The author of the bestseller “Blood, Sweat and Pixels” believes that the release of Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a strategic move by Sony. The company decided to close the autumn release window with a colorful indie project against the background of God of War: Ragnarok and Horizon Forbidden West transfers.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits
He shared this in his column on the pages of Bloomberg.
To understand the story, a small exposition: yesterday, September 21, the third-person action adventure Kena: Bridge of Spirits was released on PS4, PS5 and PC. Its developer and publisher (on digital platforms) was a small studio Ember Lab, previously engaged exclusively in the production of CGI videos.
In connection with this release, Jason claims that:
- the game received marketing support from Sony, comparable to larger projects (they say, it’s not in her nature to promote such titles like that at all);
- the reason for this support is partly due to the transfer of the seller systems (God of War: Ragnarok and Horizon Forbidden West) to 2022;
- Sony’s bet on the project paid off, because the game, according to critics, turned out to be good (it has around 84 points on Metacritic).
However, there is a nuance that Schreyer does not mention.
Ember Lab handled the marketing of the game herself. This is evidenced by the fact that the studio independently worked with the press (via Google forms), sent out the keys itself.
Also, the game did not have any special slots as part of the latest Sony presentations. She wasn’t even in the PlayStation Showcase 2021. And now the game does not have a significant feature in the PlayStation Store, which says a lot about marketing support from Sony.
Also, if the platform seriously considered the project, it would definitely contribute to its launch in physical retail, which was not done. The project is currently available exclusively in digital form.
Therefore, no matter how much Schreyer would like to see Sony’s strategic plan in the appearance of a high-quality product, it most likely does not exist.
Kena: Bridge of SpiritsKena: Bridge of Spirits
