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[Topher]

I'm mostly fine with the current franchises except for God of War. I'm ready for SMS to move on from that. Horizon needs to finish its arc and then move on. I've enjoyed every game ND has made since Uncharted so more TLOU or a new franchise, I'm good either way. Definitely want more Ghost of Tsushima. Days Gone never clicked for me so I'm hoping Bend figures out something else.

 

[TheGodfather07]

Right now they're greenlighting the sequels to Ragnarok, TLOU, and Forbidden West. I'd say they've decided that PS5 should be the sequel to PS4. It's a great pity that the Sony trio doesn't want or can't offer something new. Beware that if they now start with another round of sequels, now that they come out, the generation ends.

We don't know what santa Monica or naughty dog are working on yet but these are some of their biggest ip. It would be foolish to not continue them. They have many other studios and even 3rd party studios that can create new ip. There's a rumoured showcase in may, so we'll have a better idea of what they have coming. During the back half of last gen, sony had a bunch of new ip. I'm expecting the same.

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

The problem is that Kena, Stray, Sifu and PSVR2 stuff is so niche that no one cares about them. At least not on message boards. I do agree that Returnal, GoT, Wolverine, and Death Stranding are proof that Sony isnt all in on sequels.

Another problem is that unlike past gens, when we only got sick of games after the third entry in the franchise, these games are so long that by the time we finish the second game, we are done with them. Horizon FW, GOW Ragnorak, TLOU2 started feeling samey just a few hours in. I enjoyed them but they didnt do much different to keep me interested despite their 5-7 year dev cycles. Final Fantasy games on the other hand feature new characters, new worlds, new combat systems, and thus can get away with having over a dozen sequels like Zelda.

Hell, I think Nintendo doing a straight sequel for Zelda is going to blow up in their face despite how beloved BOTW was. It will still review well like GOW, Horizon and TLOU2, but you will see a bigger backlash from gamers who are going to complain about it being too samey. Gone are the days of Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, Skyward Sword and BOTW feeling completely unique and different from their predecessors.

Uncharted 1-3 took just 4 years. GOW1-3 released in a span of 5 years. By the time Horizon 3 and TLOU3 come out, these series would be 12-15 years old. Its hard for anyone to care about a story that takes that long to end.

Yeah long dev time is a factor for sure

Horizon 3 shouldn’t take nearly as long, the tech has been worked out and they have done great systems in place for NPCs, etc

Hopefully it releases by 2026

I think the other problem is their second teams would typically work on new IP but it seems like that’s now GaaS. So we will need to see some of their GaaS stuff fail to get more new IP instead

 

[Banjo64]

Yeah, because its Nintendo who takes the piss for sequels with Mario Kart 50, Zelda 200 and Mario 128

I’m guilty of hyperbole myself but there’s a pretty clear distinction between 3D and 2D Zelda games and since the launch of Nintendo’s first 3D console, the N64, in 1996 there’s only been 6 3D Zelda games.

There’s been more Ratchet and Clank and God of War games. Uncharted has the same amount of entries as 3D Zelda if you include Lost Legacy and Golden Abyss as full games, which they are.

 

[gothmog]

I understand the sentiment here but wasn't Horizon a planned trilogy for a while? Maybe not the start but I think conceptually.

 

[AlexxKidd]

The reason for the post is that GG have today confirmed that Horizon 3 is their next project.

Why would you post this in bold as if you've hyperlinked it with some kind of source but you don't have any source. I'd love for this to be true, but where is the source?

EDIT:

Nevermind, I guess you're referring to this. I don't remember seeing a thread on it, great news as far as I'm concerned!

 

[Banjo64]

Why would you post this in bold as if you've hyperlinked it with some kind of source but you don't have any source. I'd love for this to be true, but where is the source?

My bad.

A message from Guerrilla studio management

Guerrilla is one of Europe's leading game companies and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe. We started in 2003, and have pushed the boundaries of technical and artistic excellence in our games ever since.

www.guerrilla-games.com

We have full confidence in our new leadership as they steer Guerrilla towards a bright future, expanding the world of Horizon with Aloy's next adventure and our exciting online project. Michiel van der Leeuw (Technical Director) will be focusing on the future technology and strategy for the Decima engine.

