Sony executive Shuhei Yoshida has labeled PS4-exclusive Until Dawn a “sleeper hit,” saying it has far exceeded the expectations for the company.
“We’re super happy with the reactions from people, especially people who are streaming or posting videos on YouTube. It’s super fun to watch other people play, even after you’ve finished the game, because other people make different choices,” he said. “We can say it’s a sleeper hit. Once it’s recognized, originating with consumers, the marketing department can continue to support the title through Christmas with some creative ideas.”
Yoshida claimed Sony is happy with how Until Dawn has been received and explained the lack of marketing push that some, including myself, have questioned regarding the title.
“People have asked me why it wasn’t marketed as much as other titles. It’s a decision made by marketing departments in each region,” he said. “Because of the focus on this Christmas time-frame, to really support the big third-party titles like Destiny and these titles, they didn’t see the need to push Until Dawn that much from the platform marketing standpoint. I think everybody was caught by surprise by the positive reaction.”
He even went as far to say Until Dawn and its success may have an impact on the interactive gaming genre as a whole down the line.
“That’s a really great thing for the future of the interactive drama genre,” he said about Until Dawn’s initial success. “We’re a big fan of this genre. These games can talk to a broader audience. You don’t have to be good at playing games. You can even just watch your friend play the game. We believe this interactive drama genre can help expand the audience for console games.”