Jim Ryan has explained in a recent interview that he is more willing to give development teams extra time to ensure a game is the best it can be.
In an exclusive interview with TMTPost, Ryan was questioned on the development time of Sony's titles and whether teams are put under any pressure to finish games quickly. According to Ryan, he would rather delay a game so teams have more time to make sure their games are great, rather than rush them out and be mediocre:
"It is better to wait and have a great game than to rush and have a game that is okay or quite good. Players only remember best games rather than OK games," explains Ryan. "If it is a best game, players may want a sequel, and they will also want to buy a sequel, but no one really cares about a game that is only OK.
However, Ryan clarifies that pressure is sometimes necessary due to financial complications, but generally is very hands-off as PlayStation "wants the best." He then goes on to describe what he personally considers makes a great game, claiming that games should be immersive and elicit intense emotional reactions from the player:
"I think best gaming experience should allow players to enter an immersive experience in the game, allowing players to fully integrate into the game and experience different emotions."
While many will likely disagree with Ryan's statement regarding players only remembering great games, his stance does line up with PlayStation's public perception that the publisher values prestige over financial success. Days Gone director John Garvin even claimed back in April that he believes Sony really only cares about a game's critical reception.
In regards to Ryan's attitude towards crunch culture, his answer here is backed up by a couple of developers from Insomniac Games who recently claimed that the studio never once crunched when working on Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart and were able "to work on a great game w/o suffering." It's refreshing to see the attitude of a higher-up like Jim Ryan coincide with the developers down in the trenches.
Source: GameSpot
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