 

[Doom85]

The sequels are like 5 years apart though. That's a long time. Theres only so many new ip they can make because it's a big risk. They usually make a few every generation though, so I'm expecting a few announcements at the next showcase. Last gen we got

Horizon
Days gone
Ghost of tsushima
Dreams
Bloodborne
Death Stranding

Also didn’t realize these games on PS5 were sequels:

Astro’s Playroom
Calisto Protocol
Deathloop
Evil West
Forspoken
Ghostwire: Tokyo
Hogwarts Legacy
Kena: Bridge of Spirits
Marvel: Midnight Suns
Returnal
Stray
Tchia
Wanted: Dead

And before some wise guy tries to go, “oh, some of those ended up not exclusive”, or “those weren’t made by a Sony studio!” or “I discriminate against all indie games!”, well guess what:

If it’s a non-sequel on PS5, then it’s a non-sequel on PS5. Why does it matter if the Sony made games are a lot of sequels as long as new IPs in general are being made? And at the end of the day, execution is king, originality is queen at best. A new idea is nice and all, but many people also love returning to what they love.

For gods’ sake, when Resident Evil 4 Remake came out, I played through it fully seven times. And then I returned to my play through of Kingdom Hearts 2, a game I have already played fully in the past twice. If Naughty Dog gives us TLOU 3, cool, I had a blast with the first two and I have no immediate reason to doubt I’d enjoy a third helping. Same with God of War, Death Stranding, etc.

And really, OP claiming that Mario and Zelda warrant more sequels than Sony IPs is making an already subjective stance on sequels FAR more subjective.

 

[Topher]

My bad.

A message from Guerrilla studio management

Guerrilla is one of Europe's leading game companies and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe. We started in 2003, and have pushed the boundaries of technical and artistic excellence in our games ever since.

www.guerrilla-games.com

Did you play HFW, Banjo?

 

[itsjustJEFF]

I get why they do sequels, but that can't be all they have. I'm good with sequels as long as their is new IPs along side them to keep things fresh.

I'll be honest, right now, I'm not really up for a new TLOU, GOW, or Uncharted. But I'm kinda up for a new Ghosts of game, Spider-Man, and maybe even Horizon. I thought about it and I think it's because TLOU, GOW, or Uncharted have "perfected" their formulas. I think there is still a lot of growth potential for Ghosts, and maybe even Spider-Man, and Horizon.

That being said, I'd really love some new shit. New IPs are always exciting, scary, and surprising.

 

[SlimySnake]

I understand the sentiment here but wasn't Horizon a planned trilogy for a while? Maybe not the start but I think conceptually.

I think cory had the right idea about limiting trilogies to 2 games seeing as how games take so long to make nowadays.

However, its obvious that their plans for Horizon are far more ambitious than what the PS4 allowed them to do. It took them 12 years to finally do the horus fight. 11 years to get flying in. There is still no flying combat. If you see the concept art, you will see them take down tallnecks with NPCs on horses with ropes. We got very little of that in the game.

Maybe they want to finish the job now on the PS5, but like Cory said, its going to take too long if you do three games per series. they should taken an extra year or two to release this as a PS5 game.

 

[Banjo64]

Did you play HFW, Banjo?

Not yet, it’s currently one of the 3 games installed on my PS5 - I love these studios so much (GG/SM/ND) but sometimes the thought of a 40 hour continuation drives me away.

 

[Horseganador]

What is tiring is the requirement that there is only with Sony, other companies can make enough sequels with the same formula that no one will complain but if Sony does it we already started with the nonsense of "it is a DLC" as was said with Ragnarok and now a saga with only two main installments that would have sold 30 million and they have to put it in a drawer because it's burned OK xDD.

 

[adamsapple]

Wait if they already announced H3, why do an interim DLC. Just have the DLC content be the prologue for the next actual game ?

 

[Musilla]

A lot of these franchises don’t have the same ever green appeal that something like Mario or Zelda has.

 

[lughnasadh123]

Ignoring calling out Sony for what Nintendo, MS, and a bunch of third party publishers do routinely...

We'll get another installment from a popular franchise not because Sony wants to do it for some random reason but because people want it. "sale, blah blah blah". Well yeah, that's what sales represent. Why throw away all the interest and revenue those games in from interested fans just to make something new?

 

[MadchesterManc]

I thought Sony had like a dozen or so studios. This only makes sense if you focus on the few AAA studios making sequels to their big hitters and ignoring the rest doing their own thing

 

[diffusionx]

HFW turned me off on this series, but I am looking forward to Horizon 3 for one reason: we know an unbelievable, groundbreaking game will be coming out within a few weeks of its release, no matter when it is.

 

[Strider Highwind]

Tons of whataboutisms happening in the thread as opposed to addressing the actual point of the thread.

I agree i'm not really interested in sequels to some of this stuff(Especially Horizon) and would like to see the talented people on these teams get a chance to make something new. The industry feels like creativity is being squashed more and more.

