Summary

  • Over the past few console generations, PlayStation has been criticised for leaving behind many of its iconic series.
  • That looks to change in the future, as CEO Herman Hulst recently confirmed in an interview.
  • Hulst says that Playstation aims to "leverage" its legacy IP alongside making new franchises.

In an interview celebrating the 30th anniversary of PlayStation, CEO Herman Hulst confirmed that the studio is looking for more opportunities to leverage its "legacy IP".

From the moment PlayStation first began 30 years ago, the studio made a name for itself with its killer lineup of first-party titles, from Crash Bandicoot and Ape Escape to Metal Gear Solid and Gran Turismo. That legacy has only gotten stronger with each generation, with heavy-hitters like Ratchet & Clank, Jak and Daxter, Sly Cooper, Uncharted, and a whole lot more.

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While some of those franchises have managed to stick around in recent years, it's fair to say that PlayStation hasn't paid much attention at all to its older games and instead focused on newer and more adult series like The Last of Us, Horizon, Ghost of Tsushima, and the rebooted God of War. It seems that might finally be about to change, though.

PlayStation Is Aiming To Leverage Its "Legacy IP" Alongside Starting New Franchises

In celebration of the 30th anniversary of PlayStation, studio CEO Herman Hulst took part in an interview with Famitsu, where he shared his thoughts on the company's past, present, and future. As pointed out by Twitter user Genki_JPN, the most interesting part of the interview is when Hulst is asked about the appearance of "dormant IP" in Astro Bot and how many people want to see older franchises return.

In response, Hulst says that PlayStation's "extensive IP portfolio" is an important asset for the studio and that, alongside making new franchises, PlayStation aims to "leverage our legacy IP". This essentially confirms that, perhaps in part due to Astro Bot's massive success, PlayStation is finally paying more attention to the games that got it to where it is now.

Our extensive IP portfolio is an important asset for PlayStation, and as part of our efforts to strengthen our portfolio, we continually explore opportunities to leverage our legacy IP as well as develop new franchises. - Herman Hulst

PlayStation has so many underutilized series that it's tough to know where to begin, but it does seem like Hulst and the company knows how much players want older series to return. Whether that's in the form of ports like the recent Sly Trilogy or brand-new games is yet to be seen, but it sounds like a step in the right direction.

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