PlayStation 5 Activity Cards Use Actual Player Data, As Rift Apart Director Reveals

It’s no secret that the PlayStation 5 has been given a major interface overhaul, with the developers adding several new features to enhance the user experience and make the UI modernly fresher. One such addition to the next-gen console is called “Activity” and it’s all about making games fascinatingly more approachable.

The Activity feature employs cards for each game to show stats, and let you jump straight into a side-mission or on a collectible hunt. It also shows you the approximate time it’ll take for you to search for hidden artifacts and such. While other games may not utilize this functionality to the full, the creators of Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart believe it rather gives the “biggest boost” to the game’s players. 

Speaking to Axios in an exclusive interview, Rift Apart’s developers commented on the Activity cards and have revealed exciting information. As previously mentioned, the cards display how much time each in-game task will take to complete. This can come off conveniently for busy players and help them schedule their game time.

However, it was generally understood that these time estimates are given by game developers, but in truth, that’s not the entire case. “They’re derived from an estimate set by developers that is then compared to other players’ average completion times for the task pulled by the online PlayStation Network — and then further personalized with a check of the player’s pace playing the game.”   

The scenario at hand is definitely more in-depth than previously thought. The interview also cast a lens on the concept of difficulty in games, and how it needs to be altered for the better. The developers of Rift Apart believe, “We have sort of shed this conventional wisdom that games kind of need to be a hardass in order for you to get satisfaction out of it.” 

The devs have definitely undergone an immense change of plans. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart sports a bevy of puzzle stages, but any of those can be skipped with merely a press of a button. Measures such as these were taken to make the game enjoyable for everyone, and not just the intellectual ones. 

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