Key Takeaways
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- Sonys decision to close Bluepoint Games, a studio known for successful remakes, has raised questions about the companys management of its studios.
- The closure of Bluepoint sends a discouraging message to other Sony-owned studios, suggesting that their fate is uncertain regardless of sales figures, game genres, critical reception, or commercial success.
- Under Jim Ryans leadership, Sony aimed to become a major player in the multiplayer games-as-a-service market, but this strategy did not succeed and resulted in numerous project cancellations, including a multiplayer God of War game developed by Bluepoint.
- Despite the closure of Bluepoint and other puzzling decisions over the past decade, PlayStation remains the top-selling console worldwide, largely due to underperformance of its competitors rather than exceptional management by Sony.
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On Thursday, September 19th, Sony closed Bluepoint Games, a studio acquired in 2021 and integrated into PlayStation Studios. This decision raises questions about Sony’s management of its studios.
Bluepoint, established in 2006, specialized in porting, compiling, and remaking games from other studios, primarily working with Sony. They gained recognition for projects like God of War Collection (PS3), Metal Gear Solid HD Collection (PS3, Vita, Xbox 360), Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection (PS4), Shadow of the Colossus (PS4 remake), and Demon’s Souls (PS5). After years of collaboration, Sony acquired Bluepoint in September 2021, leading fans to hope for remakes of classics like God of War (PS2) or Bloodborne (PS5). However, Sony’s recent closure of Bluepoint Games has sparked questions about management decisions within PlayStation Studios. The closure sends a discouraging message to Sony’s other studios, suggesting that their fate is uncertain regardless of sales figures, game genres, critical reception, or commercial success.
In 2021, under Jim Ryan’s leadership, Sony aimed to become a major player in the multiplayer games-as-a-service market. Despite Sony’s success with story-driven single-player titles like Uncharted and The Last of Us, and less successful multiplayer ventures like PlayStation All-Stars, Ryan pursued this direction. This strategy did not succeed. Ryan stepped down in 2023, the game Concord was a commercial failure, and Sony canceled numerous projects, including a multiplayer God of War game developed by Bluepoint. This cancellation coincided with Bluepoint’s closure. The fact that Sony shifted away from multiplayer after Ryan’s departure only makes Bluepoint’s closure more illogical.
Bluepoint’s Shutdown Raises Questions Over Sony’s Decision-Making in Exclusive Games Development
Following Ryan’s departure, Sony Interactive Entertainment announced Herman Hulst and Hideaki Nishino as dual heads, promising a renewed focus on single-player games. At a recent State of Play event, they announced a remake of the God of War trilogy. With Bluepoint’s expertise in remakes and no other announced projects, the studio seemed perfectly positioned for this project. Sony’s decision to shut down Bluepoint, therefore, came as a surprise. The closure resulted in 70 employees losing their jobs and highlights a pattern of questionable corporate decisions at Sony. Acquiring a studio known for successful remakes, assigning them to a multiplayer project that ultimately fails, and then closing the studio just as the company promotes a major remake raises serious questions. This move is the latest in a series of puzzling decisions from Sony Interactive Entertainment over the past decade. While PlayStation remains the top-selling console worldwide, this is largely due to the underperformance of its competitors, rather than exceptional management by Sony. Despite these issues, the company will likely announce another The Last of Us title and move on. The PlayStation 5’s marketing emphasizes exclusive games, but the console has relatively few compelling exclusives to showcase its capabilities.
In Case You Missed It
In other gaming news, Ahmed Hassan has published a revealing piece titled “Jason Schreier Reports: Sony Shuts Down Bluepoint Games”, diving into Bloomberg’s latest report on the sudden closure of Bluepoint Games, the studio behind critically acclaimed remakes like Demon’s Souls and Shadow of the Colossus. With approximately 70 jobs at stake, Hassan explores the unannounced God of War project that was canceled last year and Bluepoint’s contributions to God of War Ragnarok Jason Schreier Reports: Sony Shuts Down Bluepoint Games, Known for Remakes like Demon’s Souls and Shadow of the Colossus. Meanwhile, Carlos Mendoza reports on the same issue in his timely article “Sony Shuts Down Bluepoint Games (Demon’s Souls, Shadow of the Colossus) – Ultimate Waste of the Jim Ryan Era”. Published on the same day, Mendoza’s insightful piece explores how Sony’s strategic shift is leading to layoffs and the closure of a studio renowned for its exceptional remakes. From Demon’s Souls to Shadow of the Colossus, Bluepoint has been revitalizing classics with skill and respect Sony Shuts Down Bluepoint Games (Demon’s Souls, Shadow of the Colossus) – Ultimate Waste of the Jim Ryan Era. Our colleague Bruno Pferd has also weighed in on the matter with his in-depth analysis published on the same day, discussing Sony’s decision to close the studio after just five years, affecting approximately 70 employees. Bruno’s article explores the business review that led to this surprising move and what it might mean for future remakes, like Bloodborne Sony Shuts Down Bluepoint Games, Creators of Demon’s Souls Remake and Shadow of the Colossus Remake.