• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Hermen Hulst: "It's massively important that PlayStation Studios develops games in various genres, the family market is important for us to focus on"

O

onQ123

Member
There is a onQ thread for that

www.neogaf.com

I think Sony will also try to fill the void left by Nintendo no longer making a dedicated home console with the PS5

DualSense & Astro Bot seem like a pitch to the devs & studios to make unique games that take advantage of the DualSense controller.
www.neogaf.com www.neogaf.com

sxWym3i.png
 
nial

nial

Member
Angry_Megalodon said:
He's like a politician, capitalizing on other people's success.

If it were for him, Team Asobi would be Team Aloy, with the only mission of bringing everybody's favorite redhead to every living room and screen across the globe.
Click to expand...
I mean, that's literally the case. I think this reply also works for you, my dear Megalodon.
nial said:
The studio was literally established under Hermen Hulst's watch.

Man, why are you letting your hatred for this guy stop you from thinking in a rational way? As I said above, Hermen Hulst was the one driving force behind getting Doucet's team to become its own department at SIE, and look at the production values of the game. Isn't that enough support for you?
Click to expand...
 
nial

nial

Member
FunkMiller said:
Do shut the fuck up Concord Boy. If you had it you’re way, Astrobot would be far behind your GaaS slop in sales.
Click to expand...
😐
nial said:
The studio was literally established under Hermen Hulst's watch.

Man, why are you letting your hatred for this guy stop you from thinking in a rational way? As I said above, Hermen Hulst was the one driving force behind getting Doucet's team to become its own department at SIE, and look at the production values of the game. Isn't that enough support for you?
And yes, as the main supervisor of the game, he has every right to be proud of it.
Click to expand...
 
Astray

Astray

Member
The one thing I find to be somewhat strange is how much more promotion Astro Bot is getting at launch compared to Concord.

Like Astro is getting China Joy booths, Summer Games Fest playtesting, massive in-store activations and actual TV advertisements. Meanwhile Concord got like 2 State of Play placements and a few character trailers?

I'm not entirely sure if Sony pulled marketing funds from one to the other, signifying some sort of last minute loss of faith, or if they somehow still had faith, but just didn't have the right strategy to promote Concord anyways? Even the release dates being so close together are weird.

Super odd all around tbh.
 
Last edited:
James Sawyer Ford

James Sawyer Ford

Gold Member
Killjoy-NL said:
But Gaf told me Hulst wants to shut down Team Asobi and doesn't want Astro Bot?
Click to expand...

This was all bullshit spread by David Jaffe who doesn't have a clue

The idea that they'd shut down a successful studio that was integral for launching the PS5 and is pretty small in terms of operating costs is literally insane. It was never in the cards and Jaffe is making shit up

What's sad is now people run with the narrative and blame Hermen for every goddamn thing. It's really stupid.
 
Last edited:
Guardian Monkey

Guardian Monkey

Member
Yes, go back to basics, focus on streamlined gameplay. Astrobot is a great example of a direction they need to move toward. I’m not saying give up on the other Naughty dog games that are more adult themed, looking towards smaller scope less complex but easy to pick up games is a direction they should develop further in. Someone needs to put some more pressure on Nintendo in that regards.
 
P

Physiognomonics

Member
nial said:
I mean, that's literally the case. I think this reply also works for you, my dear Megalodon.
Click to expand...
The studio was established thanks to Shuhei Yoshida support for Doucet. Hulst had to let at least a few japanese crumbs, as long as Shue was there. Anyways Team Asobi investment is nothing compared to the western studios. Peanuts for them with their billions dollars investment into GAAS shit.

They could afford it but did they show any confidence about anything Team Asobi? Where is the Limited Edition Astrobot game? (BTW where is my limited edition of Demon's Souls?). Where is my Special Astrobot lego? Worse Doucet had to pass exams and show those corporate clowns proofs concepts of their game. How shameful after 2 successful Astrobot games and great critical reception of everything they have done for playstation since 10+ years.

But then they bought Concord (and plenty other unproved and risky companies) with their eyes closed only because it was GAAS and followed the latest woke trends?

I haven't finished with all this bullshit guys.
 
Last edited:
kaizenkko

kaizenkko

Member
Astray said:
The one thing I find to be somewhat strange is how much more promotion Astro Bot is getting at launch compared to Concord.