 

[Topher]

Not yet, it’s currently one of the 3 games installed on my PS5 - I love these studios so much (GG/SM/ND) but sometimes the thought of a 40 hour continuation drives me away.

Ok......just asking because another Horizon game wouldn't be a surprise to anyone who had played HFW. I'm definitely hoping H3 is the last in the series. It is a fine game, but its like your average summer action movie. Fun, but forgettable.

 

[Flutta]

Lol didn’t know that GG is still working on that feminist game…. Will def avoid it this time.

But yeah i’m getting tired of the same games coming from Sony’s big studios. Best to avoid them and play something else, we can’t do more than that.

 

[KXVXII9X]

I love PlayStation and their games, but I'm also really tired of their never ending sequels. I'm really starting to feel it since their library of games isn't as diverse as it used to be. There are also less exclusives releasing than on the PS4. All we know for the rest of the year is FFXVI (Very excited for) and Spider-Man 2. I guess Stellar Blade as well. There hasn't been much of a real showcase in a while and it is just wait and see.

The reason Nintendo can get away with it with Mario and Zelda is:
1. They consistently output exclusive titles each year. Almost no one is starved for exclusive content and their library is diverse.
2. Mario and, especially Zelda, both refine and change up their gameplay throughout the years. Even something like Super Mario Maker 1/2 was very familiar but the way you could create and share levels made it fresh. Odyssey had a more open approach different from their other games and Zelda BotW/TotK took huge risks and changed up the formula as they keep doing. They change up art styles, gameplay, add new gimmicks, locations, mechanics, etc. They also don't have the same kind of games in the franchises release so close together.

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

The reason Nintendo can get away with it with Mario and Zelda is:
1. They consistently output exclusive titles each year. Almost no one is starved for exclusive content and their library is diverse.

I’ve been starving since BOTW 1

2. Mario and, especially Zelda, both refine and change up their gameplay throughout the years.

Zelda yes (recently)

Mario, no

 

[Team Andromeda]

I’m guilty of hyperbole myself but there’s a pretty clear distinction between 3D and 2D Zelda games and since the launch of Nintendo’s first 3D console, the N64, in 1996 there’s only been 6 3D Zelda games.

There’s been more Ratchet and Clank and God of War games. Uncharted has the same amount of entries as 3D Zelda if you include Lost Legacy and Golden Abyss as full games, which they are.

Yeah I mean Nintendo only being making Zelda and Mario games since the 1980's on the NES,

My mistake, it's wrong for SONY or XBox to make sequels, but ok for Nintendo to do nothing but sequels. The hypocrisy of Nintendo fans make me sick

 

[GHG]

The industry feels like creativity is being squashed more and more.

That was always going to happen since the cost of making games has increased. The level of risk is higher than ever.

 

[Topher]

Overall, I think Sony's AAA is in good hands, but I really miss the smaller games Japan Studio used to make. Games like Gravity Rush and The Last Guardian. Now it seems like Sony is just moneyhatting timed exclusives like Stray and Kena rather than make their own and the quality of these games are not at the level of Japan Studio, imo.

 

[ozz ex machina]

Uncharted 1-3 took just 4 years. GOW1-3 released in a span of 5 years. By the time Horizon 3 and TLOU3 come out, these series would be 12-15 years old. Its hard for anyone to care about a story that takes that long to end.

This is actually really depressing. Dev cycles are a fucking joke now. Sadly I guess the only answer will be AI to speed it back up.

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

Overall, I think Sony's AAA is in good hands, but I really miss the smaller games Japan Studio used to make. Games like Gravity Rush and The Last Guardian. Now it seems like Sony is just moneyhatting timed exclusives like Stray and Kena rather than make their own and the quality of these games are not at the level of Japan Studio, imo.

Let’s see what Asobi comes up with

 

[Aenima]

Naugthy Dog is working in a new IP, and Insomniac already anounced Wolverive. All they new purchased studios are creating new IPs. I want a new Uncharted so hope it comes out. For Guerrilla i wished they took a break and made a new IP before going back to Horizon 3.

 

[DEAD ORIGINAL]

Well the ending of 2 sets up the sequel but yes I would like to see some new IP in sure there's loads of great ideas in playstation studio's minds

 

[Topher]

Let’s see what Asobi comes up with

Definitely. Hoping we see what they are working on at Sony's showcase

 

[bender]

I'm not a fan of most of Sony's larger IPs, but I do think they've done a good job of retiring (inFamous, Killzone, etc.), showing restraint (R&C) and introducing franchises (GOT, Horizon, Returnal).

