A Quick Look Back, A Strong Push Forward

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I hope you’re enjoying our official SCEA blog. Personally speaking, it’s great to finally have a place where we can talk candidly about the things we (and you) care about. While it’s no substitute for a one-on-one conversation, I’m excited to have a chance to listen and talk with you here. With that said, everything communicated in any form these days has to be considered an “on-the-record statement” so as much as I’d like to, I can’t completely throw my corporate hat out the window.

From where I sit, this industry has the most passionate consumers of any I’ve ever encountered. For some, gaming is a way to kill some time, for others it’s a favorite hobby, but for many it’s a way of life. As a gamer myself, I fall somewhere between a low to mid level enthusiast mainly because of free time. My day job is ironically eating away at my gaming time, although lately I’m finding the PSP has helped me reclaim some of this lost time on long plane trips.

For twenty one years I’ve worked exclusively in the industry. The last twelve have been with Sony Computer Entertainment. It’s been just over six months since I became President and CEO here and I can assure you that gaming is clearly my life. Now that we’ve got the hardware to drive the business, we’re putting all our efforts into insuring that we help create the best games possible for you to enjoy. My pledge is that we will continue to put you first and foremost, to understand what you really want from us. In fact, this blog is one way that I’m hoping this happens.

In 1995, when we launched the PlayStation, the majority of the gamers were twelve to seventeen year old boys. 2D platform, fighting, racing, and sports games were the norm. Platforms were born and died within five years maximum. There was minimal difference between hardware platforms. We here at Sony championed 3D graphics, CD based technology and a more mature diverse library of games. We believed that our platform had a lifecycle that should survive well beyond the traditional five years. Some of the initial criticism we received was that the hardware was a bit pricey, the system was hard to develop for and the early software line-up needed some work. When we introduced PlayStation 2 in 2000 we received much of the same criticism. When we introduced DVD based storage we were told that CD had more than enough capacity to store game data. In a few short years DVD had all but replaced CD and that storage capacity was being squeezed by the development community. In 2006 the song remained much the same. Most of you know what transpired: 100 million PlayStations and thousands of great games later, the PlayStation had a ten year run and could still be selling today. PlayStation 2 left our original success in the dust and shows no signs of stopping anytime soon.

We fully realize that past success is no guarantee of future success, but it does give you some perspective. We have to bring the games to market that will showcase what the PS3 can do and ultimately entertain you like no other games have. We need to provide proof of what the PS3 can do for you and work tirelessly to improve the value and justify your investment. At the end of the day, it’s always been about the games. To push the boundaries of gaming beyond where they currently lie takes a great deal of risk. I think all the hardware manufacturers are doing that in some way. We could have easily produced PlayStation 2.5 at a slightly increased price over the older model, and driven some nice profits and marginal innovation for a few years but that’s not how we got where we are today. You have to gamble and make major investments in the present that will pay dividends in the future.

We’re working hard to put the best tools in the hands of the development community so they can take you places you never imagined possible. We have more than 15 games coming from our own internal studios alone this year for PS3. Our third party partners will weigh in with a host of great games giving us more than 100 titles by year end on that system alone. At our Gamer’s Day event a few weeks back, we announced 18 exclusive games for PSP. This year, PS2 owners will get a little something for everyone with games like Buzz! and Singstar. Oh, and you certainly can’t forget the PlayStation Network. Right now, we are working on a slew of games and game packs that will be offered through the PlayStation Store in the coming months, including Warhawk, which personally speaking, is the PS3 game I’ve been playing most lately.

We are heading into one of the biggest shows of the year for the videogame industry. E3 is only a month away. Everyone here at SCEA is working very hard and is dedicated to pushing the development envelope to show you not only new stuff for games like Heavenly Sword, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune and Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction, but also a few surprises we have up our sleeves that no one has seen. You can check in here for updates as we head into the show, and I will be sure to report back once E3 begins.

So, that’s it for now from me. I really hope you enjoy our new blog. I think it is a great way for us to share information and for you to communicate back with us. I look forward to hearing your thoughts and posting more here in the weeks to come!