Like Astro is getting China Joy booths, Summer Games Fest playtesting, massive in-store activations and actual TV advertisements. Meanwhile Concord got like 2 State of Play placements and a few character trailers?

I'm not entirely sure if Sony pulled marketing funds from one to the other, signifying some sort of last minute loss of faith, or if they somehow still had faith, but just didn't have the right strategy to promote Concord anyways? Even the release dates being so close together are weird.

Super odd all around tbh.
Click to expand...
Sony has in-house game reviewers, I'm sure that they knew that Concord would be a flop (maybe not of that level) and Astro Bot would be GOTY contender. Besides that, the public reaction pos their last State of Play really send a message.
 
DarkstarRising13

DarkstarRising13

Member
I wish E3 was still around because the reception the audience makes from that event is enough to change the direction for console makers and developers like Sony and Microsoft. Proof of this is the overwhelmingly negative reception to the disastrous Xbox One reveal back at E3 2013, and we all know what happened next.

Had E3 still survived to this day and Sony showed off the trailers for Concord and FairGame$ that they've done for their State of Play on Youtube, the HUGE amount of negativity towards these two videos would have been enough to cause Sony to delay these two titles and - rightfully so - quietly cancel them and write them off for tax purposes. Even with E3 dead, players still have the power to move the chess titles in their direction, not out-of-touch suits.
 
Tiago Rodrigues

Tiago Rodrigues

Member
I mean...this gen literally started with Astro's Playroom installed in every PS5. They released Sackboy as a launch PS5 game. They released a Ratchet & Clank game like 8 months later, there's Lego Horizon in a few months. Astro Bot is a GOTY contender.

You only need to pay attention to know they do invest in smaller more family friendly titles. People just like to talk about GaaS for some reason.

Now if you'll excuse me, i'll have to get back to Astro Bot.
 
DerivedDataCache

DerivedDataCache

Member
Astray said:
The one thing I find to be somewhat strange is how much more promotion Astro Bot is getting at launch compared to Concord.

Like Astro is getting China Joy booths, Summer Games Fest playtesting, massive in-store activations and actual TV advertisements. Meanwhile Concord got like 2 State of Play placements and a few character trailers?

I'm not entirely sure if Sony pulled marketing funds from one to the other, signifying some sort of last minute loss of faith, or if they somehow still had faith, but just didn't have the right strategy to promote Concord anyways? Even the release dates being so close together are weird.

Super odd all around tbh.
Click to expand...
I've seen Concord ads on reddit, youtube, twitch. That game got pushed more than any other PS game to date.
 
Mibu no ookami

Mibu no ookami

Demoted Member® Pro™
kaizenkko said:
Sony has in-house game reviewers, I'm sure that they knew that Concord would be a flop (maybe not of that level) and Astro Bot would be GOTY contender. Besides that, the public reaction pos their last State of Play really send a message.
Click to expand...

If you read many of the reviews, you'd see a lot of public sentiment definitely shaded the reviews.

Knocking a game for not being innovative or deciding that the game was sound and well made but doesn't have a future...

Biases like these should be left out of reviews.

Imagine reviewing a movie for a publication and then dinging the movie because you don't think it will do well at the box office.

Maybe as an element of an GaaS/Live Service game that depends on community, that's a factor, but realistically this game was probably mid 70s low 80s with bias and expectations removed.

Examples:

Concord largely nails the fundamentals - it feels highly responsive, is handsomely made, has good feeling, if slower gunplay than other games, super stable servers and minor concerns aside, has a roster of mostly well balanced characters. With Concord's obviously passionate team of developers confirming that they are - 70, PlayStation Universe
Click to expand...

Concord provides a highly enjoyable and satisfying FPS experience, but needs more time in the oven if it wants to succeed in the highly competitive hero shooter and live-service market. - 70, twinfinite
Click to expand...

Concord is a decent shooter with rock-solid mechanics and AAA visuals, but that’s not enough to attract an audience to yet another live-service game. As is, it’s a fine release, albeit one that feels like it was pumped out of a boardroom algorithm. If you’ve got $40 to spare and aren’t hung up by comparisons to similar shooters - 70, PCMag
Click to expand...

