GamesIndustry.biz interview: "Yoshida's Island"

[patsu]

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/sep2008/tc2008093_970320.htm

"I'm not at a point where I can say we're going to beat Nintendo," says Don Mattrick, senior vice-president of Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business.

Software may be, hardware no. As you mentioned, it's apple and orange anyway.

 

[obonicus]

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/sep2008/tc2008093_970320.htm



Software may be, hardware no. As you mentioned, it's apple and orange anyway.

Not expecting to beat Nintendo doesn't mean they don't want to beat them. To use a different MS example, look at the Zune. They surely can't expect to beat the iPod in the short-term, but the Zune still exists, and is still targeted at the same audience. (Or, for a more obvious example, see the entrance of MS into the console market.)

 

[patsu]

I don't think we are disagreeing but our languages are different. I mentioned that they are gunning for #2 this Christmas, but if they happen to be #1 then so be it. I did not say they don't want to beat Nintendo (in the long run) either. ^_^

 

[Shifty Geezer]

I don't know if MS are simply too dense to realize that, they 1. don't have the appropriate software. 2. don't have the appropriate interface 3. don't have the appropriate hardware reputation 4. don't have any waggle or wiggle in any games 5. still throw out niche/hardcore game after another on XBLA, the only "platform" that MIGHT attract somebody else than the core gamer.

Why do you think the Wii/Casuals is the only viable market MS can grow? You think the millions of last-gen FIFA/PES/Madden etc. fans have lost interest in these titles and now all want to own a Wii?

It's as simple as that for Sony too, but at least they have singstar, EyeToy out the door and keep building upon that with EyePet, singstore/updates, even LBP.

EyeToy has nothing really for it yet, EyePet isn't out for a year so is irrelevant to Holiday 2008 sales, MS have a Singstar clone, and LBP lacks 2. The appropriate interface, 4. Waggle or wiggle, so it can't appeal to the Wii market, ergo has no audience...at least by your reckoning above.

Microsoft just is going completely past anything than the old Xbox and core-PS2-audience.

That audience was over 100 million strong. It's not really being courted by Wii, and MS have the cheapest console offering for it. How can that be dumb thinking?! Okay, they missed Nintendo's trick, but so did everybody. It wasn't that Nintendo were smart and everyone else dumb - it's that Nintendo were lucky while the others played it 'safe'.

 

[assen]

3. don't have the appropriate hardware reputation

There is no such thing as "hardware reputation" among the "Wii crowd". There is one, if anything, among "home theater buyers", and this is why Sony is kicking ass in Europe and especially in countries like Italy and Spain; as Laa-Yosh noted some time ago, there are many people who have Sony loudspeakers and a Sony TV and they will buy a Sony console without any regards for games availability, price, online features etc.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

There is no such thing as "hardware reputation" among the "Wii crowd". There is one, if anything, among "home theater buyers", and this is why Sony is kicking ass in Europe and especially in countries like Italy and Spain; as Laa-Yosh noted some time ago, there are many people who have Sony loudspeakers and a Sony TV and they will buy a Sony console without any regards for games availability, price, online features etc.

I disagree with that. Lacklustre sales IMO prove quite the contrary. We didn't see 5 million PS/Sony fans buying a PS3 without any games on it, and it's been a gradual ramp up of sales associated with an increase in game library.

No console sells (in numbers) without the games people want to play - it's as simple as that. The console with the library that appeals to the most people will get the most sales. Marketing communicates availability of titles, and word-of-mouth helps spread the Good Word, but you can't sell people a console on the promise that it'll sit in the corner doing nothing. Even if the box ends up doing that, people are going to buy it because at the time of purchase they're wanting to play on it. And you can't have the world's greatest library with an appeal for everyone and expect sales if no-one knows you've got all those games. XB360 suffers from a shooter-only brand-image which miscommunicates the diversity of the library. And also you can't sell the greatest console with the greatest library if people can't plain afford it! But if you have everything else perfect except offering people the games they want to play, you're doomed.

 

[obonicus]

Why do you think the Wii/Casuals is the only viable market MS can grow? You think the millions of last-gen FIFA/PES/Madden etc. fans have lost interest in these titles and now all want to own a Wii?

<snip>

That audience was over 100 million strong. It's not really being courted by Wii, and MS have the cheapest console offering for it. How can that be dumb thinking?! Okay, they missed Nintendo's trick, but so did everybody. It wasn't that Nintendo were smart and everyone else dumb - it's that Nintendo were lucky while the others played it 'safe'.

The actual numbers on this are surprising. According to EDGE's July NPD report, NPD believes that 19% of of the 50M US PS2 owners own a Wii. That's something like 70% of Wii owners. Now, there may be a sampling error in NPD numbers (we don't really know how NPD surveys people, as opposed to stores).

Also, FIFA/PES/Madden all exist on the Wii. Madden exists in a 'fun' version, and NCAA Football's cover is this.

 

[upnorthsox]

and NCAA Football's cover is this.

Wow, so we get to play NCAA Football Mascot on the Wii?

 

[obonicus]

Wow, so we get to play NCAA Football Mascot on the Wii?

Yeah, that's essentially it. NCAA Football sales on the Wii were weak, as I remember, but the terrible cover just helps make the whole thing more murky.

 

[patsu]

Yet another Shuhei interview

http://uk.ps3.ign.com/articles/909/909647p1.html?RSSwhen2008-09-12_041500&RSSid=909647

One of my gravest doubts (I really hope they can connect with consumers the way Wii ads could):

IGN: Going back to LittleBigPlanet, is it going to be a difficult title to get people to understand it?

Shuhei Yoshida: We are totally focussed on making it successful from worldwide marketing. From a company standpoint we totally believe in the premise that it brings to the table - not just for the game but for the future and where we're heading. It is just going to take a concerted effort from all parts of the company. So from a marketing standpoint it's going to be huge campaign that you'll see.

On developer progress:

IGN: Do you think we can expect to still see visual leaps from the PlayStation 3?

Shuhei Yoshida: The improvement will be very steady and progressive. Speak to the Insomniac guys, they are releasing their third game and they'll tell you feel there is a lot more that they can do.

Like how MotorStorm 2 and Resistance 2 compare to their predecessors ? [Oh you'll see ;-)]
Can't imagine MS3 and R3 now, but Heavy Rain sets a different and deeper experience for me next year.

IGN: How can Sony convince third parties to develop for the PSP?

Shuhei Yoshida: We have to show by examples. What's happening in Japan is interesting - because of the massive success of Monster Hunter, Japanese publishers realise, 'here's a resource'. Lots of people are playing PSP in groups of fours and when you go to Japan it's hard to find a train or a bar where you don't see some people playing a PSP. So other publishers in Japan are seeing these consumers, and thinking, 'Wow, we can make games for those consumers'.

And this is a usage that really sits well with the PSP. The most recent example is the Phantasy Star game from SEGA, and it's really catching on. Some of these will come over to US and Europe, and hopefully other third parties will start thinking about the PSP in the same way.

I did see quite a few PSPs in public transports when I visited Asia (not just Japan). Am flabberghasted at Shuhei's "We have to show by examples" quote. I guess it's not too late yet, but they really need to step up SCEA's plans for PSP. Europe and Japan have amazing PSP services.