Sony Playstation Marketing: a quiet place in days gone?

[Nesh]

Kaz Hiray steps down from Sony, Sony not being at E3, State of Play being nothing special, not much for a long time in terms of enhancing and expanding Playstation 4's experience, Sony withdrawing digital code sales from Retail Stores to align their businesses......This is also the first time that Sony has run out of game announcements. They are silent. Probably TOO silent,.
I get this weird feeling that PS5 might be something different from what we might expect.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

You're right. Sony pulling out of game industry!

 

[iroboto]

You're right. Sony pulling out of game industry!

Common man. Don’t give Nesh a hard time over it. I’ve been at the same conclusions as him. I don’t want to be overly critical about it. But as far as I can see, PlayStation has not been in top form since Andrew House left. They’ve had 2 leaders change within 2 years. That’s pretty devastating. And it shows, they have been silent. They have been largely unorganized. The games front was a good strategy but there are platform features that their customers are waiting for as well.

I don’t blame anyone thinking Sony is going through a rough spot because of all this leadership change. I would say thinking everything is going perfectly fine would be naive with respect to meeting their customers expectations.

 

[Nesh]

Yes the PS4 started with a bang but now feels somewhat neglected. Comparing it to it's previous consoles, especially PS1 and PS2 where the systems were similarly successful they were pushed as a lifestyle product until the very very end. The ultimate gaming system evolving into an entertainment system and beyond. there isn't much push for PS4. Either Sony is naive, or they hit an unexpected dead end, or they spotted a significant change in the future market that demands a revision of how the PS brand should be marketed as. If it's the latter they probably realize that they cannot market the brand in a way that is incompatible with the future form and thus they keep things low.

 

[AlNom]

Common man. Don’t give Nesh a hard time over it. I’ve been at the same conclusions as him. I don’t want to be overly critical about it. But as far as I can see, PlayStation has not been in top form since Andrew House left. They’ve had 2 leaders change within 2 years. That’s pretty devastating. And it shows, they have been silent. They have been largely unorganized. The games front was a good strategy but there are platform features that their customers are waiting for as well.

I don’t blame anyone thinking Sony is going through a rough spot because of all this leadership change. I would say thinking everything is going perfectly fine would be naive with respect to meeting their customers expectations.

So we're Holding Out for a Hero.

 

[iroboto]

So we're Holding Out for a Hero.

I didn't even know about Kaz when Nesh posted.

So definitely yes. Kaz really turned around Sony.

 

[Xbat]

PlayStation has not been in top form since Andrew House left.

What am I reading? Its got at least 3 new AAA IP coming out this late in the gen.
I don't understand this rhetoric lately that's on gaming forums. Sony is quiet because they have announced all there big PS4 games already and they can't talk about PS5 games until that's announced and they putting all there marketing into Days Gone until that's out and then they will move on to the next exclusive that's coming.

 

[Deleted member 11852]

I don’t blame anyone thinking Sony is going through a rough spot because of all this leadership change. I would say thinking everything is going perfectly fine would be naive with respect to meeting their customers expectations.

Having worked in Government, Defence and Aerospace for a few decades, I'm used to change at the top. Unless the new <insert top dog> significantly changes division strategies, nothing changes. In executive terms, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. PlayStation still seems to be on the course set by Kaz Hirai (left SIE in 2013) and Mark Cerny. Andrew House kept that trajectory until he left in 2017 and John Kodera is following the same trajectory. What's really changed since House left? Like a lot of companies pulled out of E3 and they have eased up on cross-platform multiplayer.

I'm not seeing the fall of Rome here. Most agree that Microsoft's far reaching executive change was good for Xbox. Why is executive change bad for Sony? What about Nintendo?

 

[mrcorbo]

Having worked in Government, Defence and Aerospace for a few decades, I'm used to change at the top. Unless the new <insert top dog> significantly changes division strategies, nothing changes. In executive terms, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. PlayStation still seems to be on the course set by Kaz Hirai (left SIE in 2013) and Mark Cerny. Andrew House kept that trajectory until he left in 2017 and John Kodera is following the same trajectory.

He got replaced (at the top) by Jim Ryan last month.

