Talent agency Aoni Production announced on its website on Tuesday that voice actor Kazunari Tanaka passed away on Monday due to a hemorrhage in his brain stem. He was 49.
Aside from anime, Tanaka has also voiced roles in games such as Persona 5 (Junya Kaneshiro) and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle (Tamami Kobayashi).
Former PlayStation executive Shuehi Yoshida, who recently departed Sony after more than 30 years with the electronics giant, revealed that he went hands-on with Naughty Dog’s cancelled The Last of Us Online game, and came away quite impressed.
“But Bungie explained [to them] what it takes to make live service games, and Naughty Dog realised, ‘Oops, we can’t do that! If we do it, we can’t make Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet.’ So that was a lack of foresight.”
Well that was an expensive oopsie!
Why does everything multiplayer have to have some elaborate service plan? Factions 1 didn’t. It was just a good multiplayer with some add-ons down the road. Simple yet effective.
I just can't believe with how experienced NaughtyDog are and how long they've been in the company they'd have gotten so far with Factions II only to then realise at the very end they wouldn't have the manpower to manage a live service title and create a new single player game.
Factions II originally sounded like it was something that was going to come out shortly after TLOU2 similar to how Sucker Punch handled Ghost of Tsushima Legends. I remember when people were expecting Factions II in January - March 2021, like 6 months or so after the games original release.
This has always been a sticking point for me as well. Live service games aren't a new concept, and I don't believe that the studio had no idea of the level of commitment that type of game requires. And also, do we really need to hear that it was impressive, Shu? We're never going to play it! :P
I think there has to be a lot between the lines here. It surely can't really be "oh shucks, it's this and no more single player? K-thx-bye, 4-wasted-years"...
I don't think that Factions had the same player base that a sequel would bring. It was certainly manageable back when the first one was out.
Then Helldivers 2 just demonstrated a disastrous launch because they weren't prepared for the sheer amount of players.
Maintaining the new game and the infrastructure would pull resources from other games and I don't think that's what they wanted here.
@thorstein
"Maintaining the new game and the infrastructure would pull resources from other games and I don't think that's what they wanted here"
Well yeah and that's kind of my point
NaughtyDog have been around in the games industry for a long time now, they aren't stupid, they knew what kind of man power a GaaS title they had created would take and what they'd have to give up. To get to the very end and go "Damn. I didn't know this would take up all our time" after 3 years or something is kind of insane.
It was more than “just a good multiplayer” it was one of the best multiplayer experiences Sony has ever had.
Bottom-line was that they wanted to charge extra for it and make it standalone. They said that from the beginning and that was why they stripped it out of the remaster. Pure greed backfired on them and left them in a situation either having to sell a game that is drastically different to what people actually wanted or just have to explain why they were so greedily trying to charge for a multiplayer game that was a free portion of a full game previously.
In a sad way, as much as I loved it, I’m now glad it backfired on them. Glad it hit them in their pockets. Karma at its finest.
Because times change. I have seen people claim they want multi player like how it used to be, but are quick to drop a new game when they don't add enough new content every 2-3 months. Companies do it because it's what sells. Try releasing an online only game without any road map or enough content coming up every 2-3 months and watch your player drop.
Times change? They cancelled it. That’s what changed. I would’ve played it.
“Companies do it because it's what sells”
Then they shouldn’t have cancelled it.
You are actually correct but they're not going to listen to you. I've given up trying on this site. They don't understand that most online games are now service games. I've said the same thing you're telling them now. Make it like the old days and these guys will complain that there's no new content or road map for the old style online multiplayer. Even Sony's flagship game Gran Turismo is an online service game. They sell items, they add new cars and tracks and it's online connected. Doesn't matter what you say to them. Or the fact that they actually like service games but don't want to admit it. But bought millions of Hell Divers 2, Destiny, etc as well.
Gamers asked for online games and then bashed Sony for trying to give them what they asked for beyond single player games. It just wasn't sequels to favorite games like Killzone or Resistance because those games sold poorly on every sequel release. These guys didn't buy them enough to warrant bringing them back.
Even as a single player, Sony fan, I can see the truth. But they'd rather lie to themselves and complain. Or take no responsibility for the failed games they jumped on before release or the fact that Sony decided to cancel other online games like TLofU.
I’m sure it was. They should have got another studio to maintain it after release and have ND consult the ongoing direction. Oh well , spilled milk at this point
If only they did the same thing as the original
an additional bit of fun that turned out really great
but no, live service shit ruins even more
Shuhei Yoshida stated that Sony did not force studios to develop live service games, but decisions were likely made collaboratively.
