The Cross-Generational Conundrum

Sony officially kicked off the next generation of gaming with an exclusive shadow drop interview via Wired.com. While Microsoft has certainly implied that the unveiling of the next Xbox will take place at E3 2019, Sony has made itself first to market with solid intel and details on the next crop of gaming hardware. We even have our first next gen buzzword – “Ray Tracing!”

Mark Cerny divulged a lot of new information to Peter Rubin of Wired. But as expected, this has generated more questions than answers about what the next decade of video games may look like. Sony has cited a “gentle transition” between Playstation 4 and its next console. Which is fine, but presents a potentially awkward situation for gamers. If I’m honest, I’m not really looking forward to those first clumsy months of the Playstation 5.

There are several triple-A games that we know exist but have been given little information on. Some that immediately come to mind are Cyberpunk 2077, the sequel to Horizon Zero Dawn, Death Stranding, and even the next entry in the Assassin’s Creed franchise. Some, like Assassin’s Creed and Horizon, are rumored and we can safely assume are coming, but are yet to be actually confirmed by their publishers. Others like Cyberpunk and Death Stranding we’ve actually already seen game play of. What can be summarily concluded is these games will be some of the most anticipated in the next two to three years and will all have massive launches. But things get a little less clear after that. Some of these titles are Sony exclusives, while others will predictably be multi-platform releases. But will they cross generational lines?

During the interview with Wired, Peter Rubin specifically brought up Death Stranding. Being the brain child of Hideo Kojima, we (not surprisingly) have more questions than answers about this one. Rubin attempted to coax some information out of Cerny about the launch status of this game – when will it come and what system will it launch on? A public relations representative for Sony quickly interjected when these questions were posed, but a twinkle in the eye and a smirk on the mouth of Cerny somewhat suggested that Death Stranding may in fact be released on both Playstation 4 and Playstation 5.

And this is where I get a bit pissy. I am firmly against video games crossing generational lines. I will never forget playing Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag on my Playstation 3. This was a game that was released concurrently on both last gen and current gen consoles. While I was having a fantastic time with the game, as I do with all Assassin’s Creed games, I couldn’t help but feel like I was experiencing an inferior version of the Ubisoft title.

The same scenario took place with The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. As hard as I tried, I could not track down a brand new Nintendo Wii in the first few months after its release. I know I’m not alone on that one. While it’s common for inventory to be sparse for new consoles at launch, the Wii was particularity a high value and rare commodity. In any event, I was subjected to play the latest entry of The Legend of Zelda franchise on a friggin’ GameCube along with the rest of the unwashed masses who couldn’t find a Wii. Keep in mind that Twilight Princess was largely built for motion controls. This was meant as a tech demo of sorts for Nintendo’s new WiiMotes and was supposed to usher in a new era of motion based game play. So you’ll understand my frustration in being reduced to playing the game on an obtuse GameCube controller.

Now, let’s say you are one of the lucky ones to snag a brand new console at launch. You’ve stood in line for hours at a Best Buy or Gamestop, or spent an equally ridiculous amount of time hitting refresh to see if an online order will go through. You’ve paid your four to six hundred dollars and secured your spot in the next generation. Selfies are posted on social media of you with your shiny new box in its shiny new packaging. But honestly – what do you have to play? Very few, if any, of the launch titles available are actually developed for the new generation of consoles. Rather, as mentioned before, they were developed for previous platforms and ported to the new systems. These aren’t really new experiences fully utilizing new technology.

I will acknowledge that there are some exceptions. When the Playstation 4 launched, we had games like Knack and Killzone Shadow Fall that were built solely for and released on the Playstation 4. Unfortunately though, it seems not nearly as many people buy them – we favor the familiar franchises that are just ports. According to vgchartz.com, Killzone Shadow Fall sold 2.1 million units and Knack shipped a measly 1.0 million copies. Conversely, the Playstation 4 version of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag was purchased 3.9 million times. A last generation port sold more copies than two other games combined that were exclusively developed for new hardware. I get that Ubisoft’s sneaky stabby franchise has a much larger following than a new IP like Knack, or a less frequent franchise like Killzone. But it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense as to why gamers wouldn’t gravitate more towards games designed specifically for new technology.

This all creates a conflicting situation for developers and hardware makers as well. It would be in Sony’s best interest to launch the previously mentioned AAA titles exclusively on their new console. What that does is incentivize gamers to make the investment early on in the next generation to play these most sought after games. In turn, that stimulates and enhances the install base for the Playstation 5 in the infancy of the console.

On the other hand, developers and publishers just want to get their games in the hands of as many gamers as possible to maximize revenue. It makes most sense for them to launch on multiple consoles, regardless if one of those versions is just a port. Someone has to lose. Whether Sony sacrifices some early sales of the Playstation 5 as gamers have an excuse to hang onto their last generation hardware or developers cede some of their revenue potential by only launching on a new system that few people actually own.

And guess what? Everything I just outlined will be completely irrelevant within six months after release of the next generation of consoles. By that point gamers will have plenty of brand new games developed specifically for the Playstation 5 and the next Xbox. Don’t get me wrong – I am waiting with baited breath for a true hardware upgrade just like anyone. There’s an odd infatuation that I have with actually seeing what the new hardware will look like, a bit more even than knowing what is under the hood. However, I understand that the next generation doesn’t genuinely begin for a while. Get excited, but take your time before taking the leap. The next generation isn’t so much of a date as it is a process.