PlayStation plans to revive classic IPs: 'We're continually looking at opportunities'

PlayStation is always looking at new ways to reinvigorate franchises and IP, studios boss Hermen Hulst tells Famitsu.

2

While Sony has yet to implement native PS3 backwards compatibility in modern hardware, the company has nonetheless put emphasis on efforts to preserve PlayStation games. Sony launched a proprietary, in-house games preservation team back in 2022 tasked with backing up and archiving 30 years of PlayStation history; the team will "ensure the titles of today are captured, catalogued, and secured for the games industry of tomorrow."

Classic IPs are making a comeback too, albeit in more indirect ways. We've seen Sony add a plethora of multi-generational PlayStation games to its PS Plus catalog, stretching from the PS1 era all the way to the PS4 gen. And while a number of old-school franchises remain dormant, PlayStation's first-party studios group is always on the lookout for new opportunities to resurrect IP.

In a recent interview with Famitsu, PlayStation Studios Group CEO Herman Hulst gave a quick reminder that Sony's decades-long legacy won't be forgotten:

"Our extensive IP portfolio is an important asset for PlayStation, and as part of our efforts to strengthen our portfolio, we continually explore opportunities to leverage our legacy IP as well as develop new franchises," Hulst said.

On the new IP front, Sony's premiere first-party studio Naughty Dog recently announced its new game Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet at The Game Awards.

Sony is all-in on making strategic investments into IPs, such as the company's recent team-up with Kadokawa, which gives them direct investment into Elden Ring and Dark Souls developer FromSoftware.