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311 Comments

  • Awesome. Looks like you guys really know what the PS3 really needs…games. I look forward to later on this year when some of these great looking games finally come out. But while we’re in a drought this summer, some demos would be nice, as well as some PS1 games on the PSN, just to give us something to do while we wait :)

  • Your the man, Jack. This is a big step for Sony, as communication with their customers is key. Keep the posts coming and you’ll make us all that much happier.

  • I am extremely happy to be an early adopter of the Playstation 3. I have and always will be a Playstation brand Enthusiast. It is an awesome time, with E3 coming, the looming launch of Home; along with games like Warhawk, Heavenly Sword, Killzone Etc…

    This place is great; getting to hear from Big Jack is humbling. Now if only we could get Mr. Harrison in here too :D

  • Thank you for an informative post – It’s fantastic to finally feel like I’m getting good information “from the source”!

    I’m quite excited to hear what has been in the works for the PS3… It would be _really_ great if videos (or demos even) from E3 would be placed on the PSN shortly after (or during) the event.

  • while it looks like sony is headed in the right direction, i gotta say the psn is entirely forgetable. no demos of any games available for download is just wrong. i would love to demo calling all cars before buying.

    anyways, on a positive note, i am very excited about the future for ps3 and am looking forward to home and psp store. thanks for including the community…

  • Hello Mr. Tretton!

    I just visited this Blog and saw your Post. It makes me just happy! To see that you, President of SCEA post in this Blog and that now Sony really cares about the great and awesome Community out there!

    It´s just a good feeling to know that someone at Sony read my/our Comments and can see what we want and what we think!

    I have a PS3 when it came out in Europe on 23. March and with every FW Update i get happier! Keep working on future Firmware-Update´s (maybe with Xvid-Support) and i´m the happiest person on this Planet!

    So just THANK YOU Sony for the black goddess :)

    Greetings from Austria/Europe

  • Glad to hear that there are a few surprises still up your sleeves but what I want to know is. When will the PSN officially launch, because for some reason we still can’t see game demo’s rolling out with the frequency that they should or that the competition enjoys. I would like to know if there is a specific reason for this.

    I would like to have a MLB demo anytime now rather than just having to download 100 videos about it, why not just give us the damn demo….and what can you tell us about some of you’re future plans for extending the network platform to the PSP?

    Back @ GDC Phil called the PSN another platform to itself….when can we expect to start seeing you guys marketing that platform?

    I hope you guys are reading this and really looking into what we have to say.

  • I don’t see what else you all hafta to do, myself… The PS3 is easily using componets and hardware that’ll become standard in MS and Nintendo’s next systems. In my opinion, no B.S., the Ps3 is the only next gen system. It’s a piece a joke that it isn’t selling well right now… I think once Uncharted, Warhawk, R&C and Home hit we’ll see a huge surge in sales, though.

  • Welcome to the blogosphere! I’m glad that Sony is on here now, and you are right. It is all about the games. Specifically, what we PS3 owners want to see are exclusives, and not just first party titles. We want to see heavy hitters like Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy, etc. staying exclusive. If the title is out on a rival console like the 360, where is the incentive for people to purchase a more expensive system. Yes, first party titles are very important and Sony has the most of them out of Nintendo and Microsoft, but third party titles seem to be leaving the PS3 lineup and going over to 360 very often now. This is somewhat understandable given that the Xbox 360 has a lead at the moment in market share, but at the same time, it would be nice if Sony would “sew up” some third party exclusives for the Playstation audience. Price cut will also help PS3 sales tremendously, IMO. That and just more exclusive games, period. It’s all about games and the price at this point.

  • I am glad there is finally a good official sony blog site. Thanks for the outlook on the PS3 and PSP. I know sony is going to do good. Keep the exclusive comming and I can not wait to see the some of the cards you guys are holding close to your check to be revealed come E3.

  • Nice to hear from you, finally. As an early adopter for both PS1 and PS2, I have been pretty concerned about the PS3’s bad publicity since launch. This post helps ease that somewhat.

