A couple of weeks ago, Sony announced the release date and pricing of the PlayStation VR (PS VR) and just about every PlayStation player went nuts, sold as many organs as they can live without and pre-ordered one of the nifty headsets. We’re currently writing this article on a dialysis machine with wooden pegs for fingers.
Sony has promised a slew of games for the peripheral at launch, as well as many more to follow post-launch. One developer that’s been playing with it is a first-party studio, Sony San Diego. The studio is known for producing some classic content and being a place where smaller studios can take their ideas and get some input from the experienced folks over there. History lesson over.
The studio head of Sony San Diego has recently taken part in an ‘Ask me Anything’ over on Reddit. During the AMA, the studio head Christian Phillips touched upon PlayStation VR, PlayStation Vita and more.
Phillips was asked how the studio is working with PS VR and if it has any stuff in the works:
“Absolutely we are looking at the tech here in the studio, we don’t have anything to announce, but we have been intimately involved throughout every stage of the development cycle. So stay tuned.”
Perhaps we won’t see something made exclusively by the studio, but it’s entirely possible we’ll see a smaller external team work in tandem with Sony San Diego. Time will tell.
Phillips was also asked about the studio’s support (or lack of) for the PS Vita.
“Sony San Diego doesn’t have any active Vita specific skews, we also still believe in the strength of vita. We are primarily relying on remote play as one of the ways to support that platform. We continue to look at it on an annual basis and weigh the options. The studio has supports [sic] the platform previously with MNR Vita.”
So, does it mean we could see first-party games for the PS Vita in future? Maybe, but it’s still very unlikely. The PS Vita isn’t a priority for Sony and it hasn’t been since the success of the PS4. Factor in the efforts that platform holder will now be placing on PS VR and you can almost certainly assume that ‘PS Vita’ is a banned word in Sony HQ. It’s a shame, but it’s the hard truth.
Sony San Diego has its fingers in many different pies and a few of them happen to be of the free-to-play variety. When asked what the studio’s plans are going forward with free-to-play and Games as a Service, Phillips stated his and the studio’s commitment.
“Sony San Diego has always been a leader into new areas for the product development business. Free to Play is an example of us doing that, we intend to not only explore the space but mature the space.”
He continues with:
“I believe that there is a real business future in free to play/Games As A Service business.”
Say what you want about free-to-play games, but it looks like they’re here to stay.
Lastly, Phillips was pestered a fair bit about bringing Drawn to Death’s testing to the UK and Europe. At the moment it’s only available in North America, but there are plans for non-colonials.
“We are working on it, but we don’t have an exact date yet as there are lots of moving parts. We want it available Europe wide, so that means navigating all the political waters.”
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