We all knew it was coming, but PlayStation’s efforts in the mobile space are finally starting to show.
The platform’s owner was building a mobile division, PS Studios, and it took a few years to really get off the ground, but with this week’s announcements, we’re finally starting to see the investment come to fruition.
Everything fits into the company’s strategy of expanding the IP beyond the PlayStation platform itself.
We have already made several films and TV shows based on our own IPs, such as Uncharted, The Last of Us and even Gran Turismo, which allowed these already beloved series to reach even more people.
PC ports are also a huge part of the plan, with many titles available on Steam and the Epic Games Store to expand its audience.
Importantly, all of this has to do with PlayStation and is likely a major contributor to the PS5 becoming Sony’s second-fastest-selling console in the US, behind the PS2.
Publishing games on mobile devices is another piece of the puzzle, and an critical one that Sony has yet to fully capitalize on.
That’s all about to change, however, as not one, but two major first-party mobile games have been announced – Ratchet & Clank: Rumble of the Guardians and Horizon Steel Frontiers.
The first is a multiplayer action game in which players compete in various modes, improving weapons and unlocking rewards.
The latter is an MMO where players gather to hunt machines in a fresh part of the Horizon world.
They both offer something a little different from the core series they’re derived from, but they make total sense and seem to be well-made.
The proof is in the acting, of course, but let’s hope they both find an audience.
Either way, the whole point is to bring these franchises to a wider audience, and mobile represents a huge, untapped opportunity for Sony to do just that.
Not only are smartphones in the pockets of billions of people around the world, dwarfing console sales, but the mobile platform is the largest driver of gaming revenue. This would be extremely short-sighted on Sony’s part NO explore mobile devices.
The company has tackled this space before with games like Ultimate Sackboy and WipEout Merge, but this fresh push seems much more confident.
It’s protected to assume that gamers are hoping to get a taste of Ratchet & Clank and Horizon and will seek out more games from these series, which will lead them to PS5 or PC, where Sony’s best games await.