Concord is a hero shooter with effective graphics and really fun gunplay, features that fail to stand out due to the presence of significant issues, both in terms of roster balance and the characterization of individual fighters. The functioning of the round mode needs to be reviewed and the progression system seemed to us to lack bite, due to rewards that are not worthy of attention. In short, the situation of the title by Firewalk Studios is not rosy at all at the moment. - 65, everyeye.it
Click to expand...

These descriptions don't match the grades. The game was apparently polished and functional, with good gameplay, and launched as a live service game without being a buggy mess. I've definitely seen games get better reviews in worse states than that.

It's a shame the studio made the mistakes that it did. After the feedback from the beta, they should have delayed and retooled. There are a lot of lessons to learn here, but there is also probably an issue in the gaming community and among journalists...

Same journos who gave Cyberpunk an 86 when it was unplayable.
 
nial

nial

Member
Physiognomonics said:
The studio was established thanks to Shuhei Yoshida support for Doucet.
Click to expand...
No, it wasn't. Shuhei Yoshida stopped being president of SIE WWS in November 2019, Team Asobi was established in April 2021. Yes, it's true that Doucet had a small team previously, but it's nothing compared to the current department that exists thanks to Hermen Hulst.
Physiognomonics said:
Anyways Team Asobi investment is nothing compared to the western studios.
Click to expand...
Moving the goalposts? This has been the case with SCE for 24 years at this point.
Physiognomonics said:
They could afford it but did they show any confidence about anything Team Asobi? Where is the Limited Edition Astrobot game? (BTW where is my limited edition of Demon's Souls?). Where is my Special Astrobot lego?
Click to expand...
What does this have to do with confidence, at all? All the marketing push the game received WAS a sign of confidence.
Physiognomonics said:
Worse Doucet had to pass exams and show those corporate clowns proofs concepts of their game. How shameful after 2 successful Astrobot games and great critical reception of everything they have done for playstation since 10+ years.
Click to expand...
Welcome to the world of game development.
Physiognomonics said:
But then they bought Concord (and plenty other unproved and risky companies) with their eyes closed only because it was GAAS and followed the latest woke trends?
Click to expand...
You really believe that Firewalk didn't have to go through everything you just mentioned?
This little Concord meltdown is getting really dumb.
 
nial

nial

Member
Dr. Samuel Hayden said:
Interesting. Is that why you shut down Japan Studio?

This guy is a politician, just like Phil Spencer, and will say whatever sounds good at the time. Astro is a success despite him, not because of him.
Click to expand...
That's some copium, alright.
DerivedDataCache said:
I've seen Concord ads on reddit, youtube, twitch. That game got pushed more than any other PS game to date.
Click to expand...
trolling?
 
kaizenkko

kaizenkko

Member
Mibu no ookami said:
If you read many of the reviews, you'd see a lot of public sentiment definitely shaded the reviews.

Knocking a game for not being innovative or deciding that the game was sound and well made but doesn't have a future...

Biases like these should be left out of reviews.

Imagine reviewing a movie for a publication and then dinging the movie because you don't think it will do well at the box office.

Maybe as an element of an GaaS/Live Service game that depends on community, that's a factor, but realistically this game was probably mid 70s low 80s with bias and expectations removed.

Examples:









These descriptions don't match the grades. The game was apparently polished and functional, with good gameplay, and launched as a live service game without being a buggy mess. I've definitely seen games get better reviews in worse states than that.

It's a shame the studio made the mistakes that it did. After the feedback from the beta, they should have delayed and retooled. There are a lot of lessons to learn here, but there is also probably an issue in the gaming community and among journalists...

Same journos who gave Cyberpunk an 86 when it was unplayable.
Click to expand...
Concord is a complete piece of shit. I'm glad that it fail so fucking hard.
 
EDMIX

EDMIX

Writes a lot, says very little
nial said:
I mean, that's literally the case. I think this reply also works for you, my dear Megalodon.
Click to expand...
You are talking to a person that seems to have more rows of teeth then rationality lol

They have their own narrative and agenda they are seeking to force and sadly logic, research and actual facts seem to not be part of it.

Like....he wants to stop the studio he help start? He wants to stop them so much, they made the studio larger? He hates them Soooooooo much, Astrobot just released?

Some wild logic there....

Astray Astray Well...not really, I don't find anything odd about that.

I mean, they saw Concord fail with very little marketing, why would they repeating marketing less with their next big game???

