Okay, let’s get into this. So, Sony’s CFO, Lin Tao, kind of gave this not-so-rosy picture of their live-service gaming thingy. Seems like it’s not all sunshine and rainbows for PlayStation. You know, they had that whole mess with Concord, and Bungie couldn’t get Marathon off the ground without tripping over its shoelaces. Tao, with what I’d call a masterclass in understatement, said it’s “not entirely going smoothly.” Yeah, no kidding.
But hey, she’s got a point defending their attempts, right? Sure, there’s been hundreds of millions going poof, but they’ve had their wins. Like, remember five years ago? Live-service games were pretty much zilch at PlayStation. Now, they’ve got stuff like Helldivers 2, MLB The Show, Gran Turismo 7, and Destiny 2. That’s not nothing, right?
Speaking of Helldivers 2, it’s apparently flying off the shelves, with 12 million copies sold—maybe 15 if we’re being optimistic. That’s huge. But yeah, Destiny 2’s been around since 2017, and MLB The Show’s annual updates don’t exactly scream “live-service” do they? Gran Turismo 7, though, that’s ticking along with its updates. So, I guess it’s a mixed bag.
Rumors are Concord blew through $200 to $400 million and barely made a blip financially. Ouch. But Tao sees it as carving out a new revenue channel. Q1 saw live-service making up like 40% of it, even if the whole year’s looking at 20 to 30%. It’s not all smooth, she says, but change is there over five years. Gotta give her that.
They’re not blind to the chaos, thankfully. Tao admits they’ve got lots to fix—learning from slip-ups, avoiding waste, being smarter with new stuff. Marathon’s alpha earlier this year was a disaster, so now it’s on hold, probably indefinitely. They’ve axed a few projects too, casting shadows on whether live-service is the way to go.
Yet, Sony’s still optimistic about the future. Plenty of cash to burn, it seems. Just wish they could sort it without people getting the boot, you know?
