Sony neglecting their franchises.

[Aeluron Lightsong]

Maybe, and here's a thought, it's because you don't HAVE to keep milking the shit out of something forever until it is a desiccated corpse simply to justify keeping it around because "franchise".

I mean, sure, I get the attachment some people can have to old favorites, but that is no reason to force yourself to make Street Fighter 23 just because you have been doing it so long it is the only thing you know how to do any more.

Hell, the Street Fighter thing is actually a pretty good example: When was the last time we actually got a NEW, quality, A++ fighting game? Can most people actually name a fighting game that isn't a direct tie in to one of the core franchises that have been around literally forever? Street Fighter, Tekken, KoF, Mortal Kombat, Soul Calibur. Those are basically it. Sure, there have been a few indie franchises or lesser known stuff, but for the most part none of the major studios are EVER likely to innovate a new IP in that market because it will be a perceived threat to their baby. The entire genre is basically in IP stasis at this point because nobody is willing to mess with the franchise golden goose.

Keeping a franchise/series going is completely fine, its also ok to take a break from it once in awhile. Like if Streetfighter wasn't a thing again until 2025.

[Tech614]

Maybe, and here's a thought, it's because you don't HAVE to keep milking the shit out of something forever until it is a desiccated corpse simply to justify keeping it around because "franchise".

I mean, sure, I get the attachment some people can have to old favorites, but that is no reason to force yourself to make Street Fighter 23 just because you have been doing it so long it is the only thing you know how to do any more.

Hell, the Street Fighter thing is actually a pretty good example: When was the last time we actually got a NEW, quality, A++ fighting game? Can most people actually name a fighting game that isn't a direct tie in to one of the core franchises that have been around literally forever? Street Fighter, Tekken, KoF, Mortal Kombat, Soul Calibur. Those are basically it. Sure, there have been a few indie franchises or lesser known stuff, but for the most part none of the major studios are EVER likely to innovate a new IP in that market because it will be a perceived threat to their baby. The entire genre is basically in IP stasis at this point because nobody is willing to mess with the franchise golden goose.

Because making a new IP fighting game if your company already has fighting game IPs is worthless. The point of a new IP is new characters with new designs and to tell new stories. You can already do this in existing fighting game IPs. If we look at just SFV we have Rashid, Laura, FANG, Kolin, Falke, G, Kage, Menat, Zeku, Ed, Abigail and Lucia all as new characters to the franchise. That is literally a new IP's worth of new characters. This is the reason new IPs in fighting games are stupid, especially when there are dormant fighting game IPs that can be resurrected like what just happened with Samurai Showdown.

[Valkrysa]

You don't see those games making enough money to justify the cost?

It's not enough for the game to make enough to justify it's cost. It has to make MEGA BOATLOADS of money. They need to make CoD levels of money, otherwise Sony won't be interested.
They might occasionally bring one back as a test, hoping it makes mega money in the future; but only occasionally.
They might also occasionally bring one back as a marketing stunt for the platform as a whole, but only occasionally.

[Edge-]

It's not enough for the game to make enough to justify it's cost. It has to make MEGA BOATLOADS of money. They need to make CoD levels of money, otherwise Sony won't be interested.

Somehow, I don't think that Sony is expecting Dreams to make CoD levels of money. Or the MediEvil remake. Or any of their VR Games. Or Gravity Rush1/2. Or Knack 1/2.

I could go on, but the point being that Sony isn't purely focused on major AAA big-budget titles and does publish smaller titles with much lower expectations than a CoD.

You say "occasionally" for a stunt or to make money, but they pretty regularly fund/publish smaller titles on their platform.

[Tech614]

They need to make CoD levels of money, otherwise Sony won't be interested.

Pretty sure Sony didn't fund The Last Guardian, Knack, Gravity Rush 2, Concrete Genie, Dreams, Everybody's Golf etc with the intention of them making "CoD levels of money".

For that matter not even their largest IPs like TLOU, God of War or Spider-Man bring in "CoD levels of money" because that's flat out impossible for games made for a single platform. They fund games to sell PS4s, or soon PS5s not to make the most profit possible off the games themselves.

Edit: I see Edge beat me to it lol.

[Surfd]

Because making a new IP fighting game if your company already has fighting game IPs is worthless. The point of a new IP is new characters with new designs and to tell new stories. You can already do this in existing fighting game IPs. If we look at just SFV we have Rashid, Laura, FANG, Kolin, Falke, G, Kage, Menat, Zeku, Ed, Abigail and Lucia all as new characters to the franchise. That is literally a new IP's worth of new characters. This is the reason new IPs in fighting games are stupid, especially when there are dormant fighting game IPs that can be resurrected like what just happened with Samurai Showdown.

Right. But as I said, that is literally the problem. That could have been an entirely new IP. Something to draw in an entirely new crowd of people with a new story, new characters, etc. Instead, it's relegated to being Street Fighter X.5, now with more new units shoehorned into the crazy mess that is supposed to be the "story". 50 years from now, my great grand children will still be playing "Street Fighter, just with a few more characters" because Capcom literally is incapable of making anything else.

[Tech614]

Right. But as I said, that is literally the problem. That could have been an entirely new IP. Something to draw in an entirely new crowd of people with a new story, new characters, etc. Instead, it's relegated to being Street Fighter X.5, now with more new units shoehorned into the crazy mess that is supposed to be the "story". 50 years from now, my great grand children will still be playing Street Fighter because Capcom literally is incapable of making anything else.

Again, creating a new fighting game IP when you already have multiple fighting game IPs is stupid. You can make new characters and stories in the already existing IP. And who really takes fighting game stories that serious in the first place that you want it to not be a "crazy mess". Fighting game stories have always been hilariously bad and that is the charm of them. They where an evolution from corny kung fu movies.

[devilzxlin]

Sony let's their dev teams make what they want to make for the most part.