To say that this weeks news regarding Microsoft's decision to purchase Activision Blizzard is huge would be the understatement of the century. The industry was completely turned on its head and we still haven't recovered. This now leaves Sony and PlayStation in a very difficult predicament.
Microsoft will not have spent nearly $70 billion to continue actively publishing Call of Duty titles on PlayStation hardware. This weeks announcement that this will continue is nothing but a shroud covering up a harsh reality. Keeping Call of Duty on PlayStation could just mean Warzone remains multi-platform while annual releases are timed or fully exclusive to Xbox consoles.
If this is the case, Sony might need to get the chequebook out and make some new friends in order to bring a world-class first-person shooter exclusively to the PlayStation 5. We have some ideas on who they could turn to...
EA - Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor series hasn't had the best of times recently and its last two releases are better left in the past. With the right funding and incentive, EA could be persuaded to either work with Sony to produce an exclusive for the PlayStation 5 system or let the right go entirely.
We think it would be best if the series was taken back to its roots to begin with before attempting a modern warfare-type shooter again.
Insomniac Games - Resistance
While Resistance isn't the traditional FPS due to its sci-fi theme, it was still a huge franchise for the PlayStation 3 in its heyday. Sony already purchased Insomniac Games so the IP is free for them to use when the time is right.
Insomniac may be more focused on other projects right now like Spider-Man 2 and Wolverine, but a sub-team could take on the project until more resources are available.
Bend Studio - Syphon Filter or New IP
Another in-house studio, Bend could look to being back and reimagine Syphon Filter - with a perspective change - but the more likely option is to bring a brand new IP to the table. Tensions might be high right now after the fallout from Days Gone but projects will still be active in the pipeline.
Bend has already confirmed that they are working on one new project using the open-world tech from Days Gone. They may have the resources to take on another project and this could be the new crowning FPS for PlayStation consoles.