I don't think it going to ever happen, maybe people thought about it two or three year ago when Sony was in serious trouble with the PS3 but it interesting to think about it

What would have happened if Sony became a third party publisher and developer? do you think they could become the biggest publisher out there? do you think it would have changed the market as we know it in terms of third party publishers?

Just think about it.. they own all these studios

Japan

• Japan Studio – Ape Escape, Siren, LocoRoco, Patapon
• Team ICO – Shadow of the Colossus, Ico, The Last Guardian
• Polyphony Digital – Gran Turismo, Motor Toon Grand Prix 2, Tourist Trophy

United States

• Naughty Dog - Crash Bandicoot, Jak & Daxter series, Uncharted series
• Santa Monica Studio – Kinetica, God of War series, Warhawk with Incognito Entertainment
• San Diego Studio – NBA, MLB: The Show, Modnation Racers
• Sony Bend – Syphon Filter, Resistance: Retribution
• Sony Online Entertainment – EverQuest
• Incognito Entertainment – Warhawk with SCE Studios Santa Monica, Twisted Metal series, Downhill Domination, Calling All Cars
• Zipper Interactive – SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs series, MAG

Europe

• London Studio – SingStar, Eyetoy, PlayStation Home with SCE Studio Cambridge
• Cambridge Studio – MediEvil, PlayTV, PlayStation Home with SCE London Studio
• Liverpool Studio – Wipeout, F1
• Evolution Studios – MotorStorm, World Rally Championship
• Bigbig Studios – Pursuit Force, MotorStorm: Arctic Edge
• Guerrilla Games – Killzone series
• Media Molecule – LittleBigPlanet

Have a great relastionship with most of the second party developers they work with

Japan

• Level-5 - White Knight Chronicles, Dark Cloud
• Clap Hanz – Everybody's Golf, Everybody's Tennis^[20]
• Game Republic – Folklore, Genji
• Q-Games – PixelJunk
• Media.Vision – Wild Arms
• Pyramid – Patapon
• From Software – Demon's Souls

North America

• Insomniac Games – Spyro the Dragon, Resistance series (excluding Resistance: Retribution), Ratchet & Clank series
• Sucker Punch Productions – inFamous, Sly Cooper
• ThatGameCompany – Flow, Flower
• Ready at Dawn Studios – God of War: Chains of Olympus, Daxter
• High Impact Games – Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters, Secret Agent Clank
• Eat Sleep Play – Twisted Metal: Head On
• Slant Six Games – SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation, SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo 3
• LightBox Interactive
• Titan Studios - Fat Princess
• United Front Games - ModNation Racers

Europe

• Quantic Dream – Heavy Rain
• Relentless Software – Buzz!
• EPOS Game Studios - Crash Commando
• Novarama - Invizimals

They own all these franchises (some which were registered but not yet out like Starhawk are not listed, so it more franchises really)

If I'm not mistaken, Sony Computer Entertainment is probably already bigger than any other third party publisher out there and also have the backing of Sony itself so you also have that to consider

Don't know, it would never happen, so its not even worth thinking about

Not happening in a very long time, if ever.

But it hurts to think about that... I passed more or less 5 years believing Nintendo would leave the hardware business. Damn media terrorism! People were actually predicting Mario on Xbox and Ps3.

Thank god they were oh so very wrong! Thank god and thank their stupidity too!

SCE produced twice the yearly revenue of Activision-Blizzard (biggest 3rd party) in 2008.

They should easily dwarf the other 3rd party studio's. I think the only publisher/developer larger is Nintendo.

Lets just hope this does not happen. Their greatness today is more to push their hardware and I have no reason to believe they would remain the same company without that hardware to push.

No, because if they go third party, their entire fanbase will commit suicide.

^^ true I'll be dead

sony just need to use those studios to make more games
I need jak and daxter to come back, I need a new syphon filter, twister metal and a new dark cloud
cuz I bought the ps3 and besides ratchet and clanck and god of war
I really dont feel like Im ownin the successor to the ps2 or the ps1

Kind of a silly idea.

One of the reasons why Sony is able to buy and keep funding all those studios is because of royalties they get by having publishers release games on their console.

I'll give you the list of Sega developers/franchises in 2000 and its pretty similar to Sony's in size. Once you lose the hardware you go from a 10 billion dollar revenue company per year to 3 billion...and a lot of those studios will have to be let go/disolved.