Sony Studio May Be Settled in Shanghai. Can the Chinese-Style PS4 Reverse Its Decline?

Not long ago, at the Shanghai CJ, the domestic blockbusters "The Legend of Sword and Fairy 6" and Chen Xinghan's "Journey" were successively spotted by Sony and launched PS4 versions. This news made many domestic game enthusiasts excited.

Recently, there is news that Sony is expected to establish its fifteenth game studio in Shanghai, China. Does this mean that a Chinese-style 3A masterpiece is just around the corner? So with Chinese-style 3A games, can Sony recover the previous sluggish sales of the PS4 in China?

Optimistic about the domestic situation, Sony wants to have a Chinese style?

As early as 2013, Sony showed great ambition to enter the Chinese home game console market. In an interview with other media, Hiroyuki Ho, president of Sony Computer Entertainment Japan and Asia, admitted: "The Chinese market is very important and we will respond as quickly as possible."

When the "Operation Order" officially announced the lifting of the ban on game consoles, Sony seized the opportunity and sent the next-generation consoles into the country. Although the sales of PS4 were not satisfactory for the console industry that had just been lifted, before that, Sony's Japanese headquarters responded to Reuters that Sony was very clear about the prospects of the Chinese market and would continue to explore its possibilities.

Faced with a broader domestic market, Sony not only imports excellent games, but also puts domestic games on PS4. Games like Snail's "Nine Yang Magic Art" and Pudding's "Mr. Pumpkin" both illustrate Sony's emphasis on Chinese games.

The rumored Sony Studios is a studio cluster of console game developers under Sony, currently consisting of 14 companies, including 7 in North America, 4 in the UK, 1 in the Netherlands, and 2 in Japan. It has produced well-known game masterpieces such as "God of War".

According to insiders, the establishment of the Shanghai studio is not just for the development of simplified Chinese version games, but to gather local Chinese game development forces to produce international standard stand-alone games based on Chinese elements! This means that Sony will rely on outstanding talents in China to develop games with Chinese characteristics.

Regardless of whether this rumor is true or not, if it is true, with the help of Sony, it may not be a dream for 3A works with Chinese style to appear on the Chinese PS4.  

What should Sony do with its Chinese-style games amid constant problems?

In fact, Sony is not the first to think of adding Chinese elements to games. The previously reported "Assassin's Creed: Chronicles" that has not been approved is a game with Chinese elements brought by Ubisoft. The well-known "World of Warcraft" also launched a Chinese-style expansion pack "Mists of Pandaria".

Traditional Chinese culture has great appeal, and many games have added Chinese elements to their content. For example, Koei Tecmo's "Dynasty Warriors" series and "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" series have created popular games with the historical content of the Three Kingdoms period. But even though it is very popular, the game content of the Three Kingdoms series has not changed much after more than a dozen generations, which has also created the problem of Koei Tecmo relying on its old reputation.

Looking at China, game manufacturers have also produced many domestic games with Chinese characteristics. The Xianxia series such as "The Legend of Sword and Fairy", "Gu Jian", and "Xuanyuan Sword" can be said to be classics of a generation. However, due to the plagiarism and card burning issues of "The Legend of Sword and Fairy 6", the Xianxia series is no longer what it used to be. The stereotyped storyline and the mode of fighting monsters, upgrading, and picking up girls have also made many players lose the passion of the past.

Faced with the problems caused by Chinese-style references at home and abroad, what can Sony do to make Chinese-style 3A games give everyone a different experience?

Compared with foreign games, some games have developed infinitely by grasping one of the characteristics, just like Koei Tecmo, the Three Kingdoms series has been repeatedly playing the same few points, without many updates. Looking at the "Resident Evil" that has recently become popular again due to the remake, it is not all quoted. In "Resident Evil 2", the cheongsam woman Ada Wang who appeared as an agent is a key figure throughout the game. This part is prominent, but it adds another highlight to the game in addition to the game itself.

If Sony wants to customize a Chinese-style 3A exclusive game for the Chinese version of PS4, it may have to exclude purely Chinese-style games. Domestic players have long been accustomed to this. Purely Chinese-style games do not necessarily attract players' attention, just like "Mists of Pandaria". Although it has received high praise abroad, this expansion pack has the lowest score in history in the global overall evaluation, most of which are comments from China.

For example, Ubisoft's "Assassin's Creed: Chronicles" does not run through the entire story, but one of the three assassin characters has Chinese characteristics. However, the game uses the consistent style of "Assassin's Creed" to integrate the cultures of two different countries, which allows players to experience different styles of gameplay while experiencing the game.

The production of Chinese-style games does not necessarily rely on Chinese elements, but rather on highlighting the original game style, so as to give players the deepest impression.

Although Sony's Shanghai studio is still in its infancy, if a customized 3A Chinese-style game like "Assassin's Creed: Chronicles" produced by Chinese people appears on PS4, it may attract domestic players to compete for it.

Can the PS4 sold in China reverse its decline by using Chinese style?

Although Sony announced many PS4 games that will be sold in China at CJ, most of them are domestic games provided by major domestic manufacturers, and its own and foreign 3A games are nowhere to be seen. At this stage, if you count them carefully, there are only a few games that can be called masterpieces, and "Dynasty Warriors" has been played to death by players.

Although the relaxation of the Ministry of Culture's "Notice on Allowing Domestic and Foreign-funded Enterprises to Engage in the Production and Sales of Gaming and Amusement Equipment" has greatly shortened the time for game review, the content of the game itself is still subject to strict review, which is one of the reasons for the poor sales of the PS4 in China.

If Sony Shanghai Studio is established, with the help of Sony, Chinese-style games developed by Chinese production teams will be able to pass the game content review more easily, which may greatly increase the chances of games appearing on the Chinese version of PS4. Providing several Chinese-style 3A games exclusive to PS4 in a console that lacks games may attract the attention of many players.

However, all of this is still speculation, but Sony's localization strategy for domestic players does make people feel sincere, just like Sony's slogan "Everything for players".

Now that Sony has already started taking action to meet the needs of domestic players, what about Microsoft's Xbox One?

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.