Could this be what was meant by tonight’s showcase kicking off phase two of the PS5? (pic: Sony)



The Sony formula may be no more as PlayStation shares plans to expand into more genres, with at least two exclusives per year.



For as successful as modern PlayStation franchises like God Of War , Horizon , and The Last Of Us are, they have been subject to one key criticism: they’re all too similar in terms of mechanics and presentation.



Sony knows how to craft cinematic single-player experiences, but the long list of third person action adventure games with an emphasis on story and character has left little room for anything else.



It seems that Sony itself has caught onto this, as it plans to diversify its portfolio of first party titles and expand into ‘every major genre’ for its single-player and live service projects.



This comes via a recent business meeting with investors, to discuss the future of the PlayStation brand, which also mentions that Sony wants to get at least two major releases out every year in the future.



As for what genres it’s interested in, Sony lists action, sports, shooter, racing, role-playing game, and platformer, adding that it wants to find a balance between launching new entries for its big franchises and new IPs.



When it comes to its own properties, Sony is notably lacking in a number of key genres. For the shooter genre, it’s been able to rely on Call Of Duty but with that set to become an Xbox property , it would make sense to try and create their own alternative.



Sounds like Sony doesn’t want to coast on the popularity of IPs like God Of War and The Last Of Us (pic: Sony)



As for platformers, Sony’s current offerings consist of just Ratchet & Clank (which is really more of a third person action series nowadays) and Astro Bot, which is supposed to be getting a new entry .



There was the LittleBigPlanet spin-off, Sackboy: A Big Adventure , but whether Sony intends on continuing it as its own platformer series is anyone’s guess.



Sony also lacks a role-playing series of its own, having mostly relied on signing exclusivity deals with Square Enix for numerous Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts titles. Plenty of its games boast certain role-playing elements but a dedicated series, that it wouldn’t have to pay extra to keep to itself, is not something it’s had for a long time.



You can see the full presentation from Sony here , but it obviously doesn’t lift the lid on any unannounced projects.



However, we’ll hopefully get an idea of Sony’s intentions at tonight’s PlayStation Showcase . It’s been described by insiders as the start of the second phase of the PlayStation 5 so there could be a wider variety of announcements beyond rumoured sequels and more cinematic, story driven action games.



You should still expect to see several established Sony IPs make an appearance (pic: Sony)



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