14 DAY TRIAL // The PlayStation 4 and its strong focus on independent games will result in a renaissance of gaming, according to lead system architect Mark Cerny, who wants the next-gen console to have a diverse experience similar to the original PSone.
The PlayStation 4 has been a huge effort for Sony, and the console's development was led by famous designer Mark Cerny, who worked on all sorts of franchises, including God of War.
Cerny's development background, coupled with the big emphasis on indie games, will result in a thriving ecosystem that will be diverse and similar, in a way, to the PSone.
"With PSone there was no way to make an indie title," he during a recent conference, via Eurogamer.
"The hardware didn't support digital downloads and all games were distributed on CD-ROMS. There was no way for creators to directly reach their audience."
Now, independent games are reaching new levels of success and Sony wants to help this with the PS4.
"The console audience has woken up to the potential of indie games," he said. "With the release of PlayStation 4, we understand we have an opportunity to fundamentally alter the landscape of gaming."
As proof of this new strategy, Cerny emphasized the complete overhaul of the publishing process and the freedom given to all developers, no matter how big or small they were.
"We ended up radically simplifying concept approval. We fully support self-publishing across all platforms, so it's now possible for developers to maintain complete creative and financial control. We now pretty much support any business model, whether it be buy-to-play, free-to-play, episodic or micro-transactions.
"And we're doing what we can to support indie development financially as well, whether that be through loaner dev kits or our incubation program or direct support from the Pub Fund."
While the PS4 will certainly welcome big triple-A games, the platform will benefit a lot from the variety brought forward by independent titles
"So, as a result of these technical, business and platform factors, we believe that a renaissance of gaming is coming on PS4," Cerny concluded. "Heavy content will thrive on the platform, but in many ways we will also be returning to the creative freedom and broad content that made the early years of PlayStation so unforgettable."
The PlayStation 4 will appear at the end of the year and will support a wide variety of big games from Sony and other third-party publishers, but also lots of indie titles.