Summary
- Sony CFO Hiroki Totoki believes that the company needs more original IP across its film, anime, and PlayStation businesses.
- Totoki reckons that the lack of original IP is an issue that can impede the growth of both Sony and PlayStation.
- Many PlayStation fans have taken issue with Totoki's remarks, especially after the recent release of Astro Bot, a first-party game that celebrates PlayStation's rich history.
A recent comment from Sony CFO Hiroki Totoki about the company not having enough original IP has gone down rather contentiously with several PlayStation fans online. Sony has nurtured and created countless franchises over the course of its near 80-year history, especially under its bread-winning PlayStation division, but it appears that they may not be enough for Totoki.
PlayStation has been a major player in the games industry since the mid-1990s, and its fans know full well the gold mine of IP the brand is sitting on. Fostering and developing fresh IP has always been a shared tenet among every PlayStation console generation. This holds true even for the current PS5 generation, as nearly half of PlayStation Studios' upcoming games will be new IP. PlayStation's continued faith and investment in original IPs is quite evident, then, but it seems the upper echelon of management at Sony has a differing opinion.
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In a recent interview with The Financial Times, Sony Group CFO Hiroki Totoki remarked that "whether it’s for games, films, or anime," the company doesn't have enough IP that it "fostered from the beginning." Totoki also mentioned that this supposed deficiency in the "early phase" of IP is a problem for Sony, which CEO Kenichiro Yoshida added to later in the interview by asserting that the company plans to get around this problem by prioritizing the creation of new IP going forward. Totoki did admit that Sony's popular existing franchises have done well to reach new audiences, likely thanks to PlayStation's PC publishing venture.
PlayStation Has Released a Lot of Popular Original IP in The Last Decade
- Astro Bot
- Bloodborne
- Days Gone
- Death Stranding
- Detroit: Become Human
- Ghost of Tsushima
- Helldivers
- Horizon
- Returnal
- The Last Guardian
- The Last of Us
- Until Dawn
However, the CFO believes that creating new IP from the ground up is necessary for both Sony and PlayStation to grow. These statements have understandably bewildered PlayStation fans online, even more so with the recently-released PS5 first-party exclusive Astro Bot featuring over 150 PlayStation character cameos. In all fairness, Totoki's and Yoshida's comments are also targeted at Sony's film and anime ventures, so their weightage may not be as high towards PlayStation as some presume.
Whether it’s for games, films, or anime, we don’t have that much IP that we fostered from the beginning. We’re lacking the early phase (of IP) and that’s an issue for us.
Regardless, the implication of PlayStation lacking original IP is certainly peculiar, and possibly alludes to the kind of expectations harbored by Sony's top brass. Not only is there a substantial amount of new IPs in development for PS5, but there are also a plethora of dormant PlayStation franchises that need to come back, as requested by thousands of fans.
Sony's PlayStation 5 is part of the ninth console generation and debuted with a launch lineup that included Demon's Souls and Astro's Playroom. The console comes with a Blu-ray disc, although a digital-only edition is also available for a cheaper price.
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