Grasshopper Manufacture boss and Killer is Dead director Goichi Suda is excited by the possibilities of Sony’s February-revealed PlayStation 4, he said in his latest “Inside Suda” Weekly Famitsu column.
“PS3 has been on sale for seven years but it’s still very much alive and doesn’t feel old at all,” wrote Suda (via Edge). “The life cycle for hardware has gotten longer, I keep thinking. But saying that, I’m thrilled that we can welcome PS4 at the end of this year.”
Suda thinks cloud delivery will become “totally commonplace” in the next generation. The ability to “play anywhere, on any device, with shared date” will be an “alluring new feature” for games on the coming console, according to the Grasshopper boss.
“That this play style will become a reality is futuristic enough,” he said. “But in addition, cloud saving becoming standard practice is an evolution in itself. It will add new value and will surely result in new ways to play. Thinking about the future of this stuff and then constructing and outputting something appealing is our job as game designers, and from that challenge we can take new strength.
“And that makes me horny,” he added.
Grasshopper, as well as its parent companies, will be (or are currently) making games for the platform, teased Suda.
“As has been announced, Grasshopper Manufacture will make games for PS4, as will (parent company) GungHo Online Entertainment and (sister company) Acquire. I can’t go into detail at this stage, but for sure the new challenge is exciting.”
Suda said Sony showcased “such a strong vision” at its PlayStation 4 event, and that the struggle now is to “decide how to find our own victories within that [vision] and present games that express the Grasshopper world.”
And that, too, arouses Suda.
“Whichever way you look at it, talk of new hardware means a new sense of excitement within the industry. The buzz will surely go unabated until the holidays. It’s going to be a precious year.”