragnarok,” these big-budget games take longer and longer to develop. By teaming up with other developers, PlayStation ensures players always have fresh games to dive into.
The Content Ventures team looks globally for new talent. They’ve expanded with projects like the China Hero Project, which helped develop “Lost Soul Aside,” coming to PS5 and PC on May 30. Sony has kicked off similar initiatives for the Middle East, North Africa, and India too.
Rosenberg admits he didn’t always get the importance of these partnerships at first. “I didn’t appreciate the value of the IP when I started. For me, my job was more of a ‘lets-make-a-deal’ approach,” he shared. But his work on PlayStation 4 changed his view, helping him see how vital it is to support creators and bring diverse games to different players.
As he gets ready to wrap up his long career at Sony, Rosenberg remains confident about PlayStation’s future. “I think we have the smartest, brightest and most passionate people in the world working at SIE,” he said, adding that he believes PlayStation will thrive for decades to come. “This is not a ’30 years and out’ story. This is a ’60 years and who the heck knows from there’ story.”
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