Sacred Symbols, Episode 147: Phoenix Down (Patreon)

Let's face it: It's been a pretty dour few weeks in PlayStation Land. That's why it's such good news that -- this week -- things are far more positive. For starters, Sony has wisely reversed course on its intent to close the PS3 and Vita digital stores down this summer. They also recently entered into a second party agreement for a new multiplayer game made by a fresh team packing some serious firepower. They may even be investigating a TV show-and-movie-driven expansion of PlayStation Plus. Heck, it even sounds like a KOTOR remake is in the works, while Tales of Arise has been dated on PS4 and PS5, and much more. But it's perhaps all capped-off by the biggest news of all: After five months on the market, PlayStation 5 is the best-selling console by units sold in industry history. So let's work our way through the deluge! Once we tackle all of the news, of course, we wrap things up with a litany of listener inquiries, as tradition dictates. Is Insomniac overtaking Naughty Dog as Sony's most important first party studio? Are audio diaries the best type of in-game collectible? Are PlayStation games about to launch on PC en masse? Can Colin survive a day without his meds?

Timestamps:

0:00:16 - Intro

0:08:31 - A couple corrections and a few quick news items.
0:16:23 - Let’s get into the Days Gone controversy a bit.

0:31:34 - What have we been playing?

0:55:23 - Sony has reversed course and will not close the PS3 and Vita stores.

1:15:03 - Sony has revealed an exclusive partnership for a multiplayer game with Firewalk Studios.

1:41:26 - Cyberpunk 2077 sold more than 13 million copies in 2020 alone.

1:44:52 - Tales of Arise is coming to PS4 and PS5 and has a release date.

1:47:30 - A Knights of the Old Republic remake is on the way.

1:52:28 - Is a video service coming to PlayStation?

1:59:28 - The NPD group has revealed new sales data.

2:06:11 - The 21st Annual Game Developer’s Choice Awards nominations have been revealed.

2:07:20 - Some big personnel shake-ups have come to light.

2:11:51 - Extremely OK Games has announced their next game.

2:12:41 - More news of corporate consolidation in the video game sphere.

2:14:24 - News Wrap-Up

2:15:37 - What purpose does IGN serve?

2:24:23 - Could a remake of The Last of Us be a different story?

2:29:42 - What is Sony’s strategy in releasing their games on PC?

2:39:47 - What do we like (and dislike) about collectibles in games?

2:44:55 - Why should Sony make another handheld console?

2:52:22 - Will Insomniac replace Naughty Dog as Sony’s premier studio?