Sony Interactive Entertainment’s Jim Ryan recently said that although the company will continue to support the PlayStation 4, it understandably has plans to release games that can “really only be enjoyed on the PS5” when the console launches.
This approach is nothing new but considering Microsoft’s stance on cross-gen games and the PS4’s massive install base, some took Ryan’s statement negatively. Asked his thoughts on the matter, former Xbox executive Mike Ybarra supported Sony’s stance and suggested that making games exclusively for next-gen consoles will make development easier.
Ybarra, who spent nearly two decades at Microsoft prior to joining Blizzard last year, tweeted:
I like it. I like having something that is the absolute latest tech and shows off my investment in the best possible way. It also reduces development time when devs can focus on absolute optimization of one hardware system. But at the same time, it comes at the cost of smaller install base.
Xbox General Manager, Aaron Greenberg, separately tweeted Microsoft’s stance as follows:
Xbox believes in generations. Generations of games that play on latest hardware taking advantage of next-gen innovation offering more choice, value, and variety than any console launch ever. All our studios titles launch into Game Pass and you get those next-gen game upgrades for free.
It’s clear that both console manufacturers are taking a different approach to next gen but that hasn’t stopped fans from making comparisons. Replies to Ybarra’s tweet are interesting, to say the least, as he’s being accused of turning his back on his former employer by expressing his excitement about the PS5. Yikes!
[Source: Mike Ybarra via PSU, Aaron Greenberg]
