With the “metaverse” being all the rage now, Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan reminded investors of PS3’s PlayStation Home — a “very early manifestation” of platform metaverse. According to Ryan, the virtual 3D social world was 10-15 years ahead of its time.
PlayStation Home was shut down in 2015, but Sony has metaverse projects in the works
A comment from Sony on PlayStation Home is rare, and Ryan’s statement wasn’t part of a public conversation either. Documents published by a U.S. court in the wake of the Microsoft-Activision vs. FTC legal battle contained a Q&A between Ryan and investors at Fidelity. During the session, investors asked Ryan about Sony’s metaverse strategy and whether PSVR2 would play a role in it.
Ryan said in his response that PS3’s PlayStation Home was an early form of metaverse — one that was “probably” 10-15 years ahead of its time. “We have a couple of projects underway that are very exciting for us, in terms of creating some sort of game-type metaverse which can possibly have collaboration with other parts of Sony,” Ryan added. “Sony’s entertainment assets have huge potential in the metaverse area.”
As far as PSVR2 is concerned, Ryan says it may have a role “down the road, more in the mid-term.”
