By Sagar V. Mankar Sony stunned gamers this week by confirming it has no plans to release any major new games in its biggest PlayStation franchises until at least March 2025.
In its latest financial presentation, Sony said
“we do not plan to release any new major existing franchise titles next fiscal year like God of War Ragnarök and Marvelʼs Spider-Man.”
This confirms suspicions that the PS5 lineup looks sparse after the release of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.
Why the Gap in PlayStation Exclusives?
PlayStation’s first-party studios make its most popular games, like God of War, The Last of Us, and Horizon Forbidden West.
Yet Sony is facing a long gap between major releases from these internal teams.
There are several possible reasons for this drought:
- Bad luck and poor scheduling coordination between studios
- Production slowdowns caused by COVID-19 disruption
- Issues with studio leadership and business management
Sony’s President, COO, and CFO Hiroki Totoki hinted at the last point in a recent investor call.
He said PlayStation’s creative staff are highly motivated, but “when it comes to the business, I think there is room for improvement.“
What’s in Store for 2024 and 2025?
With no big internal games planned, Sony is relying on third-party exclusives in 2024 and 2025.
Major upcoming releases include:
- Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (Square Enix, Feb 2024)
- Silent Hill 2 remake (Konami, 2024)
- Stellar Blade (April 2024)
- Rise of the Ronin (Team Ninja, 2024)
- Death Stranding 2: On the Beach – 2025
- Sonic X Shadow Generations – 2024
- Until Dawn Remastered – 2024
- Dragon’s Dogma 2 – 22nd March 2024
These are promising lineups but they may not drive sales like Sony’s flagship franchises.
Naughty Dog, Insomniac, and other studios are still making PS5 exclusives, but releases are a long way off.
Insomniac’s Wolverine game apparently won’t arrive until 2026 based on leaks.
As per rumor, many Xbox exclusives like Starfield, Indiana Jones, Seas of Thieves, and HiFi Rush can also visit the PS5 in 2024.
What Does This Mean for PlayStation’s Business?
Lacking major system sellers will likely impact PS5 sales.
Sony already reduced its hardware forecast for this year from 25 million to 21 million units.
Totoki warned investors to expect “a gradual decline” in PS5 sales starting next fiscal year as the console enters the latter half of its lifecycle.
Interim CEO Hiroki Totoki said studios need more “accountability” in meeting business goals like release schedules.
This could hint at greater financial scrutiny or even layoffs ahead.
This surprisingly cautious outlook from Sony’s new leadership contrasts with the typical bullishness of outgoing PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan.
When Can We Expect New Big Games?
While the next couple of years looks thin on tentpole releases, the future is bright for PlayStation fans.
Major new games in franchises like God of War, Spider-Man, The Last of Us, and more are in development.
But we’ll have to wait until at least Sony’s 2025 fiscal year starts next April to play them.
The PS5 game drought won’t last forever.
But Sony needs to get its first-party studios back on track delivering must-have exclusives that sell systems.