Ranking Every PlayStation Developer From Worst To Best (2020)
With the Xbox One X on the way, what's the status of Sony's first-party army?
2019 was a docile and elusive year for Sony, shrouded in a blanket of frustrating radio silence concerning their console future, peppered by a handful of divisive PS4 triple-A releases, and seeing them take major competition from Microsoft as a (once again) worthy challenger… but that all changed last month.
Sony busted out a 1-2-3 punch of exciting PS4 exclusives, with Last of Us Part 2, Marvel’s Iron Man VR, and Ghost of Tsushima. They then topped things off by finally unveiling the much-anticipated PS5 console, and unleashing reveals for all the exclusive gaming goodness that is impending.
The results have placed them back in the lead for the next-gen console race, especially since Microsoft fumbled their May presentation (although did much better recently), and Nintendo is fine with just sticking to the Switch for the foreseeable future.
It's odd to think that for the early generations of PlayStation consoles, the emphasis on first-party studio product was little more than an afterthought, yet, at present, that couldn’t be further from the truth, as Sony is holding onto a stable of the highest quality first-party studios in the business.
So, there is no better time then, to look at Sony's first-party arsenal and examine each studio's past highlights, what they are currently working on, and how they stack up against each other.
13. Forward Works
Recent Release: Disgaea RPG (mobile)
Past Highlights: Everyone's Golf (mobile), Arc the Lad R
In Development: PaRappa The Rapper (mobile), No Heroes Allowed! Dash
After getting burnt on portable and mobile markets in the past, Sony dusted itself off and created this mobile gaming division in 2016 with a less ambitious (and slightly smarter) mandate.
ForwardWorks brings older PS branded titles to smartphones and keeps their releases strictly within the Asian market.
They have created mobile spin-offs for Arc the Lad, Wild Arms, Toro, and Everybody's Golf, while promising to pump out new installments for Parappa the Rapper and more.
They've been decent earners for Sony and the novelty of continuing much beloved and long-dormant PS franchises is wonderful, but the division hardly does Nintendo's mobile business and will continue to remain an Asian market curiosity for us international gamers.