 

[MikeM]

Judging by the sales, Sony fans are happy. Same goes for Nintendo fans.

I like new IP. But lets be real, the legacy IP still remains top tier. Most of the few games I buy day 1 are Sony devved.

 

[DenchDeckard]

Yes yes yes. The sales are great. The figures don’t lie. Whatever. I’m not asking if Sony should be making endless sequels. I’m asking if you wish they’d stop.

The reason for the post is that GG have today confirmed that Horizon 3 is their next project.

Santa Monica are dedicated to GoW. Polyphony are dedicated to GT. Naughty Dog can’t seem to let go of The Last of Us. We know that an Uncharted game is in development based on the sizzle reel featuring Cassie. Insomniac will always have a Ratchet and Clank in the pipeline, and I don’t think anyone would be surprised if Spider-Man 3 follows 2.

A lot of these franchises don’t have the same ever green appeal that something like Mario or Zelda has. In my opinion it would be a hell of a lot more exciting if GG, ND and Santa Monica were looking at fresh new ideas and franchises.

You can post your lol emojis now.

I am hoping we see something new from them this year, and something inside of me tells me we will see something major...

But, yeah....Horizon 3 is horrific news. They've had two good cracks at it and I would prefer they did something else. I'd love to get sales info from Sony to see how these sequels are mounting up against the originals. Sequels should sell more than the originals but I have this feeling that is not the case with these big Sony first party IPs.

 

[Banjo64]

Yeah I mean Nintendo only being making Zelda and Mario games since the 1980's on the NES,

My mistake, it's wrong for SONY or XBox to make sequels, but ok for Nintendo to do nothing but sequels. The hypocrisy of Nintendo fans make me sick

In my 2 years on GAF I’ve been labelled a green rat, pony and now a Nintendo fan. Probably means I’m doing something right

 

[Team Andromeda]

In my 2 years on GAF I’ve been labelled a green rat, pony and now a Nintendo fan. Probably means I’m doing something right

Its all part of the fun of being on this great board

 

[AmuroChan]

If there is actual sequel fatigue, Sony would move on. They're not going to greenlight sequels that won't sell. You won't have to worry about a Dreams 2 or Driveclub 2 or Concrete Genie 2. The only fatigue Sony cares about is sales fatigue.

 

[ungalo]

If they were Nintendo nobody would care.

When it comes to Sony studios are always more or less pushed to create the new, fresh, impressive game world because that's basically the core of what they do creatively.

 

[Woggleman]

When people stop showing interest in these games Sony will stop making them.

 

[Ronin_7]

What fatigue? Yours? Doesn't matter, buy an Xbox

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

Sequels should sell more than the originals but I have this feeling that is not the case with these big Sony first party IPs.

God of War Ragnarok is the fastest selling Sony first party of all time

HFW will sell more than the original when all is said and done

 

[[Sigma]]

My disgruntled-ness has grown significantly within the last couple of years when it comes specifically to Naughty Dog, Santa Monica, and now Guerrilla.

 

[Balducci30]

Ffs I'll bite... How? The gameplay system is perfectly fine allowing you a range of options and playstyles to take down Dino's as for World Design, now I know you're trolling HFW has some of the best world design out there end off, the individual biomes are all incredibly diverse from one another and filled with insanely detailed towns and ruins to explore, not to mention the sci-fi/matrix look of the Cauldrons.

To be fair I'd rather GG took on another project, they kinda put everything into HFW & Burning Shores, I can't see where they're gonna go with the next one

I would like them personally to switch up design entirely. There’s too many fetch quests - upgrading weapons feels like a chore, the climbing is really annoying, the sunwing is super slow and the weapon types/ammo is really too much. I think they could do well by simplifying some of the systems honestly. It’s a good version of a ubisoft type gameplay loop - but I think there’s a lot of fatigue around that

 

[//DEVIL//]

GG next game is horizon 3 ? when was this confirmed ? fuck this man. and fuck this studio. and fuck Aloy too for that matter. no character and no style. just annoying

hope it flops and Jimbo bish gets fired.

 

[Elios83]

Yes yes yes. The sales are great. The figures don’t lie. Whatever. I’m not asking if Sony should be making endless sequels. I’m asking if you wish they’d stop.

The reason for the post is that GG have today confirmed that Horizon 3 is their next project.

Santa Monica are dedicated to GoW. Polyphony are dedicated to GT. Naughty Dog can’t seem to let go of The Last of Us. We know that an Uncharted game is in development based on the sizzle reel featuring Cassie. Insomniac will always have a Ratchet and Clank in the pipeline, and I don’t think anyone would be surprised if Spider-Man 3 follows 2.

