Game Industry’s Narrow Focus Becoming a Challenge, Says Sony’s Yoshida

Sony and its executives such as Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida have pushed indie games heavily in recent years and the investment in these games is necessary for a healthy industry Yoshida has told Bloomberg.

Small games such as Tokyo Jungle and The Tomorrow Children need to be brought to people's attention as larger studios have cut down on their output to focus on major franchises such as Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty.

“The industry’s focus has narrowed too much,” Yoshida commented. “Can we continue producing interesting new products? That’s become a real concern. It’s all about ecosystems competing,” he added. “This goes for Apple, Google, Amazon and Microsoft. The platform encompasses content and services that run on your hardware, but also various partnerships. It’s an interesting time, because your rivals can also be your partners.”

Yoshida is seen as playing a key role in Sony's revival, with the company expected to announce its best profit in 17 years for 2015 thanks to continued success of the PlayStation 4 which topped 18.5 million in January. Former PlayStation boss and current Sony CEO Kazuo Hirai has placed gaming at the centre of Sony's revival hopes and so far it appears to be paying off.