PlayStation Sets Sights on Yearly Tentpole Single-Player Games

So, I saw that Hermen Hulst, the head of PlayStation Studios, officially said they’re going to push for at least one major single-player title a year moving forward. That’s big. Not just because the PS5 desperately needs a steady stream of system-sellers, but because this finally sounds like Sony getting back to the identity it dominated with during the PS4 era — focused, cinematic, story-driven games that no one else was doing quite like them.

Look, it’s no secret the PS5 hasn’t exactly been overflowing with exclusives. There have been great games, sure — Spider-Man 2 was solid, God of War Ragnarok hit like it should have — but if you’re comparing it to how dense the PS4 years were in their prime, it’s clear something's been missing. Astro Bot was a nice surprise in 2024, and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth was polished and expansive, but neither truly felt like they were using the PS5’s full muscle in a way a Bloodborne or Uncharted 4 did for the PS4.

That said, Hulst’s statement this week signals a bit of a course correction or maybe just a proper public roadmap. In his own words, PlayStation Studios will aim to “consistently deliver at least one tentpole title per year.” He also said these releases will hit “at the right time in the year” and “at the right quality level” players have come to expect. The phrasing might sound rehearsed, but the intent is clear — they’re not interested in filler.

And just to clarify, Hulst didn’t say “only one.” He explicitly used “at least,” which is a pretty important distinction. Looking at 2025, we’re already set for both Death Stranding 2: On the Beach and Ghost of Yotei, the rumored sequel (or spiritual follow-up) to Ghost of Tsushima. Two big, cinematic, single-player games right there — so the bar is already cleared. And 2024 had Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and Astro Bot. That makes three straight years where the minimum is already being exceeded.

From my perspective, this commitment is reassuring, but also raises some questions. For example, where does this leave projects like Wolverine from Insomniac or Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, that sci-fi RPG from Santa Monica Studio that’s still completely under wraps? Neither has a confirmed date, but based on how Sony’s spacing out releases, there’s a high chance one of those two is anchoring 2026, assuming GTA 6 doesn’t swallow the entire market when it lands.

Here’s where it gets tricky. It’s not just about hitting one a year — it’s about which one. If the annual “tentpole” is something like Astro Bot (which, while charming and slick, isn’t exactly on the level of The Last of Us or Horizon), that could feel underwhelming. The quality bar that PlayStation has set for itself is sky-high. A game like Death Stranding 2 fits that mold. Ghost of Yotei, assuming it keeps the open-world fidelity and cinematic chops of the first game, does too.

There’s also the whole live-service elephant in the room. Sony has reportedly poured a lot of budget and manpower into games-as-a-service projects, with Fairgame$, Concord, and others quietly in the works. So while Hulst is assuring fans that single-player releases remain the priority, it’s clear the company is trying to juggle both. And not everyone’s excited about that direction, especially when it's unclear how many of these live-service projects will even make it to launch — or matter when they do.

As for the new console, it's fine. Sony has stated that the PS6 will be aimed at powerful hardware instead of powerful cloud. From an industry standpoint, it makes sense that Sony would want to balance things out. You can’t build your revenue model entirely on once-every-three-years epics. But from a fan’s standpoint — especially one that stuck with PlayStation because of those games — it’s refreshing to hear the focus is still there, even if the calendar has thinned a little compared to PS4’s heyday.

Hulst didn’t name specific games beyond the 2025 lineup, and that’s probably intentional. But it’s worth noting that with projects like The Last of Us Part III, Wolverine, the rumored Horizon Zero Dawn prequel, and Sucker Punch’s unannounced new game all in various stages of development, there’s definitely enough in the pipeline to support this strategy — if the pacing is done right.

PlayStation seems to be making a quiet pivot back to what made it dominant in the first place. It doesn’t mean the rest of the gaming world is standing still — Nintendo’s gearing up for Switch 2, Xbox is trying to reassert itself with a broader publishing strategy — but for Sony, this announcement is a kind of recalibration. They’ve heard the feedback. And while it’s not exactly a bombshell promise, it’s a sign of structure, intent, and a roadmap that players can look forward to, even if it’s just one game at a time.