PS4 News: Sony Best Positioned for New IPs and Third Party Developers, Says Exec

Sony and the PlayStation 4 are in a better position than the competition to support new IPs and franchises, at least according to one Sony executive.

Sony Computer Entertainment President Andrew House spoke to MCV about the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3, and was confident Sony could best support new IPs and third party developers.

"In terms of sheer breadth and depth, we are in a better shape in terms of third party support for this console launch than certainly any I've ever launched. And I do think that the early consumer is going to buy in if they sense that there is a roadmap of great content that is going to come down the pipe, and you have cited some of those games that have been announced, which are also brand new IP, which I think is critically important," said House. 

The PlayStation 4 has many new IPs in development, such as Destiny, Watch Dogs, and the PS4-exclusive The Order: 1886. These new games could become the next big video game franchises and represent the best hope for gamers tired of playing sequels and reboots.

Asked about his opinion about the future of console gaming in light of some analysts such as Michael Pachter claiming that the current generation of consoles will be the last, House had some rather pointed words. He pointed out that console gaming and physical media still have a role to play in the video game landscape:

"I would first say that I don't share Michael Pachter's confidence in being able to prognosticate out at the beginning of a lifecycle, what will be that lifecycle's end. I think it is much too early to make those kind of decisions or predictions. There is a similar parallel question that says that packaged media will go away and all games will be digitally distributed. But we are already seeing, even on the early launch line-up on PS4, massively bigger games that, for many people, are just more conveniently purchased in the form of physical media. Others will gravitate towards digital. It will be both, and I think the truth can be for consoles as well."

It will be interesting to see after the launch and holiday hype of the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One die down if the consoles can continue to be successful in the years to come despite the rise in mobile and free to play gaming.