EA: Microsoft Can't Compete With PlayStation Brand
Sony still has an "almost-impossible-to-supercede headstart."
Electronic Arts has placed bets on the PlayStation 3 this generation, if its recent partnership at E3 was any indication. Comments from CEO John Riccitiello in a recent interview seems to support that, saying that Microsoft's Xbox 360 can't compete on a worldwide level with Sony's brand.
Microsoft has made plenty of advances in the US in recent months, and Riccitiello doesn't discount the "great work" the company has done or the "smart moves" it has made - "hitting pricing when they needed to, the right combination of hitting price points and disk drive sizes that allow them to hit price points that matter, and they’ve done a great job with Xbox Live.
"At the same time, the Xbox brand, the Microsoft brand, doesn’t carry anywhere near as much sway as the Sony and PlayStation brand do outside the United States, and so I think the reality is the international marketplace is just so important and it’s a natural advantage that no matter how good Microsoft is at growing their business, Sony has an almost-impossible-to-supersede head start."
The EA exec said that Sony has improved its marketing message and finally let go of PlayStation Home as the vision for the company's online future - both elements that have helped the PS3 close the gap in terms of global install base. "While I’m not sure that [Sony's online offering] would compare them in depth and breadth and features and support to what you have at Xbox Live, it’s good now," he notes.
"We have a similar share on both platforms. It’s not that I wouldn’t want to criticize one of the other; I’m not shy. I just think they’ve actually both done a pretty good job," Riccitiello said, adding that he felt Sony's Blu-ray drive gave the company a big disadvantage at the beginning while Microsoft has taken advantage of its rival's difficulty in hitting price points.
But "Sony has [leveraged] their limited amount of unique content really well," Riccitiello concluded. "They’ve done a nice job promoting the Blu-ray, their advertising and marketing campaigns have been stronger, and they’ve done a nice job of supporting some EA content to their own advantage."
Source: Industry Gamers
Microsoft has made plenty of advances in the US in recent months, and Riccitiello doesn't discount the "great work" the company has done or the "smart moves" it has made - "hitting pricing when they needed to, the right combination of hitting price points and disk drive sizes that allow them to hit price points that matter, and they’ve done a great job with Xbox Live.
"At the same time, the Xbox brand, the Microsoft brand, doesn’t carry anywhere near as much sway as the Sony and PlayStation brand do outside the United States, and so I think the reality is the international marketplace is just so important and it’s a natural advantage that no matter how good Microsoft is at growing their business, Sony has an almost-impossible-to-supersede head start."
The EA exec said that Sony has improved its marketing message and finally let go of PlayStation Home as the vision for the company's online future - both elements that have helped the PS3 close the gap in terms of global install base. "While I’m not sure that [Sony's online offering] would compare them in depth and breadth and features and support to what you have at Xbox Live, it’s good now," he notes.
"We have a similar share on both platforms. It’s not that I wouldn’t want to criticize one of the other; I’m not shy. I just think they’ve actually both done a pretty good job," Riccitiello said, adding that he felt Sony's Blu-ray drive gave the company a big disadvantage at the beginning while Microsoft has taken advantage of its rival's difficulty in hitting price points.
But "Sony has [leveraged] their limited amount of unique content really well," Riccitiello concluded. "They’ve done a nice job promoting the Blu-ray, their advertising and marketing campaigns have been stronger, and they’ve done a nice job of supporting some EA content to their own advantage."
Source: Industry Gamers
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Comments
Yeahright 21 Dec 2010 12:20
1/2
This coming form the company that said Medal of Honour could challenge COD
ergo 22 Dec 2010 09:38
2/2
I'm sure he thought precisely the same thing about the Americas *and* the Wii before this generation started and now look at where we are.