Whether its developing games with internal studios or funding and assisting with external releases, publishers are huge parts of the video game industry. Publishers are often the IP holders of some of the most beloved franchises out there, and how they handle those IPs plays a huge role in public perception of the publisher. A specific publishers lineup throughout the year speaks volumes, not just in content, but in how they handle their development teams and creative output. Especially this year, as teams had to move to remote work management under difficult conditions, publishers had more pressure than ever to deliver for both their employees and the players. Here are the PlayStation LifeStyle nominations for Best Publisher in 2020.
- Sony Interactive Entertainment/PlayStation Studios
- Bungie
- Activision
- Annapurna Interactive
- Square Enix
Best Publisher 2020 Winner
Sony Interactive Entertainment/PlayStation Studios
It’s probably not too surprising that the vote unanimously went to SIE for this year’s Best Publisher award. Besides releasing the new PS5 console, the Sony published lineup of games was phenomenal. It was a great year to be a PlayStation gamer. The Last of Us Part II, Ghost of Tsushima, Spider-Man: Miles Morales, and plenty more outlined a fantastic year for the publisher. Sony made a new PlayStation Studios banner under which to house all of its studios and new releases. Sony was also the first major publisher to take serious precautions surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, pulling out of PAX East back in February out of an—at the time—abundance of caution. The move now seems like a pretty smart and prescient one on Sony’s end with how COVID and the pandemic panned out.
Reader’s Choice Winner
Sony Interactive Entertainment
Our readers agreed that Sony Interactive Entertainment had a great year, form the lineup of games to the release of the next-gen PS5 console. Sony may not be perfect, but they consistently knock it out of the park when it comes to games and player ecosystem.
Don’t miss our full lineup of winners and nominees for the PlayStation LifeStyle Game of the Year awards. We’ll be revealing more winners today, leading up to the Game of the Year award.
