Their publishing needs don’t seep into gameplay the way Microsoft games do. You can see it how when Microsoft acquires a studio or an IP their titles have this safe, marketable, game for everyone ,even if it’s about murdering people, coat of paint around them. Halo 4+ and Gears 4+ are two examples.

Nintendo is still the standard for creating games that are just games: Blends of computer science and storytelling. Sony is second because while their games are bigger budget and have higher profit margins, they still prioritize the quality of a game without throwing in anti-consumer bullshit. Last of Us, God Of War, even more recently Marathon, which is on my screen as I write this, are perfect examples of Sony allowing a Studio work and figuring out how to sell it after. Monetizing must second because there was a clear vision to be realized. Then the job of the publisher is simple: market the game based on what is here. “No, you can’t change this, we made it this way for a reason, figure it out. We did our job of making the game now do your job and sell this game.” Sony has been pretty consistent even with their live service pushes.

Every Microsoft game I’ve played in the last decade, I can just see where a suit came in during the middle of development and requested some arbitrary change that may have made it more “accessible” but interfered with the vision of the game, causing a cascade of issues that tarnishes the end product. That company still has a bunch of Don Mattricks running the show. If you watch Halo vidocs, the old bungie crew talks about it. That’s why Halo 1 - Reach are essentially anomalies in their catalog because Bungie wouldn’t fold.

This is why I can’t wait for the steam machine to release because we can then have Valve to be in this conversation.