Sony Moving Away From First-Party Titles on Vita

[roseofbattle]

Sony Moving Away From First-Party Titles on Vita

Shuhei Yoshida, president of Sony's Worldwide Studios, affirmed Sony's focus on the Vita lies with indies and third-party games.

In the handheld gaming market, the Vita has underperformed next to Nintendo's 3DS, and now Sony's Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida has said the company will be making fewer first-party games for the portable platform.

When the PSP launched, Sony's conversation turned to the PS2-quality graphics on the handheld. Similarly, when the Vita launched with Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Sony talked about the "PS3-like quality in your palm," Yoshida said in an interview with Polygon. Graphics are no longer a talking point for the Vita because of the PS4.

"As time moved on, you are seeing PS4 quality and people's expectations for the graphic fidelity has gone up," Yoshida said.

The Vita supports remote play, which allows users to play PS4 games on their Vita. Sony pushed the Vita as the PS4 launched for this feature, but much of the focus is now on independent games.

"It's very fortunate the indie boom happened and they are providing lots of great content to Vita," Yoshida said. "Gameplay, game mechanic-wise, people want to spent 10 minutes, 15 minutes getting in and out. On Vita, it's great with suspended functionality, so these indie games [are] really great for that from a game design standpoint."

Sony's strategy for the Vita is entirely different from Nintendo's, which releases many first-party games for its 3DS. However, Yoshida's right about players wanting different things from the PS4 compared to the Vita.

Source: Polygon [http://www.polygon.com/2014/6/18/5820824/indies-third-party-games-are-vitas-focus-moving-forward]


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[Baresark]

That's a massive disappointment. And it's so incredibly stupid. If Sony isn't going to produce software for their own platform, that is just one less developer that is producing for the platform, one less reason to buy one, and one less reason for third party publishers to care about the platform. I doubt very much that many people bought an expensive Vita for their precious remote play feature. I have a PS4, but I have never been inclined to use that feature because it seems pointless to me. Stupid Sony.

 

[dragongit]

Well... I never bought a Vita, so I have no investment in it. but I can say this could usher in the death of Vita. Which is an oxymoron. "Vita means life" No... no it doesn't Sony. Just stick to the PlayStation TV consoles.

 

[Hazy992]

Well, RIP Vita. If Sony doesn't even want to support it then what hope is there?

 

[AnthrSolidSnake]

Oh...well then...maybe modders will be able to give me something to do with it? Fuck knows that's what breathed so much life into my PSP for so long.

 

[Eve Charm]

Sadly not that someone couldn't see this happen already for just coming out with the new borderland slim model and then it being sold out completely after a very small shipment and not more coming.

All I have to say is good job sony, expensive memory and dragging your feet getting the psp compatible and psone classics crippled your system and one you spent more making new memory and two you didn't even have to spend much to get more content on the vita.

Remote play was a often never used on the Psp with the ps3 and I doubt with the ps4 and even vit I mean playstation tv is going to hit off either.

 

[Roxas1359]

Well, RIP Vita. If Sony doesn't even want to support it then what hope is there?

Pretty much this. Sony's been so stupid with the PS Vita, especially in the NTSC region. There are little to no licensed games, the PS1 classics is pathetic here, and then the fact that they are still using over-priced proprietary memory cards really hurt them.
If Sony gives up on their device then what's the point really, plus it would help if they actually advertised their damn first party titles, because their advertisements for the Vita are like what the Wii U's were: non-existent.

 

[omega 616]

Shit, I was SERIOUSLY considering buying that the week after next. Now? Very unlikely!

I think 90% of indies are total shit, most of them are 2D side scrollers with a gimmick. If not some artsy crap like journey, flow and flower. Then there is silly shit like octodad or as I consider it qwop with a larger budget.

I still have a PS4 and a 40 minute journey each way to work, with a lot of vita games from PS+ but I think indies are (for the most part) boring.

 

[Dragonbums]

Sony's strategy for the Vita is entirely different from Nintendo's, which releases many first-party games for its 3DS. However, Yoshida's right about players wanting different things from the PS4 compared to the Vita.

This doesn't scream different strategy to me. This just tells me that they got their ass handily whooped by a Nintendo handheld for a second time in a row to the point where they said they aren't going to invest making games for it anymore. Leave all the risk taking to indie and third party devs.

 

[DrunkOnEstus]

I can't imagine how Sony considered it an intelligent move to say that they aren't willing to support their own fucking machine. Just because Vita games can't rival PS4 graphics doesn't mean they aren't worth pursuing, people don't buy handhelds for tesselation and ambient occlusion on the go. He's happy to say that indies are propping up the system, and they aren't lookers graphically...this publicly made statement makes no damned sense.

