Sony calls the PlayStation 5 a niche product for hardcore gamers

Sony has revealed a little about their strategy for the PlayStation 5, the next generation of PlayStation console, which seems set to attract a new hardcore audience.

While this news isn’t unexpected, given that PlayStation is often the platform of choice for the harcore gamer demographic, two Sony officials have revealed, in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, some insight into the company’s strategy for attracting them and making them a priority.

Further reinforcing this information is a statement from Kenichiro Yoshida, Sony Chief Executive, who explained that the next generation of PlayStation consoles will be a niche product for hardcore gamers. As a result the product’s focus is on providing 8K resolution with ultra high-definition graphics, because Sony see the visual quality consumers get from a console as a key purchasing factor.

Currently Sony is said to be working on several Triple A titles internally, as well as other with third-party developers and publishers, for the new console. Interestingly Sony is not making indie games or developers a priority due to limited resources, something which has already taken effect in the fact that Sony’s indie showcase segment at the Tokyo Games Show will not be present this year.

One of the Sony officials revealed that Sony believe gamers will purchase the PlayStation 5 for big budget exclusives, and not indie titles which are also available on mobile devices. The second Sony official added that they think indie developers and publishers will release games for the platform anyway, because it will be so popular and control a large portion of the market. Those smaller companies have expressed how they feel neglected by Sony as a result of their next generation strategy.

Sony is said to only consider Microsoft a real threat for the short-term future for their console. Google Stadia is still a concern for the mid to late-term future, but the popularity of game streaming with consumers will define how much of a threat Stadia becomes.

With PlayStation 5 due for release Christmas 2020 there isn’t much time for developers to work on new titles to launch with it. However, Sony are still determined to upgrade as many PlayStation 4 owners as possible, with the company’s own Jim Ryan saying how important backwards compatibility is for the next generation of PlayStation.

With Microsoft doubling down on new studios to make exclusives for Project Scarlett, it looks like the choice between the two major next generation consoles will be made solely on a consumer’s preference of those exclusive titles.