Sony didn't "purposefully decide" to release so many indie exclusives on PS4, it just happened naturally says Yoshida
Sony World Wide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida has said the company didn't "purposefully decided" to release so many indie exclusives on PS4, it just happened naturally now that the "indie games ecosystem has taken off."
Speaking with CVG at gamescom, Yoshida said Sony "decided some time ago" to support indie developers, and with the future of games heading more towards digital, it makes it easier for smaller developers to reach a wider audience.
"They want to focus on making great games, and that's really healthy," he said. "It's very natural for us [the traditional industry] to be very conservative with the games we make, especially at larger studios. So we need these small guys to come up with something unique.
"Usually just looking at the big titles, maybe we are just chasing the same people. Which is why the smaller developers are so important and will bring new ideas to the platform. I think we will see more great things come out in a few years that will again reach out to a broader market."
Smaller digital titles are something Sony is interested in creating itself as well, but at present its not "necessarily the focus."
"It's healthy for our developers to try something new. some people work on the same franchise for six years, so it's good that our teams can unleash their creative talent," said Yoshida. "So we don't limit what the internal guys do, so they can start some smaller projects, but they tend to make big things."
This applies to innovation as well, because the system architecture in PS4 "has to be good" before any talk of innovation in new ways to create and play games can be discussed.
"Internally we have a lot of work to do," Yoshida continued. "We are focused on getting everything done for launch before we have a chance to really take a look at what everyone's been saying. But I'm very excited by what people are saying.
"So, the hardware and software teams are heads-down day and night, and because they have been looking at the same thing for a long time, they can't really get a feel for how [PS4's] going to be perceived. So when they hear the responses from fans, it's a huge morale boost.
"The system has to be good before we can talk about innovation. We looked at all the options in terms of technology, and all the potential devices to include in PS4, and we feel we've made a very good choice. It's really up to developers how they use the technology, and it's what they make from this technology that will make people say - wow, that is really innovative.
PS4 is out November 15 in US and November 29 in Europe, and in terms of teams, Yoshida said the shift "is now on PS4, but we will continue to support PS3 in slightly different ways."