Sony's Plan to Make PlayStation the Ultimate Gaming Destination

As the head of third-party portfolio and acquisitions at Sony Interactive Entertainment, Shawne Benson is well-positioned to outline the company's strategy for making PlayStation the go-to platform for gamers. Benson has been with Sony since 2017 and took on her current role in 2021. In a recent conversation with GamesIndustry.biz, she discussed the significant changes she has witnessed in her role as part of the larger PlayStation strategy, largely due to the console generation lifecycle. When Benson first joined Sony, the focus was on driving value for the PS4 audience and promoting PSVR. However, with the launch of PS5, the focus shifted to content acquisitions and driving excitement around the new console. The way Sony thinks about partnerships has also changed, with a greater emphasis on future-thinking and considering what the next three to five years will look like in the gaming industry. Benson notes that exclusivity is no longer the primary focus, but rather making the PlayStation version of a game stand out. Sony is more interested in exploring technologies that make PS5 shine, such as haptics, adaptive triggers, and 3D audio. The company doesn't pay for the adoption of these features, but it will work on partnerships that include marketing or development support if it's a good fit for the PlayStation story. When it comes to VR, Benson says the competitive landscape is different, and Sony is more focused on supporting the developer community and helping them bring content to PSVR2. The company takes a different approach to its VR partnerships, offering development funding and marketing support to studios that need it. In contrast, Sony's approach to PC is more about supporting both the partner and the platform, rather than competing with other consoles. Benson stresses the importance of smaller developers to Sony, saying they are the 'lifeblood' of the platform. She notes that indie games offer innovation and influence AAA games, and Sony prioritizes them alongside bigger titles. The company has a dedicated team to support indies, led by Shuhei Yoshida and Greg Rice, who are passionate about small developers and their games. Benson is confident that Sony won't repeat the mistakes of the past, when it shifted its focus too much to AAA games, and is committed to supporting indie developers throughout the PS5 generation.