Sony Looking to Revive Past IPs and Classic Franchises, Says PlayStation CEO Hermen Hulst

Sony is open to exploring PlayStation's past IPs and classic game franchises, co-CEO Hermen Hulst has said in a new interview. Hulst, the CEO of Studio Business Group at Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), talked about the PlayStation portfolio, IP expansion and broadening the range of games available on the platform in a wide-ranging conversation with Famitsu. The executive said Sony was constantly reviewing its portfolio of titles and exploring introducing new types of games.

Sony Looking at Older PlayStation IPs

In addition to its existing popular franchises like God of War, The Last of Us and Ratchet & Clank, Sony has a wealth of classic franchises and older IPs from its previous generation consoles. Hulst said the PlayStation parent was exploring reviving some of them.

“The numerous IP holdings we hold are important assets for PlayStation, and as part of our efforts to strengthen our portfolio, we are continuously looking at opportunities to leverage past IPs, as well as developing new franchises,” Hulst said in the Famitsu interview published Saturday (translated from Japanese).

Sony has several popular IPs that have been dormant for years, including franchises like Bloodborne, Infamous and Resistance. Classic franchises like Ape Escape, Jak and Daxter, Sly Cooper, Syphon Filter and many more could be picked for revival, as well.

The SIE co-CEO also emphasised the importance of partnerships with external studios to expand PlayStation offerings.

“The key is to have a wide range of games in your portfolio that can be enjoyed by players of all demographics,” Hulst said. “In order to provide PlayStation players with fresh joy and experiences, we are constantly reviewing our portfolio to expand the genres we are looking for and introduce new types of games.

“Our goal is to publish games from some of the best creators in the world, both internally and externally, and we've had a lot of success by working closely with external development studios.”

Hulst, however, did not reveal the number of first-party titles currently in development for PS5, but said there were many games in the works. “Our portfolio has a wide range of games, so there's sure to be something for everyone,” he said.

Sony-owned studios are working on their next projects, but only a few first-party games have been confirmed. Sucker Punch's Ghost of Yotei will launch in 2025, while Insomniac Games is working on a Wolverine game. Naughty Dog revealed its next project, a new IP — Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet — at The Game Awards 2024.

Hulst's comments on PlayStation IP comes after Sony CFO Hiroki Totoki said in September that the company didn't have enough original IP.

“Whether it's for games, films or anime, we don't have that much IP that we fostered from the beginning,” Totoki had said in an interview with FT. “We're lacking the early phase (of IP) and that's an issue for us.”