PlayStation calls PS5 ‘just a plastic box’ without content

Christian Svensson, head of Second and Third-Party at PlayStation, described the PS5 as “just a plastic box without content” and urged the company to keep prioritizing third-party developers. He cited PlayStation CEO Hiroki Nishino using the same phrase in a recent interview.

Svensson described PlayStation as “very third-party focused” and noted that the majority of games on the platform come from external developers. He said the company has a responsibility to support a range of development teams and warned that if PlayStation reduced its work with third parties, “the industry will stop growing.”

He explained how first-party and third-party efforts interact on the platform. First-party studios set a technical and creative bar by demonstrating what high-end experiences can look like on Sony hardware. At the same time, many tools and systems are developed for third-party partners first.

On technical support, Svensson said some first-party features are being developed as beta functions and will become available to third parties on a selective basis. He added that, more often, PlayStation builds tools for third parties that first-party teams later adopt.

Svensson also teased a set of support programs his teams have been developing and said they will be announced next year. He described them as examples of strong developer support but did not provide technical details or a timeline.

The PlayStation platform hosts major first-party franchises alongside large third-party releases. Competing platforms, including high-end PCs and new console hardware, offer alternatives for players and developers and increase pressure on Sony to maintain third-party partnerships. Reports have linked Sony to promotional arrangements for major upcoming releases intended to raise PS5 visibility during the holiday season.

Svensson summarized the company’s approach by saying first-party teams will continue to demonstrate technical possibilities while PlayStation’s platform efforts will focus on tools, outreach and programs to help external studios build and ship games.