Grabbing Attention vs Keeping It

Amidst the seemingly never-ending  “pew-pew”s and esoteric profundities echoing throughout my apartment following back-to-back months of Playstation Studios releases, one sound that always manages to cut through the (admittedly impeccable) sound-design onslaught is quite notably missing. An ear-catching sonic logo stands as the beating heart of a successful brand identity, but Playstation proves that knowing when to deploy it is just as important.

Video games have been at the forefront of maximalist innovations in foley and sound-design alongside Hollywood blockbusters over the last decade. As such, the soundscapes of live events aimed at showcasing a wide array of trailers for upcoming projects tend to amalgamate into an inseparable wall of sound and action-splendour. A cacophony of reverential one-liners backed by something Hans Zimmer would write on his day off and anime-infused grunts and groans… So welcomed then is the stand-out calling card of industry juggernaut Playstation. 

A simple sonic signature — in the purest sense of the word — that always manages to convey the heft of the company behind it while simultaneously reminding us of the playfulness so central to its continued relevance. It never ceases to quiet the horrific sound-bath of explosions and gunfire that inevitably surrounds it. Why then (when put alongside the spellbinding signature of their subsidiary Bungie in what has to be one of the year’s best sounding opening sequences) do they opt to employ a less flashy sonic showing that seems to hold all the grandeur of the brand’s identity without any of the fun that punctuates their marketing materials?

Well, when I sit down and boot up that brand new Playstation first-party release, I have already bought into the experience with my money and time; in the newly acquired absence of a need to grab my attention (‘PLAYSTATION!’), they are instead afforded the space to further tone the experience I’m about to have. Yes, it will be a fun experience, but when Playstation does fun it wins game of the year at the Game Awards. Playstation’s brand in 2026 is hinged on their prestige, on the fact that their vast library of IPs and subsidiaries continue to innovate in the spaces and genres they tackle. They don’t need to remind me that the game will be fun, I have already conceded to this by making a purchase in the first place — now they can remind me that it’s an industry leading, big-budget affair. 

Therein lies the difference in how a brand effectively talks to a prospective customer versus a firmly secured one. The former involves courtship, a delicate balancing of intrigue and ingenuity amidst a sea of competitors all gunning for the same consumer interest in a hotly-demanded-yet-highly-saturated market. When 20th Century Fox try to sell you on their upcoming release Send Help they forgo their lengthy orchestral ordeal for a sleek and stylish static logo that lets the movie do the talking, because that’s what sells tickets. However, once your ass is sat in that seat: get ready for the trumpets, baby. 

Playstation are leveraging the same sort of courtship when letting their trailers play-out uninterrupted by any brand-specific sonic signifiers, but in an industry that hinges on what hardware eco-system you’ve bought into, the resounding and succinct ‘PLAYSTATION!’ that functions as a full-stop at the end is there to tell you that it is fun — and that you need to have a Playstation to access the fun. 

Surrounded by some of the most over-engineered and bombastic sound-design ever heard by human ears (complimentary), Playstation Studios has stepped up to the plate with a razor-sharp calling card that quiets the storm without ever trying to silence it whole; A24, on the other hand, choose silence altogether.