EDIT: By the way Sony (I know you're definitely reading this and fervently follow what DoE says on the Internet), if you aren't going to support the system yourselves then just get rid of content manager and quit locking people out. If you won't support it, there's a ton of modders and normal people who could do amazing things if you'd let them. At least that way you could say "look, there's so many people supporting the Vita right now and providing content for it"!

 

[Irridium]

Dammit. The Vita really is great, and it COULD have a great life ahead of it. But no Sony has to pull a fucking Sony and release it then wander off and ignore it then come back and wonder why it isn't doing so well.

Don't worry Vita, Sony may not care about you, but *I* like you.

 

[Rozalia1]

I've lately been picking up a lot of third party exclusives so the Vita isn't completely dead to me...but this is not good news. So they aren't going to do a Gravity Rush 2? I mean considering the gimmicks of the game it'd kind of need to be on the Vita...though thinking on it the touch pad on the PS4 might suffice.

 

[Blitsie]

No, no fuck you Sony, fuck you. As someone who absolutely adores my Vita this news is just total bullshit, the Vita is actually doing pretty ok and the potential is there, RIGHT FREAKING THERE FOR THE TAKING and Yoshida is like "nope, lol, meh too lazy whatevs", how can such a joke of a person be running this show??

Apologies, I really, really want this thing to reach its potential and be successful.

 

[Sould1n]

You know, there's actually quite a few games that have been making me want to get a PS Vita. There is even more games currently on the Vita that I want than on the Xbox One or PS4... which makes sense considering how it's been out longer. That said, I don't feel too keen on getting a system knowing there is going to be less support for the system than before, particularly when it didn't seem like Sony's 1st or 2nd parties were supporting it too much as it was.

So this is sad to hear and while I shall eventually purchase a PS Vita in order to have handheld versions of PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, Dead or Alive 5 Plus, and Muramasa Rebirth (mostly for the last one, Muramasa: The Demon Blade is one of my top 10 favourite games of all time) as well as to try awesome looking exclusives such as Gravity Rush, Tearaway, Sumioni: Demon Arts, and Dokuro, I'm certainly in no hurry to now.

 

[ShirowShirow]

Can you say "Death Knell"?

There's really not much on the Vita I'm super excited for, so this doesn't affect me personally but I know the Vita has its fans. Yikes. When your creator doesn't have faith in you...

I guess Monster Hunter really was the only reason the PSP did well.

 

[Prepare Your Keyhole]

Nonononononono... no... no...NOOOOO D:

I really like my Vita, even though i haven't played alot of Vita games, it DID introduce me to the Persona Series, Visual novels, reliving my PsOne classics etc...

Fine don't make 'PS3' games for the Vita but still make games for it, what kind of message are you sending when you yourself don't think the Vita is good enough to produce games for?

And what when the 'Indie Boom' is over huh then what?

Don't let the Vita turn out like the (early?) WiiU

please?

 

[J Tyran]

I have a Vita and as far as I am concerned it makes next to no difference, there have been what? 2-3 First party games worth it, maybe four at the most. So far they have just been inferior releases of Sonys other first party franchises, indie games are what the Vita seems to be best at especially with the cross platform-cross buy ones that allow you to interchange your progress. Which you buy for a PSN account and then install it on your home console and Vita, being able to pick up your game from wherever you left off really makes that worth while.

So the indie games with cross buy are by far its strongest feature instead of "Uncharted: Drakes not quite so good as the PS3 could manage adventure".

 

[Ipsen]

So the Vita is in a somewhat reciprocal situation of the Wii U: Only gaining third party and indie support, while the Wii U only gets first party support. I don't see a better outcome for the Vita though (and barely for the Wii U).

Oh well, all I was actually buying on Vita WAS third party and indie titles. Beyond Gravity Rush and Tearaway, I have trouble recalling any first party titles that I care about on Vita.

Sony tends not to know what to do with handhelds like they do with consoles. You don't even need to match Sony handhelds to Nintendo handhelds to see the difference; as far as Vita/PSP games go, the 3rd party titles are MILES more memorable than the first party entries. First party titles need to lead the pack as far as recognition goes for a console. Otherwise, the console has no real distinction.

 

[The White Hunter]

Well I guess I'll be trading in mine before the value plummets then, since sony can't be arsed tp support it why the fuck should I.