Sony Launches New Studio For TV Shows And Films Based On PlayStation Properties
Sony's PlayStation exclusives are often praised for their storytelling. They're so good, in fact, that some wonder: why hasn't Sony developed other content around these properties?
Internally, it seems Sony has been asking itself that same question.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sony is spinning up an entirely new media arm called PlayStation Productions. And that studio, says the Reporter, will be tasked with creating TV shows and films based on a number of PlayStation franchises.
"We've got 25 years of game development experience and that's created 25 years of great games, franchises and stories," said Sony's Shawn Layden. "We feel that now is a good time to look at other media opportunities across streaming or film or television to give our worlds life in another spectrum."
It's a move that makes a whole lot of sense. From Uncharted to The Last of Us to Horizon Zero Dawn to God of War, Sony has a mountain of intellectual properties that could make a successful transition to film. Sony, being a massive corporate entity with a slew of subsidiaries, has experience making TV shows and movies. The entire operation exists in house, which means communication shouldn't be a big concern. And Layden, who oversees all of Sony Interactive Entertainment, will have the head of PlayStation Productions reporting directly to him.
Simply put: if someone comes along and butchers a highly anticipated Last of Us film, there'll be no one else to blame. If it works, though, Sony Interactive Entertainment suddenly has a whole lot of new cash flowing in.
Layden states that Sony wants to grow PlayStation Productions "in a measured, thoughful way," so the company isn't coming right out of the gate with a bunch of upcoming projects. In fact, none have been announced yet. The way Sony sees it, getting the right pieces into place is more important than getting something out quickly. So if you have your heart set on seeing Kratos and Atreus rowing silently on a boat in live action, you might be waiting a while.
Shawn Layden will reportedly be speaking about PlayStation Worldwide Studios at Toronto's Collision Conference tomorrow. If anything newsworthy comes up about PlayStation Productions (or anything PlayStation-related, for that matter), we'll keep you in the loop.