PS5 and PS5 digital consoles
If you’ve been wondering where all the PS5 exclusives are, hoping for more releases later in 2024, then be prepared for a long wait. Sony’s first-party output seems to be painfully slow this year, with no exclusive from PlayStation Studios announced for release, and that will remain the case at least until April 2025.
In a recent financial earnings call, as reported by Gematsu, Sony Group President Hiroki Totoki dispelled rumours and concerns of any major franchise instalments from PlayStation Studios releasing this year.
“Regarding first-party software, we aim to continue to focus on producing high-quality works and developing live service games,” he said. “But while major projects are currently under development, we do not plan to release any new major existing franchise titles next fiscal year like God of War Ragnarok and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.”
Totoki’s comments indicate no surprise reveal of long-awaited franchise instalments like Ghost of Tsushima 2. This shines a new light on Sony’s silence on first-party sequel announcements. Of course, we’re still getting new first-party IP, with Concord and Fairgame$ slated for release this year. The statement does not allude to any remakes or remasters, so Bloodborne fans can still hope for a surprise announcement of a remake.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 just sold over 10 million copies as a PS5 exclusive.
While it may be disappointing, it’s not a complete surprise given what PlayStation Studios is working on. Santa Monica studio just shipped the God of War: Ragnarok DLC, it’s too soon for a Horizon 3, and The Last of Us Online game was just cancelled. We also can’t rule out PC ports of existing games like Ghost of Tsushima and The Last of Us Part 2.
Despite the lack of first-party sequels for the year, the PS5 continues to dominate sales charts, entering the “latter half” of its life cycle. To that end, existing first-party exclusives like Spider-Man 2 are doing well, crossing over 10 million units in sales as revealed during the earnings call. Helldivers 2, a third-party console exclusive, just crossed over 100,000 concurrent players on PC, with another 200,000 on PS5, making it a runaway success.
It looks like Sony will be heavily relying on third-party games to carry PS5 sales. “We expect third-party software sales to continue to expand gradually due to the expansion of the PlayStation 5 install base and the high level of user engagement,” said Totoki.
Related: Everything Announced In The January 2024 PlayStation State of Play
So what can PS5 gamers look forward to if there won’t be a new Horizon or Bloodborne game (a man can dream) this year? In addition to new IP from first-party studios, the PS5 will get Rise of the Ronin, Stellar Blade, and Baby Steps as console exclusives. Of course, there’s still a slim chance of studios like Bend announcing its new game this year, but Days Gone players will be disappointed to learn that it won’t be a sequel.
