God of War (2018) was a massive success in the franchise, but it also proves that Sony has lost its grip on the gaming industry.
Sony’s decision to reboot the God of War franchise in 2018 was an ambitious feat. However, the decision to shift the story into the realms of Norse mythology and focus on the relationship between Kratos and his son ultimately paid off, as it’s one of the most popular first-party PlayStation releases ever.
Sony is cracking and failing to deliver quality games. (Image via PlayStation)
It’s been six years since the release of 2018’s God of War, and it’s now even available for PS5 players to experience. While it still holds up against Ragnarok, players on the current-gen console have figured out that the title is yet another proof that PlayStation games have given up on bringing new experiences and is sticking to the same old-boring gameplay.
Sony’s Lack of Innovation is Crystal Clear With God of War
The God of War franchise has lost its way. (Image via PlayStation)
Even though PlayStation has triumphed over its rivals in recent years, gamers feel like Sony has lost its edge when it comes to bringing players innovative gameplay that defined the PS3 and PS4 generation of consoles.
If you take a look at PlayStation games, you’ll see that they are crafted with the aim of giving players a “movie-like” experience. This can compromise gameplay, but there are certain titles, such as Bloodborne and Ghost of Tsushima, that balance it quite well.
On the other hand, we have games such as 2018’s God of War, which leans too much into cinematic appeal rather than elevating the franchise’s core mechanics and bringing something fresh to the table.
Hop onto this God of War title, and you’ll immediately notice tons of glaring issues. The combat is quite repetitive, and its mechanics feel so clunky that gamers feel frustrated. Level design has obvious flaws; exploration is unrewarding, and the crafting system doesn’t impact gameplay in the slightest.
It’s quite clear that, with all the success in recent years, Sony has given up on innovating and is now going for the safe approach when it comes to bringing games to its current-generation console.
This is quite disappointing, considering the fact that this company once gave us games that took big risks and created a name for themselves in the community.
If the Japanese company doesn’t switch from its current strategy, it won’t be long before it deals with another failure like Concord.
Another Sony PlayStation Game has Flopped Hard
LEGO Horizon Adventures has failed to gain traction. (Image via PlayStation)
It’s impossible to ignore Concord‘s failure when talking about gaming in 2024. It’s mind-boggling how Sony invested millions into this project, and the game couldn’t even last a whole month. However, it seems like another PlayStation title is suffering from an even worse fate.
Earlier this month, players were treated with LEGO Horizon Adventures. However, it didn’t hit the mark for many. Players felt it failed to appeal to either Horizon or LEGO fans, leaving it in no man’s land.
According to data from SteamDB, the game just managed to hit 602 concurrent players upon its launch, and the numbers have tanked since then. For comparison, even Concord managed to hit a higher number with 697 concurrent players. It’s fair to say that even though PlayStation Studios has given us some good games this year, it hasn’t had a successful run.
Considering how Horizon and LEGO are big names for gamers, there’s still a chance to save this title with future updates and changes. Only time will tell what the future holds for LEGO Horizon Adventures.
With that said, do you think God of War dropped the ball when it comes to innovative gameplay? Let us know in the comments below.