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| Hermen Hulst became head of PlayStation Studios back in 2019. |
The gaming community is in an uproar following the news that Sony is shutting down Bluepoint Games, the acclaimed studio behind the PlayStation 5's stunning Demon's Souls remake. For many fans, this isn't just another studio closure; it's a painful and infuriating symbol of misguided leadership under Hermen Hulst, the head of PlayStation Studios.
Acquired by Sony in 2021 to great fanfare, Bluepoint was celebrated as a master of preservation and enhancement, primarily known for remaking beloved Sony intellectual properties and acting as a key support studio. The hope among the PlayStation faithful was clear: let the team that so perfectly modernized Demon's Souls turn their talents to the long-requested Bloodborne remaster or remake.
Instead, reports indicate that Sony, under Hulst’s content strategy, tasked the studio with developing a live-service God of War title. This project was ultimately canceled, a devastating setback that appears to have been a major contributing factor in the studio's demise.
Fan Fury: "More Studios Closed Than Games Released"
The reaction from the community has been swift and blistering. On the r/PS5 subreddit, one user captured the growing sentiment with a sarcastic jab at Hulst, commenting, “Hermen Hulst might have more studios closed than games released at this point.” This frustration isn't just about one closure; it's about a pattern of decisions that fans believe is eroding the quality and identity of the PlayStation brand.
While the PlayStation community expresses its anger online, Hermen Hulst has reportedly defended the decision by pointing to "harsh economic realities, changing player behaviors, and ballooning game development costs." It's true that AAA development costs have skyrocketed—with *Spider-Man 2* reportedly costing over $300 million. However, this defense rings hollow for many, as Sony's own financials tell a different story. The company recently announced a robust 22% year-over-year increase in operating profit and is projected to beat profit forecasts.
This disconnect between Sony's corporate health and its treatment of beloved studios has led to a chorus of calls for leadership changes.
A Lost Generation? The Ghost of PlayStation Past
The anger is so profound that it's causing fans to look back wistfully at previous leadership. A particularly viral post on X from user Pyo 5️⃣ resonated deeply, amassing nearly 100,000 views. The user lamented, "Jim Ryan and Hermen Hulst have done generational damage to the PlayStation brand man. I really miss the Yoshida + Shawn Layden combo. The focus was single player, new ideas, real exclusives, smaller games etc. What a time the ps4 era was."
This quote perfectly encapsulates the core of the criticism: that the current leadership's obsession with chasing trends has come at the expense of the creative, single-player focus that defined the PlayStation 4's historic success under Shuhei Yoshida and Shawn Layden.
The Live-Service Gamble That Backfired
The PS5 generation, despite having some excellent single-player titles, will likely be remembered for Sony's aggressive and largely failed push into live-service games. This strategy, championed by both former CEO Jim Ryan and Hermen Hulst, has led to a staggering string of failures:
- Concord: A spectacular $400 million flop that was shut down just two weeks after launch.
- Cancellations: A live-service project from Bend Studio, a The Last of Us multiplayer game from Naughty Dog, and a Spider-Man live-service title from Insomniac have all been reportedly canceled.
- Uncertain Futures: The fate of Fairgames, a multiplayer title in development at Haven Studio, remains highly uncertain.
The closure of Bluepoint feels different, however. It wasn't a studio built for a live-service project that failed; it was a master of the very single-player craft fans are begging for, seemingly mismanaged into a corner.
What's Next for PlayStation?
For now, the future looks bleak for the teams at Bluepoint. As fans mourn the loss of another talented studio, the pressure on Hermen Hulst intensifies. The perception, fair or not, is that Hulst is the architect of a strategy that has burned billions of dollars, tarnished the brand's reputation, and now, cost a world-class studio its life. The question on every angry fan's mind is whether Sony's leadership will finally listen, or if more studios will be sacrificed to this failed live-service crusade.
If you're looking to play the console caught in the middle of this controversy, you can buy the Sony PS5 Digital Edition on Amazon.
Sources: Kotaku, r/PS5, X (Pyo 5️⃣)
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| Fans criticize Hermen Hulst and Jim Ryan for ruining the PS5 generation. |