Feature: How Sony's First-Party Turned Critical Success into Commercial Success - Push Square
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It's almost been ten years since LittleBigPlanet released, a PlayStation 3 exclusive that would record a 95 on Metacritic and eventually go on to sell around 4.5 million units as of 2010. It was a success, but like so many of Sony's games at the time, its numbers didn't really match its reception. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves would follow in 2009, winning a string of Game of the Year awards and cementing Naughty Dog's status as one of the world's best developers. It took almost a year to sell 3.8 million units.
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Sony has turned critical success into commercial success this generation, and its first-party franchises are bigger than they've ever been. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, the latest edition in a franchise that had been routinely outsold by the likes of Halo and Gears of War, sold 8.7 million units in six months; Horizon: Zero Dawn, a brand new IP, eclipsed 7.6 million units in a year, and; God of War amassed five million units in a month. These are staggering statistics.
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The PS4's popularity has surely played a part in this stunning transition, but we reckon Sony's track-record is also starting to pay. The company, as a publisher, has spent ten years building its first-party brand as a signal of quality, and while there have been misses like The Order: 1886 along the way, it's largely been consistent for a decade now. That pays off, and when the good review scores almost inevitably roll in, it creates consumer confidence.
But the company's also vastly improved its marketing approach. One of the chief criticisms of the firm in the PS3 days was that, even when it had scrapped its David Lynch-esque marketing campaigns, it still never really put enough weight behind its games. But it's been borderline perfect this generation: look back at how Horizon: Zero Dawn was expertly introduced, and how Sony would go on to canvas television, magazines, and conventions with the franchise to ensure people knew about the game.