New IPs Mean More Than Consoles Sold, Says Sony Worldwide

There’s “nothing more gratifying” than launching a new IP, says the boss of Sony’s European studios.

It’s not just the number of consoles you sell that matters, the games you make for those consoles is just as – if not more – important. That’s the view taken by Michael Denny, head of the European branch of Sony Worldwide Studios, the umbrella organization for Sony’s first party developers.

Denny said that there were a lot of metrics to measure success, but he found nothing as satisfying as breaking an innovative new IP. He used Heavy Rain as an example, saying that Sony had taken a risk with the game and there had been a lot of questions about whether it would stand up on its own. That risk had been worth it, however, as shown by the very positive reaction it received when it was released. “I think that what that game’s delivered is fantastic,” he said. “It’s not only new IP, but I think it’s created a new genre. [It’s had] not only great critical acclaim, but great commercial success as well.”

Denny’s attitude probably isn’t shared by those who sit at the very top of the Sony hierarchy, for whom IPs would be just one aspect in a much wider view. Considering his position and relationship to the developers though, his seeming fondness for new ideas should provoke at least cautious optimism in many gamers.

Source: CVG