There's no denying that the PlayStation 4 has been a consistent sales success for Sony, with the home console most recently surpassing 91 million in unit sales. Much of its popularity among fans can likely be attributed to its robust selection of single-player exclusive titles like God of War, Spider-Man, and Bloodborne, however, a recent conversation with Sony's Shawn Layden suggests there may be a stronger focus on multiplayer exclusives for PlayStation in the future.
Speaking to Business Insider about the PS4's impressive array of narrative-driven single-player titles, Chairman of Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) Worldwide Studios Shawn Layden admitted that Sony's flagship home console doesn't boast nearly as prolific a selection of multiplayer exclusives. Mentioning some of today's most popular online multiplayer games, including GTA 5 Online, Call of Duty, and Fortnite, Layden then strongly suggested that as the PlayStation enters its "new term," fans can expect to start seeing more of these types of experiences on the home console.
When asked to clarify, the Sony executive said he specifically meant online multiplayer, while also taking the time to briefly address the possibility of more local multiplayer, or "couch co-op," games as well. "Couch co-op - I mean that's a whole category I think the industry needs to look back at," Layden said.
It should be noted that in discussing the future of PlayStation and the plan to bring more exclusive multiplayer content to the platform, Layden never made explicitly clear what he was referring to when mentioning PlayStation's "new term." Despite plenty of speculation surrounding the PlayStation 5, the elusive successor to the PS4 was never specifically mentioned in the interview.
As Sony plans to remedy what it considers a weak spot with regards to PlayStation's selection of multiplayer exclusives, the gaming industry prepares to enter the next generation of video game home consoles. This time around, however, there may be another major contender joining the field currently dominated by Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft. Rumors are now heating up that Google may be set to announce its long-rumored video game console as early as next month.
Source: Business Insider