MeinMMO editor Niko has been a fan of Sony consoles since the PS2 era. Although the games have become more polished and larger, he can’t find joy in it because the PlayStation is more boring than ever.
When thinking about the games of the PS5 and PS4 today, one quickly thinks of God of War, Spider-Man, Ghost of Tsushima, or The Last of Us. And these are all really good games. They have great production values, strong voice actors, and a cinematic story that can compete with many Hollywood movies.
But even though I have played and generally liked many of them, I am disappointed with almost every State of Play, because I see the same thing every time: an extremely high-produced AAA game that focuses on the story. Just look at Wolverine recently.
I am bored. Even if games like Ghost of Yotei look damn good, I no longer buy them. I prefer to pick up an objectively
worse game, but one that I will ultimately have more fun with. I am firmly convinced: Sony lost its soul with one studio.
One of the few bright spots in recent years was Astro Bot:
Where is the nonsense? Where is the fun?
PlayStation released 3 quirky YouTube videos on November 3, 2025, with the motto It Happens on PS5
. And they are wonderfully confusing. Real actors experience stories in short clips. In one story, a guy cuts himself out of a sea monster with a samurai sword. Which game this is about? No idea, but I think it’s good. It reminds me of the old PlayStation era
.
One of my favorite Sony series is Ape Escape. The first part was released in 1999 on the PS1. What was special about it was that it was the first game to require the use of 2 analog sticks. At that time, the PS1 only launched with a D-pad, without any sticks.
Instead of controlling the camera with the right stick as we know it today, you used it to control weapons, mainly the capture net. In Ape Escape, you have to catch monkeys in various levels. They also come equipped with weapons or gadgets.
The stick usage is, especially from today’s perspective, innovative. Nowadays, it is mainly used for the camera. But the Japan Studios, a former first-party developer from Sony, created a unique gaming experience from it. It’s a lot of nonsense, but it’s incredibly fun. Unfortunately, the last real part of the series, Ape Escape 3, was released in 2005 (after that, there were sporadic spin-offs).
If I look at the games that Japan Studios has developed today, that’s exactly what is missing from today’s Sony for the PS5.
An amazing developer that no longer exists
If you look at the games that Japan Studio developed, you have a nice potpourri of great ideas. LocoRoco is a platformer for the PSP, where you tilt the world with the shoulder buttons to guide your round characters.
Especially notable is Tokyo Jungle for the PS3. The game was a mix of survival and roguelite mechanics, where you choose an animal species and try to survive in a post-apocalyptic Tokyo.
And as in previous games, Gravity Rush on the PS Vita experimented with control conventions and allowed you to play an action-adventure with innovative movement options.
All of these are games that may not appeal to everyone, but they are experimental and they gave the PlayStation consoles a certain flair. There were strong AAA games, but also strong, original ideas that took risks.
Although the games from Japan Studios were often loved by fans, Sony closed the studio in 2021. Former PlayStation head Shūhei Yoshida explained in an interview (via Insider Gaming) that Sony probably did not want the AA games from the studio. But therein lies potential.
AA has many advantages, not just for players
Game development is getting more expensive, and nowhere is this clearer than with AAA games. According to a leak in 2023, Spider-Man 2 was estimated to cost over 300 million USD (via Forbes). Along with a long development time comes significant risk. If such an expensive game is not successful enough, it could mean the end for a studio. Just look at Concord.
However, if you develop smaller games, not only can you take risks, but you can also recoup costs more quickly. Another advantage would be a more frequent release of first-party titles. Smaller games could fit between the big AAA releases. Nothing demonstrated this better this year than Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. The game was a success and for many players the best RPG of recent years, even though it relies on an old-fashioned
, turn-based combat system.
Less big-budget games would also not have to cost €80. This was shown alongside Clair Obscur by Helldivers 2. When you also look at the indie market, smaller, more experimental games like Balatro attract many players who want to experience something different
. And for me, no studio represented something different
as much as Japan Studio.
Is there still hope? Definitely. The mentioned games could influence the major publishers and developers, hopefully also Sony. It doesn’t always take a huge team to create something good. Sometimes a few people with an absurd idea are enough. Astro Bot showed this in 2024. The jump & run fits so poorly with the God of War
and Uncharted
titles, but it relies on playful finesse. The game also impressed MeinMMO editor Karsten. It even won 4 awards at the Game Awards.
And rightly so. Besides all the serious games that focus on story and characters, Astro Bot was above all one thing: a fun game with great mechanics. I want Sony to provide more of this. I want more experiments, more ideas, and more nonsense. Because in the past, PlayStation consoles have shown that both are possible.
But what do you say? Do you prefer a focus on AAA story games, or do you wish for Sony to bring back its own ideas and smaller experiments? Feel free to write it in the comments. Although the big titles are doing well, Sony currently has a shooter problem: Bungie’s Marathon is probably not part of Sony’s upcoming State of Play, Insiders talk about the end of the silence
