Sony came into 2015 swinging with its 1st party releases of The Order: 1886 and Bloodborne.
While The Order: 1886 left much to be desired, the reception of Bloodborne has been quite favorable and Sony has picked up quite a bit of momentum from its success. Now it seems that momentum is slowing down since we know that PS4 owners won’t be getting Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End in 2015. In addition, Insomniac’s Rachet and Clank title was delayed to 2016, as well.
PlayStation president Andrew House even admitted to the lack of 1st party support when he recently spoke at the annual Investor’s Day Conference:
“We are working very hard to continue very strong support from third-party publishers and developers. Our first-party lineup is a little sparse this year so I think this places an even greater emphasis on getting good third-party support.”
If you’re a PS4 owner, and you’re worried – don’t be. And there are 2 reason not to be.
PS4 Will Still Have 1st Party Exclusives
Although it’s not a lengthy list of exclusives, Sony has two fantastic games confirmed to release this year and two more that might be. Tearaway Unfolded, a remastered version of the PS Vita’s Tearaway – which many boast to be one of the best Vita titles to date – will come to the PS4 this summer.
Also set to release this summer is the remastered God of War 3. Sure, these are both remastered titles, but given the lack of popularity for the PS Vita, it’s safe to assume that there’s still quite a bit of folks who haven’t played Tearaway. Furthermore, it’s easy to forget that not every PS4 owner had a PS3. It wouldn’t be a stretch to see a strong reception for God of War 3 on the PS4.
And since we’re on the topic of remasters, those rumors of a remastered Uncharted Trilogy coming out this Fall have never been stronger. Sony hasn’t confirmed it, but in a few weeks at E3, we wouldn’t be surprised if it gets announced.
To round out the exclusive titles list is No Man’s Sky, from indie developer Hello Games. Out of all of these titles, this is the one that could still get pushed back. While Sony is assisting Hello Games with the development of this game, it’s important to remember that Hello Games is a smaller developer and as a studio, it hasn’t had a production of this scale before. If it comes out in 2015, then great. But until it’s confirmed, I wouldn’t stake your hopes on this being a 2015 title.
Sony Has Great Relationships With 3rd Party Devs
Remember when Destiny was months away from release? Every Destiny commercial mentioned the PS4, and nearly every PS4 ad highlighted Destiny. This is because Sony was helping developer Bungie with the advertising and marketing costs of this expensive game. Also, Sony had Bungie’s input when designing the PS4.
Sony has always had a way with getting 3rd party devs to provide exclusive content and there’s no doubt this will come into play here. Although many consumers are not happy with 3rd party exclusives or timed DLC, it’s a reality that helps this industry survive. In fact, Rocksteady’s Arkham Knight already has exclusive content for the PS4 and even a limited edition PS4 with the Dark Knight’s silhouette gracing the next-gen console.
There’s no way to say that the 1st party exclusive lineup for the PS4 is great, but it is by no means bad. And given its head start, perhaps holding us over until Uncharted 4 is what Sony will have to do. At least there will be a steady flow of games, and at least some high-quality 3rd party titles will be available. Could it be better? Sure. But let’s not act like Sony is dead in the water. Greatness still awaits.
What has you excited or lamenting the PS4’s 1st-party lineup for 2015? Let us know why in the comments below!