By now, we’re all familiar with the idea of a superhero show. Whether your favorite focuses on a singular character, like Smallville did, or follows a team based in a super world, like Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., we’re inspired to believe that our world really could be filled with superheroes – and we just don’t know it yet. What makes Powers stand out from the likes of these is not its content so much as its platform; as PlayStation’s first push into original programming, and  with the fact that it’s available exclusively on PlayStation Network, this is one unique show.

Despite its next-gen origins, Powers is following the “old” model of 10 weekly episodes, with the intent of gathering more buzz around the show and therefore more of an audience as the season presses on. This is an interesting tactic, considering the runaway success that Netflix continues to have with House of Cards, and Marvel most recently experienced with Daredevil on the same service. Their binge-inducing method of releasing shows has been an effective way to please their audience, but PlayStation’s route is a refreshing turn of events. They’re betting on the success of Powers, using it as a testing ground for their future in this type of content creation – and they might even bring it back to their roots.

PlayStation is, at its core, a gaming company. Between hardware and software, they offer some of the best options for getting your game on. They’ve taken the bull by the horns with Powers, jumping in headfirst to their newest venture, called Playstation Originals. According to PlayStation VP of Platform Marketing John Koller, the company wants to do what’s best for their audience – gamers.

 Whatever we do, it’ll be very centered on the gamer and the gaming audience and what caters best to them. 

With this in mind, PlayStation has not entered this field lightly. It’s taken a considerable amount of time and research to create their first show, from conducting surveys to help decide the genre, to monitoring viewers’ habits to create the release schedule: “We … knew that ongoing weekly discussions amongst viewers would help build advocacy for the program,” he says. Powers is the key to original programming on PlayStation, but it is also the gateway to a new creative outlet for the company. Its success might inspire a second season, a game spinoff, or a few new shows to go along with it. While the future of the program and Powers‘ place in PlayStation’s arsenal is not clear, we can be certain that this may be the beginning of something new and exciting with a huge potential for growth, which is exactly where PlayStation wants to be.

Discuss:

Will you be tuning in to Powers?