What Could the New PlayStation Multiplayer IP Be?
Firewalk Studios’ first title will be a brand-new multiplayer AAA IP that’s exclusive to the PlayStation 5. The Bellevue-based studio was formed by PlayStation back in 2018 and is composed of numerous industry veterans. This includes former Destiny Senior VP, Tony Tsu, former Bungie Creative Director, Ryan Ellis, as well as former Bungie Executive Producer, Elena Siegman. In addition to Destiny, the people over at Firewalk Studios also have prior experience working on other major franchises. This includes the likes of Halo, Call of Duty, Mass Effect, and even Apex Legends. Considering the wealth of talent and experience of the individuals in the said studio, it was only a matter of time before PlayStation put them to work. Perhaps it’s also only natural that their first game will be multiplayer. Unfortunately, as exciting as this news is, there are very few details about the project at the moment. However, as per the announcement, Firewalk Studios has already begun the development of the game before the reveal. Hsu, who is now the Studio Head at Firewalk Studios, stated that the studio is “already hard at work on development”. He also hinted at how far along the game is in development by talking about how they had already done daily online playtests. He even says that these playtests helped bring everyone on the team closer despite their physical distance from each other. With that said, the new partnership seems to fit perfectly with Sony’s strategy. In a recent interview, SIE CEO Jim Ryan confirmed that they are working on adding more exclusive titles to the PS5 than ever before. The announcement of the new multiplayer IP from Firewalk Studios is definitely a step in the right direction. Hopefully, the PlayStation Plus Video Pass subscription service will follow suit. At the moment, the since-confirmed subscription service is exclusive only to users in Poland. Of course, one can’t help but wonder if this is all just reactionary from Microsoft’s latest set of moves. Earlier this year, Microsoft acquired ZeniMax Media. Not to mention, Microsoft has worked hard to expand the library of games of the Xbox Game Pass. So far, they’ve secured Outriders and MLB The Show 21 as launch titles. In addition to this, Microsoft has expanded the availability of Xbox Cloud Gaming to include Windows PCs and iOS devices. In the past, Sony has prided itself by having some of the most sought-after exclusive games for their consoles. The PlayStation 4 saw the likes of The Last of Us 2, God of War, and Spider-Man, all release exclusively on the eighth-generation console. Judging by the looks of things, it seems like Sony intends on doubling down on AAA first-party titles even more. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter what Sony or Microsoft do. The more Microsoft ups the ante, the more Sony will have to keep up, and vice-versa. At the end of the day, whatever happens, we, the consumers, are the real winners.