Sorry Shu but I doubt that
NaughtyDog wouldn't have made Factions II into a bigger thing where it become too ambitious, Sony Bend wouldn't have done live service off their own backs, Bluepoint would definitely not wanted to do a live service God of War game after some fantastic remakes, I just don't see it happening when most of these studios lack the overall experience in the multiplayer live service space.
What are they going to say or do to big boss Jim Ryan when he asks them to? No? It's going to most likely be them nodding their head and agreeing incase there's any potential threat of being replaced by someone more compliant.
Shu literally just told us yesterday that Jim gave him a choice with his own position, either manage their Indie push or leave so imagine what he'd have done to a studio head saying "No thanks, I don't want to do live service". You think Jim is going to make a plan to get 12 live service games out by 2026 and give their studios a choice? I highly doubt it as they'd have never planned 12 to start with.
Jim Ryan vision was to invest heavily in gaas, what a coincidence.. thank God now tides are turning
It's not all Jim Ryan's fault and the tides aren't turning. It's the same old stuff. Sony is trying to make more money. It doesn't matter who is in the driver's seat. You really think their priority is what a few gamers think. Nah, because you're still gonna play playstation regardless.
So basically, you only believe him when what he says fits the narrative you agree with, how fun. You don't see it happening because you made up your own mind and when more information is revealed that goes against what you have already made up your mind about, you start complaining.
It's actually understandable why Bend wanted to try a live service game. They made days gone and many gamers refused to support it at full price. I absolutely loved it when many gamer complain a game they don't think is worth full price isn't getting a sequel. The game clearly didn't make the money it needed to make when it was selling at full price. Also Naughty Dog was making Factions 2 before Jim was ever in charge. It was their choice to make it a standalone game and it was their choice to drop it. If you think Shuhei is lying about this, then you should also consider he was lying about Jim.
Redemption,
"It's actually understandable why Bend wanted to try a live service game. They made days gone and many gamers refused to support it at full price." "The game clearly didn't make the money it needed to make when it was selling at full price. "
That is incorrect. They wanted to make Days Gone part 2, but Sony shot it down—exactly why you said, Sony didn't feel like it made enough money, so they were forced to do something else, and it fell right in line with Sony's management Gaas strategy...it's a situation of, you cant argue with the boss.
And, yet somehow, you blame gamers? the game was released with some issues, and even without that, it's not a blockbuster game, the masses of gamers did not flock to it.
"Also Naughty Dog was making Factions 2 before Jim was ever in charge. It was their choice to make it a standalone game and it was their choice to drop it."
This is true, but apparently, they dropped it because after years of wasted time, money & resources, because Bungie explained the type of commitment it takes to make a game like this work post-launch, and they decided they didn't have the manpower, so while I agree they were not forced, it was still silly to not anticipate the scope of a project, by ND and by Sony's leadership.
"So basically, you only believe him when what he says fits the narrative you agree with, how fun"
Have you ever thought of the possibility that when it comes to something whether it's a person, an opinion or an ideal that you don't have to fully commit to it and believe in everything they say or do 100%.
Is that a hard concept to grasp? What you should do is listen to what someone says and decide based on the information you have on the subject, things you've heard and witnessed over time to see if it lines up and form an opinion from that. It's not cherry picking it's just not being a blind sheep believing every single little thing someone says.
You don't pick a side and stick with it, that's not how things work. You can like someone, admire them and still disagree, it's actually the more healthier way of dealing with something in life rather than going along with something 100%, ride or die style.
I can believe him on Jim Ryan giving him that role because even when he went to managing Indie games people said it was a weird move for him based on what he used to do and I can disagree with him on this because like I've mentioned above it seems weird that the company puts a plan to make 12 live service games before 2026 and then gives their studios the option. What would have happened if they all said no? Where's the 12 GaaS titles coming from in that case? They already had to reduce the number to half of that in less than a year so I just can't see the logic of making that statement, reacting to what Microsoft was doing buying up Zenimax (then Activision) and then giving developers the choice especially when they know themselves they have no real experience with live service games. Also are you really telling me all their developers SUDDENLY wanted to make a live service game around the same time? Come on.
Going off your comments in the past and especially the comments you have scattered in this thread venting, it's not surprising you feel this way. The only reason you (and some others here who have crawled out of the wood work) are going on like this is because you're a big avid defender of live service games and get super annoyed when someone criticizes them so to you all of this is just a good chance for you to defend the concept of it, Jim Ryan and Sony's involvement in it.