    That said, Sony needs to remember that there is one potentially cataclysmic difference between the PS1/PS2 and the PS3 launch. While much of the criticism has been the same (read: identical) to its predecessors, the criticisms are much more damaging because of the speed of information these days, i.e., the blogosphere. Sites like Kotaku, Joystiq, etc, give us up-to-the-minute gaming news, so when things go wrong, everyone knows immediately.

    The solution? Classic PR. Make the PS3 look awesome in the public’s eye: forget This is Living; show us some games! Have contests to give away PS3’s–anything, really, for some good PR.

    I agree with your statements about risk for innovation. It’s the reason I’m an early adopter with all three systems. Keep up the good work, and thanks for making this blog so we actually know what you’re up to.

    Good luck! Play your cards right– the stakes are higher, but so are the potential rewards.

    ~Hiro

  • Glad to see that this blog site is up and running to keep everyone updated. Before this, it kind of felt like the PS3 was being put on the back burner because there wasn’t any news coming from Sony about it. But now we see that it is a piority to Sony which is good and will make people feel better about their large investment. I for one can not wait and see what’s coming!

  • Jack kicks @$$

  • I know we have to wait. But there has to be more to tide us over till fall…(more demos, please.)

  • I have a question for you, Mr. Tretton:

    When will Sony have an official representation (I’m not sure if this is the right word) in Serbia? i know that it’s small market, but Playstation brand is very popular here. The problem is that there are almost nowhere to find original games, and if you do find them they are ridiciously expensive. I hope you will answer to my question.

    Keep up the good work

  • Jack,

    You’ve heard this all before, but I’m going to say it again here… you have some work to do.

    I’ve owned every PS system at launch and been happy about it. I’m happy about owning a PS3, but let’s face it, the playing field is a lot different than it was when the PS2 launched. You can’t pretend that you’re playing the same game you were the last two times around.

    The PS launched with no direct competitor… it pioneered CD technology in video games. The PS2 was the only next-gen system at the time when it launched as well. The XBox and Gamecube came after the PS2 launch, and the Xbox had no following, as well as Nintendo having little support for the N64 to progress into the Gamecube. Like it or not, Xbox has a big following, particularly here in the states, and this time they have the jump on you, both with price and launch. They have an established network which is superior to the PSN (for now), and they have a lot more games out. None of these obstacles are insurmountable, but they’re there. Enough with the history lesson.

    I love what you’re doing with the PSP / PS3 integration. I may be one of only 100 people in the world with both systems, but I’m certainly happy that I do and can see it eventually selling systems.

    The problem with the PSP though is that it is and has always been incapable of standing on its own. While there are a few games that I really enjoy (and a few games that I’m looking forward to), for a two year old system, the lineup is pretty sad. Give the PSP owners access to the PSN to download games, and get more games out there. More importantly (and I think you guys know this after reading up on Little Big Planet), let the players do some work for you. Like it or not, there’s a huge underground community for the PSP developing homebrew. Give them some tools to start working for you instead of against you. Imagine a portable system where purchasing (quality) games was as easy as it is to do on a cell phone. Now imagine that there are hundreds, if not thousands of user-made games and applications available. Sony has ALL of the infrastructure ready to make it happen, so as Nike would say, Just Do It.

    The PS3 is a hard sell at the price, everyone knows it, but it’s definitely not the end of the world. I see the PSP as a product easily capable of toppling the DS with a few right moves, and it could easily be a gateway to PS3 sales. You’re already setting up some great stuff with the integration, I can only encourage you to keep on it. It could be the key (along with a price cut) to getting the PS3 back at the top of the pile.

  • although you have said some of this stuff already it is nice to see it all in a non “sound-byte” format .. more cohesive i guess. but … and with all due respect for a man whos job would probably overwhelm most of us in a matter of hours .. but just keep in mind that blogs are known for you know breaking news and opinions ;)

    so what do you say jack .. throw us early adopters a bone and answer this question :) … oh i cant think of anything really good to ask.

  • Thanks for stopping in to have a word with us commoners Jack!

    I have always received some of my most memorable gaming experiences from Sony, and I’m expecting big things from the PS3. Don’t let me down. =)

    P.S. Congrats on the blog, and I’m wiggling in my seat to see what the guys over at Sony have for us at E3.

