Sony hasn't forgotten its free-to-play gaming strategy for PlayStation

Sony's free-to-play ambitions for PlayStation Mobile are still alive even though many may have forgotten as live-services for PS5 have taken the headlines.

Kes Eylers-Stephenson

Published 22 May 2024

Sony has free-to-play ambitions for PlayStation Mobile where it wants to start getting a piece of the lucrative gaming market on those devices. The Japanese company has yet to broach the PS5 free games market with its own title, so a lot of work needs to be done!

PlayStation Mobile will target free-to-play gaming

Though you make like your Genshin Impact trophies, the free RPG is immensely popular on mobile alongside the likes of Call of Duty Mobile. Sony is clearly eyeing up that mobile space as a description for a Mobile Platform Architect states (as first reported by TweakTown). "PlayStation Studios Mobile is seeking an experienced software engineer to design PlayStation’s platform for developing, publishing, and operating free-to-play mobile games.

"An individual in this role will spearhead the design and implementation of this platform; work in partnership with internal teams to connect mobile games to PlayStation services; and ensure that all mobile games meet PlayStation’s quality standards."

There are a few highlights here outside of the free-to-play focus, but let's start there. Sony wants to leverage the might of PlayStation Studios in the mobile market. Though you may have forgotten it, Sony has long been targeting this area, but its PlayStation Studios Mobile unit has suffered massive strategy shifts and changes in leadership over the years, including a full rebrand of Savage Studios to Neon Koi.

Mobile is dominated by free-to-play models that look for high player retention and engagement, offering profit from micro-transactions and battle passes. We're more than familiar with that model on console with plenty of live-service games on PS5 and PS4.

However, if you can get a free mobile game with a lucrative live service model into the zeitgeist, mass profit will follow. This applies particularly in mobile-dominated markets like India, Korea, and China. We here at TrueTrophies guess that the first potential mobile hit will come from a game we first reported on, a 'next-generation' shooter from Neon Koi.

It's also worth paying close attention to Sony teeing up an interconnected PlayStation platform in the application. The description clearly states that the mobile games will be "connected" to PlayStation services in some way. Could that mean trophy support? Or, will it be pure PSN connectivity? I think we can all admit that trophy support for unique PlayStation Studios-made games would change our perspective on the mobile push!

But, what do you think of the whole thing? Could trophy support on mobile tempt you away from the best PS5 games? Let me know in the comments, TrueTrophies team!

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Written by Kes Eylers-Stephenson

Editor Kes is our resident expert in PlayStation and Sony news. He writes about PS5 games like LEGO Horizon Adventures, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Kingdom Come Deliverance II, Concord, and Death Stranding 2 using experience from years of PlayStation gaming. He also covers PS Plus news, as well as his favorite games — The Witcher 3, God of War, and The Last of Us — before an evening swim.