TGO Daily | Thursday July 1, 2021 | Indie Devs Criticize Sony
Indie devs bring to light archaic systems and issues with Sony, Control is expanding its universe with two upcoming titles & rumors that Team Bloober is working on a Silent Hill game.
TGO Daily | Thursday July 1, 2021
✏️From the Author
There was a lot to read going on in these Twitter threads in regards to the headline story. I would recommend you read what some of these indie devs are saying. I can’t imagine the frustrations with not only having such confusing interaction with Sony, but also it not being a widely talked about subject.
Now that it’s being talked about, perhaps we’ll hear from Sony soon and processes can begin to make a more welcoming and easier-to-navigate environment for indie devs to create a comfortable living situation on the PlayStation.
Until next time,
Brandon
Indie Developers Call Out Sony’s Archaic Practices
A Twitter thread was started on Wednesday by Neon Doctrine (Simulacra, Yuppie Psycho) co-founder Iain Garner regarding the practices of publishing games on PlayStation (referred to as “Platform X” in the thread for code) from the view of an indie developer. Garner criticized several different practices by Sony, with other indie devs throwing in their shared experiences.
Focally, it seems the biggest frustration these devs deal with is archaic systems and confusing practices. Many of the devs complained about being unable to get feedback or information from Sony after they’ve submitted an IP for evaluation. They continued that the same lack of clarity extends to their dealings with their assigned Account Manager and inability to control discounts for their games on the platform.
Why should you care about this? Well, because indie developers are an absolute necessity in the industry. Ori and the Blind Forest, Stardew Valley, and Hollow Knight are all from indie developers. These games, and so many others, are staples in gaming culture and wouldn’t exist without indie devs. With a lot of them having an uphill battle on the backend in dealing with PlayStation or even just trying to discount their game on it means that they’re not thriving there. With this being a relatively unknown problem until now, it makes you wonder how many devs tried to get their start with Sony and could never take off because of the struggle? Matthew White, CEO of Whitethorn Games (Beasts of Maravilla Island, Newt One), released a pie graph that, while written in a silly manner, does back up what he says that, “Less that 3% of sales as a company are on [PlayStation]”.
Here’s the thing to takeaway from all this: No one is bashing Sony here and saying they hate them. On the contrary, a lot of the devs said they love the platform. However, it is being made clear by these devs that it’s the hardest platform to perform well on - with many saying they perform better on places like itch.io than on PlayStation.
Brandon’s Thoughts: With Nintendo being a long-time bastion for indie devs and Xbox pushing more and more to lift them up, it’s clear it’s time for Sony to take up the call and update their systems, clarify their policies, and nurture a better home for the small-time developers who put everything they have into the many projects we’ve all fallen in love with time and time again.
Control is Expanding its Universe into a Spin-off Multiplayer Title
A spin-off of Control is currently in the works as a multiplayer experience. Remedy Entertainment is teaming up with 505 Games to co-publish the spin-off.
Remedy has made a name for themselves in the single-player genre with games like Control, Alan Wake, Quantum Break, and Max Payne. They’re definitely moving into more uncharted territories with a multiplayer title, and they acknowledged as much, with Mikael Kasurinen, Game Director of the Control, saying:
“We get that there is going to be skepticism about multiplayer. But I believe we can create shared experiences without compromising the unique DNA of who we are, or the stories we want to tell. Yes, we need to re-think our angles, our techniques, our mindset, but we see it as an exciting challenge: What would a Remedy multiplayer game look like?”
Kasurinen also said they have another title in the works that will be set in the Control universe. Whether this will be a direct sequel or be another original story is unclear at this moment. Either way, it’s great to see Remedy expanding their skillset and fleshing out the unique and interesting world they created with Control. If you’re a fan of the game or the studio, you should definitely be getting pumped about what they have in the works.
Rumors that Bloober Team is Working on a Silent Hill Series Title
Bloober Team, a developer with a love of making horror games (Layers of Fear, The Medium, Blair Witch), has rumors circulating around it that Konami has contracted them to work on a new title in the Silent Hill series.
We haven’t seen a game in the series since Silent Hill: Downpour back in 2012. With this rumor sitting with some legitimacy to it, we could potentially see more than one title in the works for the series as rumors continue to swirl around Konami shopping with the IP.
The series is infamous in the horror genre, so the potential of multiple titles in the work for the series is great news for you horror fans out there. I celebrate and cheer for all your success while you play just don’t mind me, as I’ll be hiding under a blanket…
🕹 Free Games
The below titles are going free for the month of July on their respective platforms. Make sure to check them out and grab them while they’re at the low price of free!
Xbox Games with Gold
Planet Alpha - July 1-31
Conker: Live and Reloaded - July 1-15
Rock of Ages 3: Make and Break - July 16-August 15
Midway Arcade Origins - July 16-31
PlayStation Plus
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 - Available on July 6
WWE 2K Battlegrounds - Available on July 6
A Plague Tale: Innocence (PS5 version only) - Available on July 6
Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown - Now - August 3
STAR WARS: Squadrons - Now - July 6
Operation: Tango - Now - July 6
🔦 Article Spotlight
Inside Capcom’s localization of The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles
A great in-depth look on how the localization process takes place, from the view of Janet Hsu, Localization Director at Capcom. Hsu is the Director that brought the long-awaited The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles over with localization.
👀 Keep An Eye Out
Lost at Sea - Releasing July 15
The Legend of Zelda™: Skyward Sword HD - Releasing July 16
Pokémon UNITE - Some time in July
👋 Say Hello!
That’s a wrap on today’s news! If you’re enjoying the newsletter, give the signup link to a friend!
This newsletter is a companion/alternative to a mini-podcast produced by Adrian (a ridiculously amazing human). You can find the podcast on:
- Amazon Alexa devices
- Multiple podcast hosts (that is also the archive of all episodes).
- Google Home - try, “Hey Google, play ‘The Gaming Observer’”!
You can reach Brandon (that’s me!) by simply replying to this email, joining the below Discord, or on my Twitter!
Want to interact with an amazing group of people who love gaming? Join us on the Discord community! It’s truly an awesome place.
Thanks for the read <3