  • Good Stuff to read and a great Flashback in the last Years. Since the Release here in Germany i have been an Daily-PSP-Gamer and i am very glad that the Hardware could handle my Daily-Gaming. Since this Time i am proud of a good SONY Product!

  • Wow, nice to see Jack post here! So hey- how about throwing out a random piece of info like when you broke the “DVD Upscaling”. Didn’t that info also include a promise to keep the consumers more aware of what else Sony is working on? Or did you catch too much flack from Sony for that one?

    -Foo

  • I can’t wait to get my PS3 later this year! All the great games coming soon is exciting me all the more, I can’t wait to expereience PSN and the fantastic motion sensing controllers, PS3 is such a revolutionary creation and I’m sure I will enjoy for many, many years to come. Your right, it’s all about games and this is where Playstation always delivers, unlike other platforms. The future looks bright for Sony and all I need to hear about now is TWISTED METAL for PS3 and my heart will be thoroughly content! ;-)

  • Good to see the higher ups of SCEA posting. I honestly think it would drive sales even just a little bit if the PS3 had similar capabilities to the 360. We already have upscaling, but we can’t access our media in games, the PSN pales in comparison (for now) to XBL, and the customization options are lacking.

    Also, it’d be better if we could secure more exclusive games. Keep FF13 and MGS4!! And if you guys can convince Square-Enix to remake FF7, that’s sure to be a big system seller. I have a bunch of friends who would immediately drop $600 if a FF7 remake came out.

  • Jack, Thank at least we know some guy sony is telling us that you guys have some tricks up your path for e3. I love sony , and if your right about this than I believe. You guys say your listening and I’m sure you are because you just opened a Blog for us. If you guys our listening than please give us a huge Ps3 update such as the rumored 2.0, we all want it an I’m getting tired of waiting. Ubisofts pulling back there games left and right, and other too. I Know that Playstation 3 has the best line up of 07, since this is it’s year for games ( and last was about hardware). Everyone knows the Ps3 is the most wanted system around the world, mainly because it a New system not a Playstation 2.5 or a Gamecube 2.5 ‘cough wii cough”. You guys worked hard on you product and don’t care what the media says, like they did with the Ps1 , Ps2, and now Ps3. You would think they would learn by now that Sony isn’t stupid and they now what they are doing. I am playing the warhawk Beta also Psn nm is U-N000 you won’t send me a friend inv but hey at least you posted on the Sony blog for us Fans. Playstation 3 will win the console war, It’s not a Fad or only has two good games. By 2009 the Ps3 will be owning all console and maybe than the media would learn to shut up.

  • Hello Mr. Tretton & nice post!

    I would just like to say that IGN has already let it slip that Killzone 2 will be at E3 this year! :)

  • Please, PLEASE give some more attention to the PlayStation Store–the updates are few and far between, and usually consist primarily of movie trailers. Enough! We’re gamers, so give us stuff that we want: demos, add-ons, wallpapers, downloadable games, PSOne games, etc.

    The PS3 is an incredible machine, but SONY needs to determine its key potential points and then focus on strengthening them. I’m starting to tire of going to both the PlayStation Store and to actual retailers and not finding anything new and intriguing to warrant a purchase for my PS3.

    Again, please give your fans who’ve spent $600+ on a PS3 some justification for owning one other than “assumed potential”: give us GAMES!

  • Niiiice look forward to the E3 and all the new announcments.

  • Finally Sony is starting to see why I got the PS3 in the first place. To play games.

  • this blog should really be tied in with the playstation official web site, just my oppinion

  • I love Tretton.

    You know what irritated me? The Folding@Home statement that Jack made and how the media spun it in all directions except the right one.

    Keep up the PR work!

  • Hey, I just wanted to drop in and say I love the direction that the PS3 is taking with cinematic gaming in its first party games.

    Also, some more content for PSN would be awesome. I would love an online based HD movie rental service (I’d rather have the movies I buy on BD, but online distribution of rentals would be awesome).

  • Appologies… correction on that post:

    “Keep up the great PR work!”

    ******On that note:

    Any chance for an EDIT feature on user posts?

