- Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Hermen Hulst was recently interviewed by the Japanese magazine Famitsu
- He stated that the company will “continually explore opportunities” to bring back old franchises
- He also shared his thoughts on the current state of PlayStation
May like classic PlayStation franchises Killzone And Gravity rush make a triumphant return? A recent interview with Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Hermen Hulst suggests this could be on the agenda.
Speaking with a Japanese video game Famitsu magazine (in an interview we auto-translated) Hulst shared his thoughts on PlayStation’s current trajectory. After the recent success of the cute platformer Astrobotwhich contains numerous references to a variety of PlayStation properties, the interviewer asked about the company’s position on bringing back dormant franchises.
“Our extensive IP portfolio is an important asset for PlayStation,” Hulst replied. “As part of our efforts to strengthen our portfolio, we are continually exploring opportunities to leverage our existing intellectual property and develop new franchises.” It’s not the juiciest answer, but it certainly doesn’t rule out the possibility.
Hulst also commented on some of the less successful PlayStation releases this year. As for the failed live service FPS Treatywhich was shut down just two weeks after launch, he reaffirmed that the brand will still be developing more online titles in addition to its usual single-player output.
“Going forward, we will continue to focus on developing live service titles, along with the story-driven single-player titles our players want,” he said. He then pointed to the successful co-op shooter Hell divers 2 as an example of a product that was successful due to “continuous content provision” and therefore demonstrated “the potential of live service titles”.
Hulst is later asked which upcoming PS5 games he is 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 replied. “But the announcement of Spirit of Yotei from Sucker Punch Productions, a studio that has already produced many masterpieces, was special.”