Sony is making a return to smartphone gaming by creating the new PlayStation Studios mobile division, revealing its first member, recently acquired Savage Game Studios.
Don't worry; PlayStation isn't shifting gears to focus solely on mobile gaming. Console games will continue to be Sony's forte. The business is simply expanding. PlayStation Studios boss Hermen Hulst says in the announcement post (opens in a new tab) that these new efforts will be "additive." offering more ways for more people to interact with content." It's a similar mindset to PS5 games coming to PC, like Marvel's Spider-Man. Such moves, by the way, seem to have paid off. God of War, by For example, it managed to sell more than two million copies when it got to the office.
But unlike those ports, Sony plans to make entirely new games for mobile, with some titles based on established PlayStation franchises. It is confirmed that the developers under the umbrella of the mobile division will "operate independently" of the console division, with Sony being quite indifferent.
At this time, it is unclear what Savage Game Studios, under the auspices of Sony, is working on for mobile platforms. We reached out to Sony to see if they are willing to share any information. This story will be updated if we have any news.
Potentially a live service game
Savage Game Studios (opens in a new tab) is a relatively new developer that was founded by a group of gaming industry veterans. Some of the team members include former employees of Rockstar, Rovio, and even Sony-owned Insomniac Games.
So far, Savage hasn't released a single title, but the announcement says he's currently working on an "unannounced AAA mobile service action game." A live service game is a title that aims to keep people as engaged as possible so they play the game for long periods of time. Think of an MMO like World of Warcraft, a game where the developer is constantly working on new content.
Sony says it's too early to reveal anything about the game, but previous reports (Opens in a new tab) say the game is some kind of shooter and is currently in production (Opens in a new tab). The release date is currently unknown. These reports also claim that the game was supposed to release last year, but that obviously didn't happen. Since the future title is a live shooter, our first reaction was that this game could be very similar to Fortnite. It could be a free game that people can enjoy on mobile that earns money through various microtransactions.
At the end of the day, no one knows for sure except Sony. While this isn't a new frontier for the tech giant, the company is likely to make a safe bet with its new division by having a multiplayer shooter as its first game.
Analysis: return to mobile
This is not the first time that Sony has entered the mobile market and we are not talking about its older portable devices like PlayStation Vita (RIP).
In 2014, Sony launched its PlayStation Mobile platform for Android. Players can play a library consisting of classic games, PS Vita games, and some exclusive titles. However, the service never really took off and was halted in 2015. The service glitch didn't stop the gaming titan, as Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan said in May 2022 that Sony planned to have half of its titles on smartphones or PC by 2025. Live service games are also on Sony's radar as it plans to release 10 live service titles by 2026. It's entirely possible that Savage's next game will be the result of this multi-year plan.
Also, there is a lot of money to be made on mobile platforms. A recent July 2022 Sensor Tower study (opens in a new tab) reveals the profitability of live service games. For example, Genshin Impact, a live service RPG, earned €154 million on mobile alone. The United States is the largest market, generating €1.8 billion in June alone.
Whatever Sony is doing in its mobile division, we just hope it's good and comes out soon. TechRadar is constantly keeping an eye on PlayStation 5 deals and we recommend checking out our recently updated list if you're looking for bundles or accessories.