Today, December 3rd, marks a momentous occasion as PlayStation celebrates its 30th anniversary. To commemorate this milestone, Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) hosted the 2024 PlayStation Partner Awards in the Japan Asia region, honoring the remarkable games and developers that launched their titles on PlayStation platforms.
This year’s celebration didn’t just spotlight successful PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 titles from October 2023 through September 2024. It also paid homage to exceptional Japanese and Asian-developed games from the original PlayStation to the PS4. So, let’s dive into the outstanding titles that took home awards at this event.
First up, let’s talk the Excellence Award, which highlights games from the Japan/Asia region making a substantial impact with notable commercial success over the last three years. This year, the title goes to none other than Genshin Impact by HoYoverse.
Moving onto the Grand Award, this accolade is reserved for the top three titles from Japan and Asia regions, having achieved the highest global sales from October 2023 to September 2024. The winners are Black Myth: Wukong from Game Science Interactive Technology, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree by FromSoftware, Inc and Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc., and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth by Square Enix Co. Ltd.
The Partner Award was given to titles developed in the Japan/Asia region that achieved top-ranked global sales over the same timeframe. Standout titles include Dragon’s Dogma 2 by Capcom, Honkai: Star Rail by HoYoverse, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth by Sega, Persona 3 Reload by Atlus, Tekken 8 by Bandai Namco, The First Descendant by Nexon, and Zenless Zone Zero by HoYoverse.
In the Special Award category, the spotlight was on PS5 games developed in collaboration with SIE outside the Japan/Asia region that struck gold in these areas. Rise of the Ronin by SIE and Koei Tecmo and Stellar Blade by SIE and Shift Up took the honors.
There’s also a Users’ Choice Award, where the top five titles launched in the Japan/Asia region were picked by user votes. These include Black Myth: Wukong by Game Science, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth by Square Enix, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth by Sega, Rise of the Ronin by SIE and Koei Tecmo, and Stellar Blade by SIE and Shift Up.
Celebrating the history, the PlayStation Generations Awards acknowledged titles chosen by Japan and Asia gamers across each PlayStation generation – from the original console to the PS4. Past winners across different generations included Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy X, Monster Hunter Portable 3rd, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, Persona 4 Golden, and Elden Ring.
Now, let’s hear from some of the awardees. HoYoverse’s Genshin Impact team expressed deep gratitude to the players and PlayStation, emphasizing the meaningful journey they’ve shared together and ongoing adventures in their expansive world. They remain committed to delivering exciting and fresh content.
FromSoftware and Bandai Namco, the team behind Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, extended heartfelt thanks to their players, recognizing the delayed but strong demand for the DLC. They credited their community for keeping the spirit of their game alive.
Game Science Interactive Technology celebrated Black Myth: Wukong’s Grand Award by acknowledging the incredible effort of their team and the game’s unique cultural inspiration. They pledged to continue delivering captivating stories and experiences.
Lastly, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth’s Director, Naoki Hamaguchi, expressed profound appreciation for the fanbase’s support, revealing that the remake trilogy is nearing its grand finale and promising a rewarding conclusion.
Through heartfelt messages and an impressive lineup of winners, the PlayStation Partner Awards has surely marked this 30-year milestone with unforgettable celebrations in the gaming world.
