PlayStation fans have reacted to the news that Sony is now using AI as part of its strategy.
In Sony’s recent annual report filed to the US Securities and Exchange Commission, the company provides an outline of its new strategy for the Game & Network Services (G&NS) division, which oversees PlayStation.
And while a lot of this is just business jargon, one aspect that has caught the eye is a section about how “Sony is utilizing AI to unleash the creativity of studios and further enhance the PlayStation experience”.
It goes on to describe how Sony is aiming to “improve productivity through the use of AI-powered tools, allowing development teams to reinvest their time into building richer worlds and gameplay experiences”.
Now, it’s not exactly clear to what extent AI will play a role in PlayStation games going forward based on this alone.
On a first reading, it appears to suggest that AI will be used to more menial tasks with a view to freeing up time for developers to work on the more creative side of game development.
But following various controversies surrounding the likes of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and more recently, 1666: Amsterdam, with regard to generative AI textures being used in development, the idea of any AI being used in gaming remains a touchy one.
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One Reddit user lampooned the situation, suggesting that developers were only referencing AI to appeal to investors as a buzzword: “Writing the word AI on a whiteboard and circling it and then turning back to investors who are hooting and hollering, the applause is deafening, the auditorium fills with an ocean of cash, and people can barely get out.”
Others were rather more cynical: “Sony embracing the same technology that’s increased hardware prices to the point consumers can’t afford their consoles, great business strategy there Sony.”
The filing also confirmed what has been an open secret in the industry for a while now, which is that PlayStation exclusives will no longer be coming to PC.
For several years, PS exclusives have been making their way onto PC after a year or two, with the likes of God of War, Ghost of Tsushima and Death Stranding all having landed on Steam.
But ahead of releases like Marvel’s Wolverine, Sony has officially changed tact, opting to retain its console exclusives, likely in a bid to make PS5 consoles a more attractive prospect again following a year of price rises.
Despite that strategy, it appears some fans simply aren’t willing to put up the money for a new console – especially in the case of the PS5 Pro – and are more than willing to forego PlayStation titles if they never come to PC.
“The corporate executives making decisions are so out of touch of what regular people do and how they live,” another Reddit user remarked.
“I’m never going to spend $800 on a PS5 Pro. Ever. I’m quite happy to spend money on traditional PS games like TLOU and Spider-Man to play on my PC.”
We’ll, we have bad news for them, because the PS5 Pro is actually $900 now – best of luck, Sony!
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