Yoshida: Indies to lead the way on Vita

Sony is relying on indies, not first-party titles, to drive the growth of PlayStation Vita going forward.

That’s according to Sony Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida, who told Polygon that graphics and triple-A games aren’t enough of a "talking point" for the handheld.

Reflecting on the PSP, the exec said that while high-end PS2-style graphics impressed audiences at the beginning of the device’s lifecycle, this was diminished when the PS3 raised the bar for what people expected in terms of visual fidelity. Arguably, the PS4 has done the same for the Vita but the rise of indies has offered an alternative point of interest for gamers. 

"It’s very fortunate that the indie boom happened and they are providing lots of great content to Vita," he said. "Gameplay, game mechanic-wise, people want to spend 10 to 15 minutes getting in and out. On Vita, it’s great with suspended functionality, so these indie games are really great for that from a game design standpoint.

"Instead of watching big stories or cinematics, you can spend hours on Vita. So I think that’s actually the biggest star to help provide great content to Vita going forward. And we continue to make cross-platform games, especially on digital side."

When asked if that meant Vita will be getting fewer Sony-developed games, Yoshia replied: "I would say, yes, that’s correct."

Which would be a shame given all those awards that Media Molecule has bagged with Tearaway.