{"id":16374,"date":"2025-11-26T20:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-26T20:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/talking-point-does-ps5-have-a-sequel-problem\/"},"modified":"2025-11-26T20:00:00","modified_gmt":"2025-11-26T20:00:00","slug":"talking-point-does-ps5-have-a-sequel-problem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/talking-point-does-ps5-have-a-sequel-problem\/","title":{"rendered":"#Talking Point: Does PS5 Have a Sequel Problem?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/talking-point-does-ps5-have-a-sequel-problem\/#Talking_Point_Does_PS5_Have_a_Sequel_Problem\" >Talking Point: Does PS5 Have a Sequel Problem?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Talking_Point_Does_PS5_Have_a_Sequel_Problem\"><\/span>Talking Point: Does PS5 Have a Sequel Problem?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div class=\"body body-text article-text\">\n<section class=\"text\">\n<figure class=\"picture\" data-uuid=\"320d0d91a7b43\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"scanlines\" title=\"Talking Point: Does PS5 Have a Sequel Problem? 1\" href=\"https:\/\/images.pushsquare.com\/320d0d91a7b43\/talking-point-does-ps5-have-a-sequel-problem-1.large.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.pushsquare.com\/320d0d91a7b43\/talking-point-does-ps5-have-a-sequel-problem-1.900x.jpg\" width=\"900\" height=\"506\" alt=\"Talking Point: Does PS5 Have a Sequel Problem? 1\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"caption\"><em class=\"credit\"><span class=\"\"><\/span> Image: Push Square<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>There&#8217;s a silly notion going around that the PS5 has no games, which is of course nonsense, but when you stand back and look at some of the console&#8217;s biggest titles, there is an interesting pattern.<\/p>\n<p>Many PlayStation fans have fond memories of the PS4 era, a time in which Sony was doubling down on its first-party efforts.<\/p>\n<p>Long-standing franchises like God of War were revived to universal acclaim, while new series quickly grew to become some of Sony&#8217;s best-sellers \u2014 Ghost of Tsushima, Horizon Zero Dawn, and Marvel&#8217;s Spider-Man being prime examples.<\/p>\n<div class=\"for-mobile\">\n<figure class=\"youtube with-primis\" data-videoid=\"y-XGB8_bQ3s\" data-start=\"0\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/y-XGB8_bQ3s?rel=0&amp;hd=1&amp;showinfo=0&amp;modestbranding=0&amp;autohide=1\">\n<div class=\"video-stage\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Top 10 Best PS5 Games Of 2024 (So Far) | PlayStation 5\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/y-XGB8_bQ3s?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p class=\"youtube-sub\">Subscribe to <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"external\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/pushsquare?sub_confirmation=1\">Push Square<\/a> on <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"sub-button external\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/pushsquare?sub_confirmation=1\"><span class=\"subs-label\">YouTube<\/span><span class=\"subs\">165k<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>The PS5 plays host to its share of original, Sony-published games, such as Astro Bot, Returnal, and Stellar Blade, but much of its lineup has been bolstered by sequels, and it&#8217;s these we want to shine a light on.<\/p>\n<p>Recently released was Ghost of Yotei, a sequel to the aforementioned Tsushima. While it follows a different protagonist in a different time period, the core game is broadly the same, albeit better in almost every regard.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"picture\" data-uuid=\"c39d981e24446\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"scanlines\" title=\"Talking Point: Does PS5 Have a Sequel Problem? 3\" href=\"https:\/\/images.pushsquare.com\/c39d981e24446\/talking-point-does-ps5-have-a-sequel-problem-3.large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.pushsquare.com\/c39d981e24446\/talking-point-does-ps5-have-a-sequel-problem-3.900x.jpg\" width=\"900\" height=\"506\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Talking Point: Does PS5 Have a Sequel Problem? 3\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<p>It makes smart additions and refinements to the original template, takes advantage of the PS5&#8217;s additional power, and has a high degree of polish players have come to expect from PS Studios.<\/p>\n<p>What&#8217;s interesting is that you can basically say exactly this for several other PS5 sequels, namely God of War Ragnarok, Horizon Forbidden West, and Marvel&#8217;s Spider-Man 2.<\/p>\n<p>All of them are great games that improve upon the core gameplay, further their respective stories, and utilise the PS5 to its fullest.<\/p>\n<p>However, a shared criticism among them all is that they&#8217;re all pretty safe.<\/p>\n<p>They all double down on a formula that resonated the first time around, enhancing things with new or improved features, but not necessarily pushing things forward in a meaningful way.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"picture\" data-uuid=\"4f1af140c8f5e\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"scanlines\" title=\"Talking Point: Does PS5 Have a Sequel Problem? 4\" href=\"https:\/\/images.pushsquare.com\/4f1af140c8f5e\/talking-point-does-ps5-have-a-sequel-problem-4.large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.pushsquare.com\/4f1af140c8f5e\/talking-point-does-ps5-have-a-sequel-problem-4.900x.jpg\" width=\"900\" height=\"506\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Talking Point: Does PS5 Have a Sequel Problem? 4\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<div class=\"insert-label centered insert lazyload for-mobile insert-extended lazyload\">\n<div id=\"PS_MPU_X_G69275F222E435\" style=\"min-width:300px; min-height:250px;display:flex; flex-wrap: wrap; align-items:center; justify-content: center;\" data-dfp-id=\"pushsquare\/mobile_web_display\/article\" data-dfp-sizes=\"300x250,300x600\" data-dfp-targeting=\"pos=1,gto=false,experiment=nl-article-mobile-2\" class=\"lazyload\" data-dfp-refresh-direct=\"true\" data-prebid-config=\"Lazy_Load_HP_MPU\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>It makes total sense for Sony to produce these sequels; they&#8217;re more-or-less guaranteed to sell well, and they&#8217;re unlikely to upset anyone because, by and large, they&#8217;re playing the same hits that did the job last time.