 

[iroboto]

What am I reading? Its got at least 3 new AAA IP coming out this late in the gen.
I don't understand this rhetoric lately that's on gaming forums. Sony is quiet because they have announced all there big PS4 games already and they can't talk about PS5 games until that's announced and they putting all there marketing into Days Gone until that's out and then they will move on to the next exclusive that's coming.

Just because the leadership is being changed doesn't mean operations stop. There's a large difference between studios who have their own leadership and running the larger organization.

There's a lot more to running Sony's business than just their 1P AAA studios running smoothly with titles lined up year after year. Marketing, features, services, the actual platform itself etc. The landscape is always changing, their customers tastes and requirements are also always undergoing change and Sony needs to meet these new demands however they come.

Having worked in Government, Defence and Aerospace for a few decades, I'm used to change at the top. Unless the new <insert top dog> significantly changes division strategies, nothing changes. In executive terms, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. PlayStation still seems to be on the course set by Kaz Hirai (left SIE in 2013) and Mark Cerny. Andrew House kept that trajectory until he left in 2017 and John Kodera is following the same trajectory. What's really changed since House left? Like a lot of companies pulled out of E3 and they have eased up on cross-platform multiplayer.

I'm not seeing the fall of Rome here. Most agree that Microsoft's far reaching executive change was good for Xbox. Why is executive change bad for Sony? What about Nintendo?

No one said anything about fall of Rome. I've certainly not implied that. A simple google reveals that I don't think Nesh and others are alone in feeling the lack of direction.

I mean, by now, shouldn't something as simple as saying we will support PS4 BC on the next Playstation have happened yet even if you don't want to announce PS5? especially as more customers are thinking about building a digital library?

http://www.pushsquare.com/news/2018/03/soapbox_sony_has_become_far_too_quiet
https://comicbook.com/gaming/2018/10/13/playstation-sony-shawn-layden-communicate-better/

In other words, it seemed like Sony was falling back to the early days of the PlayStation 3, where the company lived in its own bubble and wasn't great at interacting with fans and working with their demands and expectations.


But that isn't happening, in fact, Worldwide Studios chairman Shawn Layden recently came out, and rather candidly, admitted that the company knows it needs to do a better job with communication.

Speaking on a recent episode of the PlayStation Blogcast, Worldwide Studios chairman Shawn Layden said that that’s exactly what the PlayStation maker plans to do moving forwards. “We’re going to crank that communication up, we're going to find more ways to get our message out and get a view into what our activities are and what our hopes and dreams are, if you will, for PlayStation and for Worldwide Studios,” he said.

This was October 12 2018 btw ^^^ I didn't write this stuff, Shawn Layden came out and addressed it himself. Their 2018 E3 was an extension of their 2017 E3.
But alas, they cancelled PSX for 2018. No E3 2019, first time in 24 years. Kodera didn't even come out to address anyone in his short tenure. This is the only time I've seen Kodera in a video:

I would suspect that State of Play was what Shawn was referring to in terms of cranking up communications with fans. It's still been an awfully quiet 5 months from that interview to State of Play, and State of Play is largely disliked.

Sony deleted and re-uploaded their state of play to remove dislikes or so the conspiracies are moving.

And then he's replaced by Jim Ryan in Feb, who famously said BC is not needed in 2017. He didn't show up in State of Play either, even something as simple as introducing himself as being the new head of Playstation and reassuring their fans of where they are headed for their future.
They just announced the removal of supporting Drive Club servers (no reasons provided, obviously cost is a factor, but the players once again, it's about them right)

And here's the thing; all of this is okay and these types of things happen when you're transitioning or pivoting, if they just came out and talked about it with their customer base - and that is what I'm trying to get at. Clearly Sony isn't going anywhere, that pole position is going to stay seated for a long time.

Leadership changes are often very disruptive. When you're already being led by some fo the best in the business it's hard to find someone better. When your company is nose diving like MS was, Nadella was able to make things better. I'm not saying that Sony can't do that, but Kodera's limited tenure < 1 year and then replaced is pretty telling if he was making the right moves or not.

Nesh isn't the only one that feels this way, similar threads have popped up on Resetera. I think there is a big difference between, wanting to be in the loop with what's going on (thus being an informed customer) and just trusting Sony to kick butt because they're too big to fail and thus any concern over the recent year is pointless.

