Social media has not been kind to PlayStation lately: the company is being criticised for extorting enthusiast users with its admittedly optional $700 PS5 Pro – and many feel it doesn’t have the software to justify its pricey new hardware. Arguably unnecessary remasters like Horizon Zero Dawn aren’t helping the perception that Sony has nothing new to offer – even if it did launch the acclaimed Astro Bot less than two weeks ago.
It should be noted that Sony isn’t the only manufacturer adopting a remaster strategy. Nintendo has infamously repurposed a large portion of the Wii U’s library for the Switch, and still has more ports on the way; Donkey Kong Country Returns, the Retro Studios platformer from 2010, is getting a second barebones re-release as late as next year (it’s already been ported once to the 3DS).
Those defending the House of Mario would perhaps argue there’s no backwards compatibility available on the Switch so the circumstances are different, but the philosophy of re-selling old software at a significant mark-up is clearly not a new one. So why does this keep happening, and why is the Japanese giant “wasting” resources on remasters that fans haven’t been asking for?
Well, it’s important to remember that, while you may want a Bloodborne or Dark Cloud re-release, this wouldn’t necessarily be tackled by the team behind the Horizon Zero Dawn remaster. Resources are finite, yes, but they can’t be applied carte blanche to whichever project you want; Bloodborne, for example, will likely require involvement from creator FromSoftware, who, in case you didn’t notice, has been fairly busy of late.
Naughty Dog noted, when it made The Last of Us: Part 1, this was a great opportunity for it to blood new talent and get it comfortable with PS5 development. At the time, it was plotting its next major project, and so needed to find work for its sizeable pool of staff. The alternative would perhaps be to layoff artists and programmers not involved in the pre-production stage of its next project, but none of us want that. These remasters can be good learning exercises, then, and bridge the gap between long development cycles.
In the case of some projects, like Until Dawn, they can also offer an updated product for release on PC. It’s true that Sony could have simply ported the original PS4 version to Steam, but seeing as it’s putting in the work to update the core code, it may as well modernise the whole experience while it has the opportunity.
Then there’s the small matter of many of these products having non-gaming projects in the works. Filming started on an Until Dawn movie adaptation recently, while Netflix was plotting a Horizon television series – until accusations pointed at showrunner Steve Blackman derailed the whole thing. HBO’s version of The Last of Us had a profound impact on game sales, and having a modernised version of the original game available on store shelves helped with that.
Perhaps the biggest disconnect for many enthusiasts online is they can’t understand why Sony would put effort into revamping franchises like Horizon or The Last of Us, when Resistance and Killzone have remained dormant; the very cruel reality is that PlayStation sees no growth opportunities in these properties – they’re as good as dead, and it’s better to invest in franchises that are active as opposed to those left behind.
Of course, all of this leads to a perception problem, which isn’t exactly helped by Sony’s overall silence. We know that first-party outfits like Sucker Punch, Naughty Dog, and Santa Monica Studio are working on new games, but we don’t know what they are. There’s a real sense that, because these titles are taking a long time to make, all PS5 has to offer right now are remasters and live service releases. That’s not entirely fair, but the bad smell will stick until PlayStation washes it away.
Ultimately, even without seeing the game in motion, we’re not excited by a Horizon Zero Dawn remaster in the slightest – but we do understand why it exists. But that context will amount to little in an industry always looking for the hottest takes. If all next week’s State of Play has to offer is a couple of remasters and an update on Fairgame$, then we wish Sony all the luck in the world. The public perception of PlayStation isn’t right – but the format holder is the one facilitating it at the end of the day.
Are you frustrated by the number of PS5 remasters getting announced? Do you understand why these games are getting made, or do you care little for context? Let us know in the comments section below.