10 Biggest PlayStation Risks (That Totally Backfired)
6. Banking On A "Halo Killer"
Halo, Microsoft's first person shooter series, is a behemoth. No bones about it, it's built up a fandom and millions in revenue since its 2001 debut.
As such, it has shifted Xboxes. Naturally, the competition want some of that, with Sony trying not once but quite a few times. So far we've had:
Killzone; which was an ambitious but poorly executed PS2 title in 2004. It started a franchise, but not as groundbreaking as expected.
Resistance; three arcade-style FPS' and two handheld games later, currently shelved by Insomniac since 2012. Fun, but no cigar.
Haze; the loudest proclaimer of the "Halo killers", it absolutely flopped on launch. Terrible story, worse gameplay and a mostly-brown colour palette saw it lambasted quickly enough.
The problem is the title itself: "Halo killer". It attaches a certain stigma, an expectation that a game will come along and topple the Chief. A game so amazing that it'll make Xbox/PC fans flock to PlayStation in droves.
Instead, Sony need to stop chasing that halcyon dream. Make something original (in as much as you can with an FPS) that stands on its own merits. Innovate, especially now Sony have acquired Bungie...