<\/p>\n<p>The problem is that, despite their quality as games, they can feel a bit toothless. All four of the games in question are well worth playing, but unlike the titles that preceded them, there&#8217;s an argument they aren&#8217;t <em>really<\/em> forging ahead.<\/p>\n<p>Saros is due for release in March of 2026, and strictly speaking, it <em>isn&#8217;t<\/em> a direct sequel to Returnal, but all we&#8217;ve seen anyone say about it is that it&#8217;s essentially Returnal 2.<\/p>\n<p>To be clear, that&#8217;s not a bad thing at all; Returnal remains a favourite here at <strong>Push Square<\/strong>. But there&#8217;s a concern among hardcore fans that we&#8217;re in for yet another iterative follow-up that&#8217;s simply sticking to what works.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"picture\" data-uuid=\"c56a8685f6e6a\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"scanlines\" title=\"Talking Point: Does PS5 Have a Sequel Problem? 2\" href=\"https:\/\/images.pushsquare.com\/c56a8685f6e6a\/talking-point-does-ps5-have-a-sequel-problem-2.large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.pushsquare.com\/c56a8685f6e6a\/talking-point-does-ps5-have-a-sequel-problem-2.900x.jpg\" width=\"900\" height=\"506\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Talking Point: Does PS5 Have a Sequel Problem? 2\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<div class=\"insert-label centered insert lazyload for-mobile lazyload\">\n<div id=\"PS_MPU_X_M69275F222E463\" style=\"min-width:300px; min-height:250px;display:flex; flex-wrap: wrap; align-items:center; justify-content: center;\" data-dfp-id=\"pushsquare\/mobile_web_display\/article\" data-dfp-sizes=\"300x250\" data-dfp-targeting=\"pos=1,gto=false,experiment=nl-article-mobile-3\" class=\"lazyload\" data-dfp-refresh-direct=\"true\" data-prebid-config=\"Lazy_Load_HP_MPU\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>It&#8217;s tricky; sticking to what works is the smart play, as you&#8217;re going to get good reviews and good feedback from loyal players who just want more of what they like. There&#8217;s nothing wrong with that, really.<\/p>\n<p>We reckon what&#8217;s partly to blame is just how long it takes to make games of this scale these days. There were almost exactly two years between the release of PS2&#8217;s God of War and God of War II; the time between God of War (2018) and God of War Ragnarok is more than double that.<\/p>\n<p>Sequels that iterate and improve in this way used to come out much faster, and so there was a greater sense of momentum. Games are taking longer and longer to make, and this might be diminishing their impact.<\/p>\n<p>Moreover, Sony is a games publisher known for testing new waters and establishing interesting new IPs. This hasn&#8217;t totally gone away, of course \u2014 in fact, we might finally be seeing more of this in the years to come.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"picture\" data-uuid=\"17321a618b625\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"scanlines\" title=\"Talking Point: Does PS5 Have a Sequel Problem? 5\" href=\"https:\/\/images.pushsquare.com\/17321a618b625\/talking-point-does-ps5-have-a-sequel-problem-5.large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.pushsquare.com\/17321a618b625\/talking-point-does-ps5-have-a-sequel-problem-5.900x.jpg\" width=\"900\" height=\"506\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Talking Point: Does PS5 Have a Sequel Problem? 5\"><\/a><\/figure>\n<p>We&#8217;ve already mentioned Saros (technically a new IP), but also on the horizon are Marvel&#8217;s Wolverine and Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, so we&#8217;re venturing into unknown territory, and that&#8217;s exciting.<\/p>\n<p>We should also note that these safe sequels aren&#8217;t just coming from PlayStation; it&#8217;s something we&#8217;re seeing from many big publishers.<\/p>\n<p>We&#8217;re in a very risk-averse time; triple-A games are ludicrously expensive and time-consuming to make, so they <em>need<\/em> to land with their respective audiences.<\/p>\n<p>The way to do that is to keep selling people on what they already like, and we end up with perfectly good but by-the-numbers sequels like Borderlands 4, The Outer Worlds 2, and Assassin&#8217;s Creed&#8217;s recent history.<\/p>\n<p>Anyway, what do you think? Have you been loving Sony&#8217;s big sequels on PS5? Do they feel fresh or have they been playing it safe? Discuss in the comments section below.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<p><!-- cache: html:pushsquare.com\/ssl\/ps5\/related-info\/fadaa31efd0b2cd585b657771f2c3e82 @ 1764185950 --><\/p>\n<aside class=\"see-also\">\n<dl>\n<dt>See Also<\/dt>\n<dd class=\"first\">\n<ul>\n<li class=\" first last\">The Best PS5 Games (2025)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/game\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Game<\/a><\/span> category.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pushsquare.com\/features\/talking-point-does-ps5-have-a-sequel-problem\" target=\"_blank\" >Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Talking Point: Does PS5 Have a Sequel Problem? Image: Push Square There&#8217;s a silly notion going around that the PS5 has no games, which is of course nonsense, but when you stand back and look at some of the console&#8217;s biggest titles, there is an interesting pattern. Many PlayStation fans have fond memories of the&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16375,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/images.pushsquare.com\/320d0d91a7b43\/large.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[1414,1400,1404,1425],"class_list":["post-16374","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-game","tag-features","tag-ps5","tag-sony","tag-talking-point"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16374","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16374"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16374\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16375"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16374"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16374"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yohrt.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16374"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}