@thesoftware730
That is incorrect. They wanted to make Days Gone part 2, but Sony shot it down—exactly why you said, Sony didn't feel like it made enough money, so they were forced to do something else, and it fell right in line with Sony's management Gaas strategy...it's a situation of, you cant argue with the boss.
You are wrong, the game was not pitched to Sony. Days Gone not getting a sequel was Studio Bends decision, the game was cancelled Internally before a pitch could ever reach Sony. The game had a high budget, lengthy development time and lukewarm critical and user reception.
Days Gone regardless of how you feel about it, didn't perform well when it was at full price. The creative director and writer for Days Gone, John Garvin said that, if you love a game and want a sequel, you should "buy it at f****** full price.
So, as I said before, the studio wanting to try a live service game, when gamers refused to support their single player game when it released is understandable. I still see people saying Days Gone isn't or wasn't worth it's price at $60. The only time, I saw huge love for the game was after it went on sale
If you read the quote he is actually following in line with the "narrative" as you put it.
The word "Forced" in this case is just semantics.
***
Yoshida explained, “From my experience, when studios see the company has a big initiative, they understand riding on that gives them a better chance of getting a project approved and supported.” ***
So yeah, while Sony didn't hold a gun to anyone's head perse, but as dev team, if you know what the higher ups are wanting/looking for you may be more inclined to go, "let's take a crack at making a live service game with this next project" as opposed doing what you do best. So it's more of a hint/push/nudge instead of being "forced" to do so, but the end result is essentially the same where you have an influx of live service projects going on that most likely wouldn't have happened without that initiative from the guys up top.
@-Foxtrot
Yeah we get it fox, if someone says something that aligns with you opinions you believe them, but when the same person says something that doesn't align with whatever opinion or narrative you have cooked up, you question them. That is such a perfect way to view things
The studios were not forced. Sucker Punch, Sony Santa Monica, Housemarque, Team Asobi, Media Molecules and Nixxes Software are not known to be working on any live service games. A decent amount of those working on live service games got acquired by Sony, who were already working on said games. Naughty Dog drops their live service game to work on a single player game. If they were forced, the game wouldn't have been dropped.
From what I see, it would have been better if he lied and say Sony forced them, bet you and everyone crying would not have questioned him if he at all.
So if someone makes sense in a series of statements one should start believing them no matter what they say next? You do realize the actual healthy and mature thing to do is exactly not that right? What is this a cult?
You should learn from this. Don’t be a fanboy.
Exactly this. Sony came out and stated their plans to push live service games. Does anyone imagine it was just chance and all those many devs wanting to do microtransaction IPs at once? More likely it was a collaboration that could not be refused type situation.
I... have a very hard time believing that. There's no way that every PS studio coincidentally wanted to work on live service games all of a sudden, when nearly none of them had any experience with that. That's so far fetched. I understand that Shu may have been told that, but I don't think it's true.
Well that is a lie you just made up, every Sony wasn't working on a live service game. But hey, we can also pretend, Sucker Punch, Sony Santa Monica, Housemarque, Team Asobi, Media Molecules and Nixxes Software were all working on live service games. 😂
It seems that many gamers do not like information that goes against things they have made up their minds about. Also, Naughty Dog for example was working on Factions 2 long before Sony wanted to try a live service push. Most of the studios they acquired, such as Bungie were already working on a live service game. But as I said, we can pretend everything and lie to ourselves all PS studios were working on live service games
Welcome to the age where gamers are "informing" themselves by watching YouTube grifters and reading X.
I understand your point, but it's not intended as some lie. People very commonly use the words "every", "everyone", and "everything" in non literal terms. It's just hyperbolic to convey that's what it feels like.
And tbf, we don't know that those teams aren't or weren't working on live service. Each studio has more than one team. Except MM, I'm not sure if they've expanded enough for a second team yet.
Yoshida San you are one of the people I most respect in this industry and to be honest I’m not sure what’s going on in your mind for saying something like that.
Sony may not have forced but may have also not given much choice, or may have hinted at the kind of projects that would most likely get green-lit.
We can choose all the words we want but when the end result is the same then I’m inclined to believe Sony wanted this and I’m glad it’s looking like a shot in the foot and I hope that shot hurts, burns and lingers, so they remember what made their games great and go back to that pronto!
Funny how everything this guy has said besides this in the last few articles have been treated as gospel but this one comment its all "yeah i don't believe that"
I know right, they believed everything he said before, but the second he says something that goes against, whatever narrative they cooked up in their heads, they say, naaaaaa, we don't believe you.
Have you ever heard of 1/2 truth?
