PlayStation 5 will naturally be far more powerful than the current-generation PlayStation iteration. However, beefy specifications hardly matter if developers are facing difficulties and challenges when trying to utilize the console to its maximum potential. In such regard, Sony hasn’t forgotten that one of the best things about PlayStation 4 was how developer-friendly it was.
Speaking with the Japanese Dengeki PlayStation magazine (via DualShockers) in a recent interview, Shuhei Yoshida, former president of Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios, noted that PlayStation 3 was the hardest console for developers to work with. Hence, Sony made amends with PlayStation 4 by removing several obstacles that developers had to previously hop over. The same line of thought carries over to PlayStation 5 as well, making Sony’s next-generation successor the “easiest console” ever to develop games for.
Yoshida backed his statement by revealing that many developers have reported to Sony how they have never worked on a console as developer-friendly as PlayStation 5. While Yoshida didn’t name the developers, the list likely includes all the prominent ones.
Many studios were sent PlayStation 5 dev kits last year. Counterplay Games, for example, has already announced Godfall as a PlayStation 5 exclusive game under the publishing banner of Gearbox Software. It’s one of the first games officially announced to be part of the launch lineup for PlayStation 5 during the holiday season of 2020. The game will also release for PC but as an Epic Games Store exclusive, at least at the start. Neither Counterplay Games nor Sony has commented on the exclusivity period. Suffice to say, Steam will eventually get Godfall either six months or a year later.
Yoshida stepped down as president of Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios a couple of months back. He was replaced by Hermen Hulst, managing director and co-founder of Guerrilla Games — the same studio that brought you Horizon: Zero Dawn. Yoshida will still remain with Sony for the coming years as head of a “newly formed initiative that will focus on nurturing external independent creators.”
PlayStation 5 is set to launch in the holiday season of 2020. Sony should be revealing the next-generation console very soon. The company has already been spotted to have trademarked several patents linked with the console. For example, a new multifunctional controller that can be connected to other devices such as a console, smart television set, or smartphone with either an internet connection or bluetooth. A built-in touchscreen would allow the user to access features like listening to music, checking emails, sending messages, downloading and playing games, viewing images, and other social activities.