 

[mrcorbo]

I have zero concerns about what Sony are or are not doing right now WRT next gen. There's really nothing for them to gain by making their moves public before they are in a position to profit from the release of that information and there's really no reason to believe their silence either through official or unofficial channels is indicative of a lack of moves or an inadequate or incomplete plan for next generation.

Historically, Sony have been very good at making money selling video games and my default expectation (minus solid evidence to the contrary) is that they will continue to do so.

 

[Deleted member 11852]

I mean, by now, shouldn't something as simple as saying we will support PS4 BC on the next Playstation have happened yet even if you don't want to announce PS5? especially as more customers are thinking about building a digital library?

You posted sentiments from a bunch of people wanting to know what Sony are doing. Evidently Sony aren't ready to disclose anything about PS5 or the future of PlayStation beyond what little they've already said. Because people can't discern a direction doesn't mean Sony aren't heading in a particular direction.

Would it be nice to know that PS5 will be backwards compatible with PS4? Yes, that would be great. But no company comments on unannounced products. Sony is a company run by experiences executives not fanboys. Sony are under zero pressure to announce anything and clearly won't until they are ready.

 

[Globalisateur]

Just because the leadership is being changed doesn't mean operations stop. There's a large difference between studios who have their own leadership and running the larger organization.

There's a lot more to running Sony's business than just their 1P AAA studios running smoothly with titles lined up year after year. Marketing, features, services, the actual platform itself etc. The landscape is always changing, their customers tastes and requirements are also always undergoing change and Sony needs to meet these new demands however they come.


No one said anything about fall of Rome. I've certainly not implied that. A simple google reveals that I don't think Nesh and others are alone in feeling the lack of direction.

I mean, by now, shouldn't something as simple as saying we will support PS4 BC on the next Playstation have happened yet even if you don't want to announce PS5? especially as more customers are thinking about building a digital library?

http://www.pushsquare.com/news/2018/03/soapbox_sony_has_become_far_too_quiet
https://comicbook.com/gaming/2018/10/13/playstation-sony-shawn-layden-communicate-better/




This was October 12 2018 btw ^^^ I didn't write this stuff, Shawn Layden came out and addressed it himself. Their 2018 E3 was an extension of their 2017 E3.
But alas, they cancelled PSX for 2018. No E3 2019, first time in 24 years. Kodera didn't even come out to address anyone in his short tenure. This is the only time I've seen Kodera in a video:

I would suspect that State of Play was what Shawn was referring to in terms of cranking up communications with fans. It's still been an awfully quiet 5 months from that interview to State of Play, and State of Play is largely disliked.

Sony deleted and re-uploaded their state of play to remove dislikes or so the conspiracies are moving.

And then he's replaced by Jim Ryan in Feb, who famously said BC is not needed in 2017. He didn't show up in State of Play either, even something as simple as introducing himself as being the new head of Playstation and reassuring their fans of where they are headed for their future.
They just announced the removal of supporting Drive Club servers (no reasons provided, obviously cost is a factor, but the players once again, it's about them right)

And here's the thing; all of this is okay and these types of things happen when you're transitioning or pivoting, if they just came out and talked about it with their customer base - and that is what I'm trying to get at. Clearly Sony isn't going anywhere, that pole position is going to stay seated for a long time.

Leadership changes are often very disruptive. When you're already being led by some fo the best in the business it's hard to find someone better. When your company is nose diving like MS was, Nadella was able to make things better. I'm not saying that Sony can't do that, but Kodera's limited tenure < 1 year and then replaced is pretty telling if he was making the right moves or not.

Nesh isn't the only one that feels this way, similar threads have popped up on Resetera. I think there is a big difference between, wanting to be in the loop with what's going on (thus being an informed customer) and just trusting Sony to kick butt because they're too big to fail and thus any concern over the recent year is pointless.

Everything will be forgotten once they announce TLOU2 to be released this year.

 

[BRiT]

Everything will be forgotten once they announce TLOU2 to be released this year.

With a ReMaster next year for PS5?

 

[Nesh]

Just because the leadership is being changed doesn't mean operations stop. There's a large difference between studios who have their own leadership and running the larger organization.