Its likely after Concord, they felt they needed to market Astrobot much more as imho, a lot of Concords failings is in how it was marketed and how little it was marketed. I think I heard about that game more here then anywhere else, its not even just the frequency, its the message itself...if you see the trailer for Concord, you would not even know its a MP title lol So how can you sell to a market, you are also marketing poorly to?

Astrobot's trailers off bat show exactly what the game is.

So I don't see anything odd with correcting a mistake. I'd expect them to with how expensive Concord was
 
Last edited:
Elfstar

Elfstar

Member
I can't see them getting a families & kids audience now, after years of telling them to fuck off elsewhere and a console that costs 500/550+ bucks.
 
Last edited:
S

SHA

Member
Yes, I like to play home alone movie, family genre are my favorite.
 
Last edited:
diffusionx

diffusionx

Gold Member
Mibu no ookami said:
These descriptions don't match the grades. The game was apparently polished and functional, with good gameplay, and launched as a live service game without being a buggy mess. I've definitely seen games get better reviews in worse states than that.

It's a shame the studio made the mistakes that it did. After the feedback from the beta, they should have delayed and retooled. There are a lot of lessons to learn here, but there is also probably an issue in the gaming community and among journalists...

Same journos who gave Cyberpunk an 86 when it was unplayable.
Click to expand...
Concord was not good. Here's a video that breaks down the issues with the gameplay in as fair a manner as possible:



The best thing you could say about Concord was that it functioned (but it's not like the servers were stressed). And Cyberpunk was a great game on day one... On PC. The only platform that reviewers were allowed to see before they reviewed it. People forget that CDPR committed fraud with the PS4/Xbox One versions, in so many words. They intentionally and knowingly lied about the state of the game in an effort to conceal it to pump up their stock and maximize sales before people found out. There were lawsuits about this!


Trilobit said:
I've been asking for a new Sly Cooper game for years as I love platform adventurers and few IPs do what SC did so amazingly. I really hope Sony brings back Ape Escape etc. as I'm getting a bit tired of cinematic blockbusters on my PS5.
Click to expand...

I said this in another thread. This is not a situation like where Nintendo cultivated their franchises over the decades and generations, to the point where a Mario movie can come out in 2023 and make a billion dollars. Sly Cooper is totally irrelevant. They sort of half-assed a game on PS3 but it went back into the vault after that. I think Sony should be trying to make new franchises for today's kids and families. That's one of the strengths of Astro Bot, I think. They should look at it from that POV, not what old franchises can they dig up.
 
Last edited:
akira__

akira__

Banned
Physiognomonics said:
Give me a break. First you have no right to congrat yourself for Astrobot because without Shu support there would not be Doucet's team and this game. Second you failed and should just quit.
Click to expand...
Show us on the doll, Where he hurt you.


Why is it always when playstation execs say anything, it's being scrutinised as if they stole your car
 
Last edited:
O

onQ123

Member
Elfstar said:
I can't see them getting a families & kids audience now, after years of telling them to fuck off elsewhere and a console that costs 500/550+ bucks.
Click to expand...
You're kidding right? That high price tag is somehow helping PS5 make it into a lot of homes.
 
Elfstar

Elfstar

Member
onQ123 said:
Would it?

PS5 is kinda wearing a status like Apple products right now.
Click to expand...
It definitely isn't an iPhone. In the end of the day a lot people just can't afford a 550$/€ console no matter what. Or maybe they will when consoles-exclusive GTA6 comes up next year. I don't know.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Astro Bot is ‘very, very important’ as an IP for PlayStation, says boss Hermen Hulst
Game Dev
42
2K
yurinka replied
PlayStation names Hermen Hulst and Hideaki Nishino as its new CEOs
News 5 6 7 8 9
420
25K
nial replied
Variety: PlayStation CEOs Hideaki Nishino and Hermen Hulst Reveal How New Two-Business Strategy Impacts Studio, Console Plans
2
72
4K
Calico345 replied
BREAKING: Sony is shutting down Firewalk Studios, the maker of the recent shooter Concord (Update: Neon Koi is also closing)
13 14 15 16 17
824
44K
ArtHands replied
First Public Comments from Hideaki Nishino & Hermen Hulst as Newly Appointed PlayStation CEOs
Business 2
93
6K
Hypereides replied
Top Bottom