Here's how self-publishing will work on PlayStation 4

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‘No hurdles, just games’

While we obviously don’t all have PlayStation 4s yet and can’t comment on how self-publishing is working out for the system (if only!), on paper, it does sound like Sony — and Nintendo, let’s not forget — are making the right decision going into this new console generation. Speaking at the Develop Conference, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe senior account manager Agostino Simonetta recapped what it will be like for developers who choose to self-publish on PS4, as reported by Gamasutra:

  • Developers have “end-to-end” control, including games’ release dates.
  • Success on the platform is said to do with the quality of the current game and not how many titles a developer has previously put out (though that surely doesn’t hurt).
  • To that end, promotion on the PlayStation Blog, for example, is “not guaranteed” and “depends on the objective quality of your title.”
  • When a game is submitted to Sony, developers can tick a box that indicates their desire to get feedback from the company. This is entirely optional and advice received needn’t be followed.
  • Once submitted, it takes approximately one week before a game is able to go live at which point the developer chooses when that will specifically happen. That’s it!

While licensed developers will still need an actual development kit to get started, once that hurdle has been passed, the process sounds reasonable in all the right ways. It’s a fabulous time to be making games and I can only see that becoming more true over the coming years.

When self-publishing on PlayStation 4, here’s what to expect [Gamasutra]