There's a lot more to running Sony's business than just their 1P AAA studios running smoothly with titles lined up year after year. Marketing, features, services, the actual platform itself etc. The landscape is always changing, their customers tastes and requirements are also always undergoing change and Sony needs to meet these new demands however they come.


No one said anything about fall of Rome. I've certainly not implied that. A simple google reveals that I don't think Nesh and others are alone in feeling the lack of direction.

I mean, by now, shouldn't something as simple as saying we will support PS4 BC on the next Playstation have happened yet even if you don't want to announce PS5? especially as more customers are thinking about building a digital library?

http://www.pushsquare.com/news/2018/03/soapbox_sony_has_become_far_too_quiet
https://comicbook.com/gaming/2018/10/13/playstation-sony-shawn-layden-communicate-better/




This was October 12 2018 btw ^^^ I didn't write this stuff, Shawn Layden came out and addressed it himself. Their 2018 E3 was an extension of their 2017 E3.
But alas, they cancelled PSX for 2018. No E3 2019, first time in 24 years. Kodera didn't even come out to address anyone in his short tenure. This is the only time I've seen Kodera in a video:

I would suspect that State of Play was what Shawn was referring to in terms of cranking up communications with fans. It's still been an awfully quiet 5 months from that interview to State of Play, and State of Play is largely disliked.

Sony deleted and re-uploaded their state of play to remove dislikes or so the conspiracies are moving.

And then he's replaced by Jim Ryan in Feb, who famously said BC is not needed in 2017. He didn't show up in State of Play either, even something as simple as introducing himself as being the new head of Playstation and reassuring their fans of where they are headed for their future.
They just announced the removal of supporting Drive Club servers (no reasons provided, obviously cost is a factor, but the players once again, it's about them right)

And here's the thing; all of this is okay and these types of things happen when you're transitioning or pivoting, if they just came out and talked about it with their customer base - and that is what I'm trying to get at. Clearly Sony isn't going anywhere, that pole position is going to stay seated for a long time.

Leadership changes are often very disruptive. When you're already being led by some fo the best in the business it's hard to find someone better. When your company is nose diving like MS was, Nadella was able to make things better. I'm not saying that Sony can't do that, but Kodera's limited tenure < 1 year and then replaced is pretty telling if he was making the right moves or not.

Nesh isn't the only one that feels this way, similar threads have popped up on Resetera. I think there is a big difference between, wanting to be in the loop with what's going on (thus being an informed customer) and just trusting Sony to kick butt because they're too big to fail and thus any concern over the recent year is pointless.

Oh man. I feel like they made 180 degree turn from the first few years of PS4. They are doing spasmodic moves as if the department went over the hands of a different kind of management that is disconnected from the PS market

 

[MrFox]

What's with the desperate trolling?

Did I miss some news?

(Context here is the general resurgence of trolling mostly on gaf and era if you followed the last few weeks on most gaming forums, not necessarily here. This ususally happens after big announcement or event, but this is march with nothing happening. I thought this was a question for this designated "shit thread" which we usually recognize from the funny title.)

 

[mrcorbo]

What's with the desperate trolling?

Did I miss some news?

No news seems to be the root of the "problem".

 

[milk]

Apparently Sony just announced PS5 will not be backwards compatible, nor forwards compatible. It will exclusevely play PS5 4k remasters of past play station classics. The Launch lineup includes a remaster of PS2's Shadow of the Colossus, a remaster of the PS3 remaster of SotC, and a remaster of PS4's SotC remastered remaster. They won't be released simultaneously, but rather timed so that they launch within the term of every new monthly president of the games division.
At least, that's what I inferred from all the negativity.

 

[BRiT]

Did I miss some news?

No; not even if you missed the last Sony State of Play event.

 

[Xbat]

Evidently Sony aren't ready to disclose anything about PS5 or the future of PlayStation beyond what little they've already said. Because people can't discern a direction doesn't mean Sony aren't heading in a particular direction.

Exactly. They not going to talk about anything to do with next gen until they actually announce next gen

The thing that gets me though is all the fuss about the no news but they still releasing by far the most and high quality new IP over the next two years if you into mature AAA single player experiences.

Yes they probably announced there up coming games to early and that's what's causing the lull now.