Sony Japan Studio is being restructured, but its legacy must continue on PC

Last week, Sony Interactive Entertainment, Jim Ryan, President Receipt of more exclusive first-party offers on computers confirmed. In the past two days Sony has confirmed that it is restructuring Sony Japan StudioMany developers are leaving while others join other teams.

Maybe Sony isn’t noticing that Japan Studio games badly need to transfer to PC?

When I think of Sony’s popular games, I don’t think of Horizon: Zero Dawn (released on PC last year) or Days Gone (coming out this spring). These are third-person action adventures that I can actually play on my PC. It’s not even the best games of the genre I can think of, Gods Of War, Lasts Of Us, or Bloodbornes.

No, I think of the hustle and bustle of Loko Rocco and Patton. Think Pomeranian survival game in Tokyo Jungle and DualShock Ape Escape. I, of course, think of majestic (somewhat exaggerated) classics like Ico, Shadow Of The Colossus, and The Last Obstinate Bird Dog.

Many of these games were developed jointly with other teams, either internally, as in the case of Team Ico, or with outside companies, such as Pyramid on Patapon. Many of the developers responsible for these games have already left Sony Japan Studio, as in Gravity Team of Gravity Rush. The name Japan Studio doesn’t mean much anymore – and it probably isn’t.

But games mean a lot. They are weird, ambitious, and very happy video games. Not many of them, and some of them are manufactured and are currently showing up on PC. Indie platformer Pikuniku, for exampleSounds inspired by some Japanese studio games. In my opinion, this makes Studio Japan more widely available and makes the computer the ideal home.

Transferring it to a computer doesn’t sound like a far fetched dream. Many of these games – Colossus, Patapon, Parappa The Rapper, and Loco Roco – have already received mods in recent years, including some that previously brought PSP exclusive games to PlayStation 4. Maybe there is already a plan that does exactly what I suggest doing.

But if we reach the end of 2021 and Sony announces that the game is coming after Days Gone, which is Sad Dad Reboot or Dog Murder: A Cautionary Tale, it will feel like a missed opportunity.

TL; DR: Knack Free You Cowards On PC.