Shuhei Yoshida
Sony's President of Worldwide Studios, Shuhei Yoshida, may have come close to breaking the hearts of game retailers in an interview with IGN recently. As well as talking about how uncomfortable Sony was with PS3, and calling Team Ico the 'Olympic Team' because it always seems to take an age to develop anything, he's also put a timetable on the move to direct game sales.
When asked how important the PlayStation Network is the PS3, his response will send shockwaves through a few boardrooms:
This may well come as a shock to US retailer GameStop's CEO, Dan DeMatteo, who only last month was explaining that competition from digital delivery is "insignificant".
Also in the interview, Yoshida-san in a surprisingly sober, candid and decent manner waxed realistic with regard to Sony's feelings about the PS3 last year.
"This year, yes (Sony is comfortable with PS3), but last year we weren't so sure. Last year we were very concerned about things that were not happening that should have been happening."
The full interview is over at IGN.
When asked how important the PlayStation Network is the PS3, his response will send shockwaves through a few boardrooms:
"...and not just for the PlayStation 3 but it's important for the future of the industry. It's a progressive shift from a retailer based business, so it won't happen in a year or two."
This may well come as a shock to US retailer GameStop's CEO, Dan DeMatteo, who only last month was explaining that competition from digital delivery is "insignificant".
Also in the interview, Yoshida-san in a surprisingly sober, candid and decent manner waxed realistic with regard to Sony's feelings about the PS3 last year.
"This year, yes (Sony is comfortable with PS3), but last year we weren't so sure. Last year we were very concerned about things that were not happening that should have been happening."
The full interview is over at IGN.
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Comments
schnide 12 Sep 2008 14:30
1/9
Well that's going to enamour GAME to push PS3's sales through the roof and ignore the 360 and Wii for sure. More amazing PR triumphs from Sony!
Rutabaga 12 Sep 2008 15:31
2/9
Sometimes you're a bit misleading with your headlines. It's amazing how you've extrapolated
"It's a progressive shift from a retailer based business, so it won't happen in a year or two."
To state that Sony are moving away from retail in two years.
"It's a progressive shift from a retailer based business, so it won't happen in a year or two."
To state that Sony are moving away from retail in two years.
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TimSpong 12 Sep 2008 16:51
3/9
Rutabaga wrote:
Sometimes you're a bit misleading with your headlines. It's amazing how you've extrapolated
"It's a progressive shift from a retailer based business, so it won't happen in a year or two."
To state that Sony are moving away from retail in two years.
"It's a progressive shift from a retailer based business, so it won't happen in a year or two."
To state that Sony are moving away from retail in two years.
Okay, hands-up that was my fault entirely and it did need a question mark in the headline. I was, however, pulled up by the stark admission that there is a definite strategy to shift from retail. That kind of statement is usually either not made or is couched in snow.
Point taken though.
tim
DoctorDee 12 Sep 2008 20:05
4/9
Tim Smith wrote:
That kind of statement is usually either not made or is couched in snow.
It is possibly consiered impolite before you disembowel someone and eat their entrails, to point out that you are going to dismbowel them and eat their entrails.
Retail for movies, games and music is f**ked. And the SEEM to be ingoring the fact completely. How HMV, GAME and BLockbusters shares aren't in the toilet I will never understand. OK, the whole stock-market works on the bigger fool principle. But anyone who buys shares in those doomed companies is a bigger fool then I can imagine.
Rutabaga 12 Sep 2008 22:50
5/9
There's one flaw that I can see if all this media moves to download only and kills the retailers. Where will we buy our Playstations/Nintendo's/Xboxs from?
jj 12 Sep 2008 23:00
6/9
This is just a fight back by large corporations to clamp down on games trading and piracy, but I am certainly not going to accept it, I don't trust big corporations especially Sony. So all our games will be digitally distributed, so basically we don't actually own the games we pay for, it's more like they are licensing games to us.
what happens when your console breaks, or when the next gen console comes out, I doubt they will freely let you transfer these games onto your next machine without paying extra....look at the Spore fiasco where you buy the game but you are only allowed to install it 3 times then it's useless, or you can call a premium rate number to try and sort it, legal consumers are getting screwed by DRM.
If it's a choice between only digital distribution or Piracy, I'll choose piracy everytime, better to be doing the screwing than getting screwed, isn't that what capitalism teaches us?
what happens when your console breaks, or when the next gen console comes out, I doubt they will freely let you transfer these games onto your next machine without paying extra....look at the Spore fiasco where you buy the game but you are only allowed to install it 3 times then it's useless, or you can call a premium rate number to try and sort it, legal consumers are getting screwed by DRM.
If it's a choice between only digital distribution or Piracy, I'll choose piracy everytime, better to be doing the screwing than getting screwed, isn't that what capitalism teaches us?
Free PS3 14 Sep 2008 00:01
7/9
The giveaway network would like to SPAM your Forum because its management and marketing people are too ignorant and cheap to advertise.
Thanks from the giveaway network!
[15 Sep 2008, 09:18: Message edited by 'TimSpong']
Thanks from the giveaway network!
[15 Sep 2008, 09:18: Message edited by 'TimSpong']
Captain Chaos 14 Sep 2008 19:47
8/9
^^ w****r
john masters 14 Sep 2008 21:47
9/9
Who wrote this article? The quote does not, in any way say Sony is moving away in two years. So...wtf is with the title? How do you go from "it won't happen in one or two years" to "move away from retail in two years"? Seriously...dumb.