With the launch of the PS3, one of Sony's aims was to produce a large library of exclusive content to their newest console. To date, Sony internally owns 15 studios that have helped to develop exclusive titles such as LittleBigPlanet and God of War 3. This morning, a 16th studio was added to the list in Sucker Punch Productions. With the success of the Sly Cooper series and the recent inFAMOUS titles, Sony felt the need to acquire the studio and continue its push with more exclusive content in the future.

 

 

The move came earlier this morning, making Sucker Punch Productions the 16th internally-owned studio for Sony. Sucker Punch is most known for the Sly Cooper series for the PS2 and the inFAMOUS series on the PS3 that have totalled sales of over 7 million units worldwide between the two IPs. 

 

"Sucker Punch Productions is one of the most highly acclaimed development studios in the industry and we have enjoyed a wonderful relationship with the company for over 12 years. We are delighted to officially welcome them to the SCE family," said Shuhei Yoshida, President of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios. "The addition of Sucker Punch to SCE WWS reiterates our dedication to developing world class gaming experiences that can only be found on the Playstation platform. With one of the strongest exclusive software lineups in the PS3's history, combined with the diverse, innovative content in the works for the Playstation Vita, consumers have a lot to be excited for this year."

 

"We've enjoyed an incredible relationship with Sony that has allowed us to combine our creative design capabilities with their guidance to make some of the best franchises to hit the Playstation platforms. Equally important, the relationship with SCE has provided us the flexibility and trust to take creative risks and invent new properties," explained Brian Fleming, Managing Partner at Sucker Punch Productions.

 

This move is a big get for Sony, making it possibly the top console in the amount of exclusive content out of the big 3 consoles. Seeing how the XBox 360 lost exclusivity to some of its biggest franchises - Mass Effect and Bioshock - and how Nintendo relies on the same IPs for the most part, this allows there to be a bigger variety in exclusive content compared to the other systems.

 

Not only that, but it also bodes well for the Playstation Vita. One of the problems with the Nintendo 3DS launch is that there wasn't any really strong launch titles or games within the launch window to compel people to buy one. But with 16 studios under their belt, Sony is in good position to extend some of its biggest franchises onto the Vita and to create some IPs exclusive to that platform.

 

Lastly, moving onto the PS4 or whatever it may be called will be a cinch when you have so many studios to call your own. Seeing how well Sucker Punch has done creating two properties for Playstation, it can certainly expected that the next console will also get a really solid new franchise to boast about. With Sony's continued movement towards more exclusive content, those who have been fans of Sony's systems have every reason to be more excited both for the present and the future.