A lot of these franchises don’t have the same ever green appeal that something like Mario or Zelda has. In my opinion it would be a hell of a lot more exciting if GG, ND and Santa Monica were looking at fresh new ideas and franchises.

You can post your lol em

I think it would be more honest just to say I don't like this series so I'd prefer an other thing.
But a series that sells really well and is received well cannot be considered fatigued after two games (with an open ending).

If certain IPs find success sequels are inevitable. It's happening with Spiderman, Ghost of Tsushima, even Death Stranding.
Making new IPs is also important but that is why many of these studios are now multiteams.
Santa Monica has a new IP in the works, Bend has a new IP, Naughty Dog has a new IP after TLOU: Online, Firesprite has a new IP, Insomniac has Wolverine which is a new IP for them and all the studios Sony has bought including Bungie have new IPs in the work. We also know about third party funded/published projects like Rise of Ronin.

 

[saintjules]

As long as sequels learn from the mistakes from the preceding titles and the continuation of a story (if it's there) is great overall and adds to the lore, I don't see why not. I loved the Uncharted series for the most part and like how it progressed.

There are some titles in which I would like to see shorter in length. Games like the "Trails of..." series are so damn long. Each time a new game from a particular series comes out it's dreading because there's a ton of story to go through. I guess this comes with age. A younger me I'd love long gameplay from games like that.

 

[Damigos]

Everyone makes sequels from the big 3
Mario, Zelda, Metroid ...
Halo, Gears, Forza ...
GoW, GT, Uncharted, Horizon etc..

 

[begotten]

I play enough variety of games to not really feel it.

 

[Fbh]

The problem is that Kena, Stray, Sifu and PSVR2 stuff is so niche that no one cares about them. At least not on message boards. I do agree that Returnal, GoT, Wolverine, and Death Stranding are proof that Sony isnt all in on sequels.

Another problem is that unlike past gens, when we only got sick of games after the third entry in the franchise, these games are so long that by the time we finish the second game, we are done with them. Horizon FW, GOW Ragnorak, TLOU2 started feeling samey just a few hours in. I enjoyed them but they didnt do much different to keep me interested despite their 5-7 year dev cycles. Final Fantasy games on the other hand feature new characters, new worlds, new combat systems, and thus can get away with having over a dozen sequels like Zelda.

Hell, I think Nintendo doing a straight sequel for Zelda is going to blow up in their face despite how beloved BOTW was. It will still review well like GOW, Horizon and TLOU2, but you will see a bigger backlash from gamers who are going to complain about it being too samey. Gone are the days of Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, Skyward Sword and BOTW feeling completely unique and different from their predecessors.

Uncharted 1-3 took just 4 years. GOW1-3 released in a span of 5 years. By the time Horizon 3 and TLOU3 come out, these series would be 12-15 years old. Its hard for anyone to care about a story that takes that long to end.

I can definitely see the argument, and I agree with some of it.
I've personally always thought it's ok for devs to release 1 or 2 sequels which are essentially just "more of the same", I don't need devs to try to re-invent the wheel and make something completely different with each new game.
But I admit that samey sequels were easier to accept when they took 2 years to come out instead of 4-6 years like now.

With that said I think the core issue here is long dev cycles and not really "sequels", and that's an industry wide problem and not just a Sony thing. As I mentioned, many of the current flagship Sony franchises are only on their second game which I think is completely reasonable. OP seemingly wants every Sony studio to make a new IP for every single new release which is unrealistic.

What I want isn't less sequels but rather less focus on graphic, which allows for faster dev cycles.
From Software are amazing at this, their games can be a bit samey but they've managed to remain on a consistent 2-3 years cycle with big new releases ever since DS2 in 2014 (Bloodborne 2015, DS3 2016, Sekiro 2019, Elden Ring 2022).
And I think a key to that has been not obsessing over graphics. Their engine is dated, their games rely more on art direction than graphics to look nice and they recycle assets, but they've been releasing big 90+ metascore games at a faster rate than almost everyone else.

 

[ZoukGalaxy]

Forza 12, Gears 7, Halo 10, Forza Horizon 8...........

This.

And we talking about fatigue just for a... 3 ? Seriously ?
Can't imagine for Final Fantasy 16 !

More seriously, a trilogy is definitely acceptable. Beyond will vastly depend of the quality of the iteration.

You can post your lol emojis now.

Yes sir. I did my duty sir.