Shuhei Yoshida Admits Resistance to Sony's Live Service Shift

Former PlayStation executive Shuhei Yoshida has opened up about the challenges surrounding Sony's strategy to invest heavily in live service games. While acknowledging Helldivers 2's impressive success as the fastest-selling PlayStation Studios title, he expressed concerns about the broader strategy that led to the failure of other live service projects like Concord. Yoshida suggested that the corporation should have maintained a balance between funding live service games and traditional single-player experiences. The recent financial calls have indicated that Sony is learning from its successes and failures, with implications for future game development.

Sony is currently focused on improving its approach to live service games, especially after the contrasting fates of Helldivers 2 and Concord. The company has recognized the importance of early user testing and internal evaluations to avoid past mistakes, as well as the need to optimize release windows to prevent competition within its own game lineup.

Helldivers 2 is a cooperative twin-stick shooter that allows players to engage in intense battles against alien threats while emphasizing teamwork. It has garnered significant praise for its engaging gameplay mechanics and has set a new standard for live service titles within the PlayStation portfolio. In contrast, Concord, another live service title developed by Firewalk Studios, faced severe criticism and was shut down shortly after its launch due to poor player reception and engagement. This incident highlights the risks inherent in developing live service games and the pressure on studios to deliver successful titles consistently.