It is highly possible to say a lot of true things and then say something that is not fully true. When something is very easy to see like when a company assigns a project to developers they don't have to many options, as he is implying, as it's clear Bend wanted to make DG2 and was shot down by the Brass... normally, a company dictate what its employees work on, plain and simple, bend had no choice but to do it, quit, or be fired.
You can usually cover negative press, like he is doing by telling 1/2 truths, corporations, and people in the business do it quite often.
Why whould he lie when he ain't working there he already said Jim gave him a choice be thrown out or work on indies teams. Ya people to focus on hating Jim all these years and hating live service games and now seems y'all edging toward hating shu now because certain reason y'all brain cant handle what he said
Blackblades,
I don't hate anyone lol.
And I like live service games, I have played Division 2, FF 11(for 5 years), path of exiles, Destiny 2 among others.
Currently playing D4, PoE 2, and CoD.
I wasnt talking about you more talking about everyone else that sat there and threw blame at Jim and then for some reason threw blame at hermen. Now shu is telling it all after he retired of what really went down behind the scenes. Now people wanna turn there back on tbis man on this particular thing after praising him. Because he said something what they didnt wanna hear........
***
Yoshida explained, “From my experience, when studios see the company has a big initiative, they understand riding on that gives them a better chance of getting a project approved and supported.” ***
^^^ That's pretty much what people are saying though. It's not being "forced" to do so, but same effect. Like how unlimited PTO leads to workers taking less time off even though they aren't being "forced" to do so.
Shuhei Yoshida says the launch of Xbox games on PS5 is a "victory" for PlayStation owners, offering access to previously unavailable titles.
Replies(5)
While I agree on
• “Looking at the install base of Xbox, I think it’s natural to understand what they’re doing.”
I still can't help myself and personally view
• “I think it’s a win for PlayStation owners. They’re going to access to games they didn’t previously have access to,”
a bit differently.
Microsoft today owns +20 former multiplatform IPs that came with many of their acquisitions.
It ain't a stretch to conclude now that today, other than compared 10 years ago, Microsoft indeed publishes more games on Playstation. But IPs to which Playstation (and Xbox too, actually) have had access to even before.
But then of course there are IPs like Forza, Grounded, SoT or Age of Mythology, that were or now are going to be premieres on Playstation.
Yes on all your points. Microsoft owns a bunch of studios and if theycontinue to put those studio's games on PlayStation and put their classic franchises on PlayStation then it's good from the PlayStation consumer no doubt.
I agree with this.
To add another point though. For every game MS puts onto Playstation they will be keeping 70% of gross store sales and then you still subtract development and advertising which might only leave you about 20% to 50% of gross, depending on the success of the game. The store owner, in this case PSN, will make 30%. So obviously this arrangement benefits Sony as they have low risk to make that chuck of change.
More games are always a win if they are not bad. I bought Killer Instinct and Halo Collection years ago on Steam and for both games a PS5 version would mean more players. ..and hopefully a new Killer Instinct someday. Most new MS games however won't be bought from me on any system.
Mick Gordon better make the soundtrack for 2 then cause that game had some absolute bangers
Damn right. His new takes on the old character themes, especially Spinals were fantastic. KI had one of the best fighting game soundtracks since and for a long time. Would say only on par was Street Fighter 5..and that alone because it had so many good tunes. But KI's was a lot more creative.
yeah I think it was definitely hitting the nostalgia strings, I can understand if people who didn't play the other games might not have the exact same reaction to it, but it was so good nontheless. I think my fav is Inferno. He has some spare time now bethesda isn't trying to scam him anymore for his incredible work on Doom, there's hope.
I haven't played that many fighting games but from my limited knowledge Strive takes the cake, I really love the sound of almost all of their songs. Maybe I should also play the game now XD
I'd even settle for a remake to whet the appetite. Lost Odyssey and Legend of Dragoon are two titles I feel will never happen but I hope they do.
Remaster of Lost Odyssey
Build up interest
Hope it does fantastic sales wise
Mistwalker notices the games second wind and decides on doing a sequel
A new franchise is started
*fingers crossed*
I'm looking forward to playing Forza Horizon 5 on PS5. I've got a Series S and played the game through Game Pass, but I haven't been subbed to that for a long time. Loved the game itself a lot though and will definitely be purchasing it. I purchased Hi-Fi Rush as soon as it came to PS5 as well, again after playing it and loving it on Game Pass.
R. I. P. sorry to hear that. I wonder if this Sony exclusive was some of his last work. I will enjoy it.
Not good , 49 is not old , so too soon
RIP man. Way too young for this to happen :L
R.I.P.
Persona 5 curse? Just like the omen