Now, with Ryan on his way out, there are a lot of questions to ask about the strategic future of PlayStation. Some insiders are worried about the company’s lack of coherent vision, with its seemingly misplaced bets on service games, niche VR headsets and a baffling machine called the PlayStation Portal that allows people to play PS5 games on the go — but only by streaming them from your home PS5 via WiFi.
A few years ago, service games were the hottest thing in the industry. But now, even the sensation Fortnite isn’t making as much money as it once did. This bet on multiplayer games may not pay off the way Ryan and his team had once hoped
Early last year, Ryan helmed Sony’s acquisition of Destiny-maker Bungie, one of the top service game developers in the world, in hopes of accelerating this pivot. But it took Bungie decades to develop the teams, technology and production pipelines that have made Destiny successful — and even so, they had some serious growing pains along the way. Even Bungie’s expertise has not yet been able to turn PlayStation Studios into a service-game factory.
Why PlayStation Fans Are Cheering CEO’s Departure
Jim Ryan oversaw the successful launch of the PlayStation 5. His four-year tenure was also marred by several flubs.
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