By Previous PlayStation leader Shuhei Yoshida has discussed how escalating game budgets are constraining the number of titles that are produced.
In a segment on the Kit & Krysta channel, the former executive who oversaw PlayStation’s first-party studios detailed how it “felt like going bold was safer” throughout the PS4 generation, a trend evident in the company’s output during that time. PlayStation notably produced fewer Patapons and Gravity Rushes, instead focusing on ‘blockbusters’ that simply appeared high-budget—such as God of War, Horizon, The Order, etc.
“It might seem paradoxical, but, you know, if we invested sufficient funds to develop the major game, the sense of success seemed heightened because everyone was eager for larger games [with] superior graphics and more lifelike characters, greater gameplay hours,” he remarked.
Yoshida subsequently noted how AAA expenditures, occasionally surpassing $200 million, led publishers to approve a reduced number of games. This is partly because selling one million copies constituted a great success back in the PS1 era, Yoshida noted, but by the time the PS5 era emerged, selling 10 million copies was regarded as “common” for most AAA titles.
“I came across some analysis or estimate of the same franchise launched during the PS4 and PS5 eras, with the budget doubling, and that has reached… a point where recouping this investment seems unattainable. Thus, this generation, the PS5 generation, I believe marks the first occasion the industry genuinely recognizes that there has to be change.”