- Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Hermen Hulst was recently interviewed by Japanese magazine Famitsu
- He said the company will “continuously explore opportunities” to bring back former franchises.
- He also shared his opinion on the current state of PlayStation.
Could classic PlayStation franchises like killing zone and serious fever Make a triumphant return? A recent interview with Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Hermen Hulst suggests that could be on the cards.
Speaking with Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu (in a machine-translated interview), Hulst shared his thoughts on PlayStation’s current trajectory. Following the recent success of the adorable platform game Astrobotwhich features countless references to all sorts of PlayStation properties, the interviewer asked about the company’s stance on bringing back dormant franchises.
“Our extensive intellectual property portfolio is an important asset for PlayStation,” Hulst responded. “As part of our efforts to strengthen our portfolio, we continually explore opportunities to leverage our legacy intellectual property and develop new franchises.” It’s not the juiciest answer, but it definitely doesn’t rule out the possibility.
Hulst also commented on some of the less successful PlayStation releases this year. Regarding the failed FPS of the live service Concordwhich was shut down just two weeks after its launch, reaffirmed that the brand will continue to develop more online titles in addition to its usual single-player output.
“Going forward, we will continue to focus on developing live service titles alongside the story-driven single-player titles our players want,” he said. He then pointed to the successful cooperative shooter. helldivers 2 as an example of a product that was successful thanks to the “continuous provision of content” and therefore demonstrated “the potential of live service titles.”
Hulst is later asked which upcoming PS5 games he’s most looking forward to. “I have high expectations for all the projects currently in development, so it’s very difficult to choose just one game or studio,” he responded. “But the announcement of Yotei Ghost from Sucker Punch Productions, a studio that has produced many masterpieces, was special.”
