PS5 Hardware Architect Says It Takes Less Time to Build a Console Than a Game Now 1
Image: Push Square

It’ll probably take less time for PlayStation hardware architect and overall industry legend Mark Cerny to design the PS6 than it will for developers to create its launch games. That’s the status of the industry as we stand, where tentpole AAA productions are now taking at least four years to finish – and the most ambitious titles take even longer.

Speaking with Games Industry.biz, the veteran developer revealed that one of his goals with the PS4 and PS5 has been to reduce the “time to triangle” – in other words, the length of time it takes to get something up on the screen. But he admitted he’s seen a lot of criticism on gaming forums about this, with development cycles running longer and longer these days.

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“I probably shouldn't, but I spend a lot of time on the boards,” he admitted. “And I see people asking, ‘If the time to triangle has been greatly reduced, why is it then taking so many years to create a game?’ And the answer is that is what the teams are choosing to do. They are going after these massive creations that really do need four or six years to put together.”

Of course, as we’re witnessing with the recent State of Play and Summer Game Fest, these extensive development cycles are leaving gamers frustrated, as major software appears to have dried up. While there’s undoubtedly plenty of games to play, many are waiting on the next big hit from the likes of Naughty Dog and Sucker Punch, which still appear to be several years away.

It’s wild to think that studios beginning work on a new project today will likely have half an eye on the PS6 at this point, although we expect another long cross-gen period when we do eventually transition to a new generation, presumably around 2027 or so.

[source gamesindustry.biz]