PlayStation CEO says new IP launches are “very risky”

"We certainly plan to continue making great games”

PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan has said new IP launches are “a very risky move.”

IP stands for ‘intellectual property’ and a new IP would mean a new game which is not a spin-off or sequel of an existing game. Astro, Horizon: Zero Dawn, and Ghost Of Tsushima were three of Sony’s biggest new IPs on the PlayStation 4. Ryan particularly highlighted Ghost Of Tsushima as a title that “outperformed everybody’s expectations.”

In an interview with GQ, Ryan said that new IPs require much more investment from the publisher in order to be successful. Despite these risks, however, Ryan said that PlayStation will continue to innovate with the PS5.

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“We’re making great games now and we certainly plan to continue making great games,” he said. “The thing with those blockbuster games is that they need a box office release. They cost more than $100m dollars to make these days and in order to be able to do that and bring new IP to the market you’ve got to have a box office release.”

The PlayStation 5 has enjoyed a successful launch so far, with a mix of sequels, spin-offs, remakes, and new IPs in their launch lineup. Godfall is the current big new IP for PS5, with Bugsnax available for free on PS+ and Destruction Allstars set to release in February.

For the most part though, the PS5 has relied on the Demon’s Souls remake, Spider-Man spin-off Spider-Man: Miles Morales, and two sequel titles Astro’s Playroom and Sackboy: A Big Adventure. Most of the upcoming big releases are also sequels, in the form of God Of War: Ragnarok, Horizon: Forbidden West, and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, though new IP Returnal is also set to arrive in 2021.

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