The PlayStation 5 is off to a great start and its consoles are selling out across the world. It launched with major games including Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Demon's Souls, and has titles like Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart and Horizon Forbidden West coming before too long. However, there's one aspect of the PS5-era of PlayStation that's worrying a certain segment of its audience. Japanese gamers are worried the company is leaving Japan behind, though PlayStation Studios boss Hermen Hulst says there's no need to worry.
The issue stems from PlayStation's growing westernization in recent years. Decisions like moving PlayStation headquarters to the United States and hiring former PlayStation UK head Jim Ryan to become CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment are perhaps the most significant examples. But other things, like the closure of Sony's Japan Studio, and its new focus on western studios like Guerrilla Games, Naughty Dog, and Sucker Punch, have contributed to the situation.
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It's become enough of an issue that PlayStation decided to directly address the matter in a newly published Q&A with Hulst. The question for Hulst asks whether Japan remains a focus for development, or if PlayStation is shifting toward a western focus. Hulst responds by saying, "Oh no, I want to be very clear that Japanese games and Japanese talent remain extremely important to [PlayStation]." He goes on to say that both Japan and Asia are associated with Sony, the PlayStation brand, and PlayStation's top franchise's success.
As an example of PlayStation's continued focus on Japan, he points to Sony's PlayStation 5 showcase event from 2020. He says that the games shown during the event featured a "Japanese influence" and were a key part of "PlayStation's DNA." Hulst goes on to mention that games from Japan and Asia have potential and are high quality. He also mentions Polyphony Digital being an important part of the PlayStation family and building Team Asobi into a world-class studio in Tokyo.
Notably, Hulst does not directly address the idea that PlayStation's priorities have shifted, or that the west has become a larger priority for the company over time. He only clarifies that Japan remains a priority for PlayStation, though he does also place Japan in the same group as Asia, which is an odd association given the question focused solely on Japan.
It can both be true that PlayStation continues to prioritize Japan while also prioritizing it less than years prior due to a shift in focus toward the west. Even with the closure of Japan Studio and other shifts toward the United States, PlayStation still has a much stronger relationship with third-party developers in Japan than other platforms. Though the possibility of that changing seems higher than ever.
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Source: PlayStation Blog