Sony: why we're launching new IP this late in the console cycle
"It is part of the role of a platform holder," insists Andrew House.
Sony was one of the few major publishers to launch brand new core IP at this year's E3 show, debuting Quantic Dream's Beyond: Two Souls and showing more of Naughty Dog's The Last of Us.
Why, when perceived wisdom dictates that new IP has the best chance of success at the beginning of a console's life span, was it spending big on two risky new brands this late in the current hardware generation?
According to incoming PlayStation CEO Andrew House, Sony believes it's the duty of the platform holder to continue to offer new experiences and attempt to bring in new players.
"It is absolutely critical [to create new ideas]," he told MCV.
"We've always felt that the strength of our platform has been a kind of symbiotic relationship between the platform being created and strengthened by new experiences. And then that reinforcing the strength and one hopes the longevity of the platform overall.
"I've heard conventional wisdom in the industry that says - and it is kind of like an American presidency - that the first two years in a lifecycle is the only chance to innovate with a new audience.
"We take a different view. It is part of the role of a platform holder to have the confidence and to make the investment where necessary to show that six years into a lifecycle, there is a significant audience that is going to actively peruse new IP. And the onus on that is to deliver on those expectations."
Both Beyond, trailered below, and The Last of Us are expected to launch on PlayStation 3 some time next year.