  • The argument seems to always have been “The PS3 is so incredibly powerful, just wait and see!”. Until some of the more advanced PS3 exclusive games that show off the system’s real power start coming out, how about putting some small tech demos on the PSN so enthusiasts can really get that “wow” factor they have been lacking? We would love to be able to run that old E3 ducks demo, for example.

  • Good to see you guys at SCE are comitted. Very warming inside as a comsumer.

  • Jack –

    I think this official blog is definately a move in the right direction for Sony! I work for a design/creative firm that specializes in creating game specific community based websites for cross platform game SKUs. I am a true Sony supporter, but the majority here are both Xheads and Wiinuts – and it’s always a constant uphill struggle to “sell” the merits of Sony and the PS3/PSP systems. Personally, I feel you shouldn’t have to “sell” anything as Sony’s quality speaks for itself – but all this bad press and lack of games only fuels the fire.

    While we’ve made some truly excellent community sites, they’ve been mainly for the DS – I am hoping as the PS3 community grows, we’ll be doing more for the Sony platforms.

    It’s a nice start – keep it up!

    Hey, any plans for PDF support on the PSP in the pipeline sometime soon?

    Thanks
    Bryan

  • Does any1 know if sony has a plan to fix the playstation online anytime soon cuz i kno that on the 360 you can invite your friends while in the game and that you friends list stays the same from game to game so does sony have anyplans for this???

  • Sometimes it’s hard being a fan of the playstation brand with all the negative press. I trust SCE more than any other hardware manufacturer though because you are always given quality. All consoles get off to a slow start but with the software lineup announced im excited to be a PS3 owner. The only complaint I have at this point is the lack of PSN prepaid cards. Im looking forward to that being rectified in the coming months hopefully. Id also like to see more PS1 games available for download like a Suikoden II or Colony Wars. Just some constructive criticism from an overall happy playstation fan. I look forward to seeing what you have in store for us at E3.

  • I have to also agree with Blazer82 prepaid cards would help alot

  • I have been a loyal Playstation Fan since the beginning of the PS1 days with NO plans to turn back now. I purchased a PS3 1 month after the release of the console and I want you to know I couldnt be more happy with my purchase.

    I’m really happy to hear that you guys are really taking this blog seriously. This format is the best way IMO to get in touch with your loyal fanbase and for us as gamers to get in touch with you with our criticism and support.

    Keep up the good work and ignore the fanboys, you would not be a market leader with the PS1 and PS2 if you didnt take the chances you did.

  • It’s nice to finally see the Sony of old coming back. Good on you guys!

  • Taking a look to the past is good because you can realize important things from the experience, but still you have to keep to in mind that things change over time, right now I agree that we have to wait a little for the real good games to come out, while then I think you should focus on upgrading the capabilities of the PS3 via firmware updates, if you check the us.playstation.com PS3 forum you would see a HUGE post about things that we consider important to be added to the PS3 firmware.
    I am proud of having a PS3 and I really enjoy the games I have right now. Long life to PS3 !!!

  • I am really amazed by the dedication Sony have shown to this blog. I was really afraid that after the first greeting post Sony would forget it and update it after weeks, but clearly that is not the case.

    After seeing Jack Tretton himself post, i have no such worries. Great work Sony, keep us updated.

  • It’s great to see this site which shows to everybody that Sony cares about gamers. Which is a lot of people. But more updates to the PSN would be nice and the rumored 2.0 firmware update would really get me excited to finally get a wallpaper feature and listen to my music while playin my games such as Motorstorm.

  • It’s awesome that we are hearing from the big guns at Sony. Thanks for pointing out that everything will be “on the record”, that way people won’t get upset if something seems a little too “corporate”.

    My only selfish advice to what I want to see is more support for downloadable PSone games. When those began showing up on the PSN, it’s honestly what pushed me over the edge to purchase a PS3. Playing Jet Moto on my PSP (sans hacks) is a wonderful thing. A consistent streaming of new additions would be even more wonderful.

    Thanks!

  • Of all the things you mentioned in that article, the most promising to me is the actual delivery of this information. Good work.

  • Thanks for jumping in on the blog Jack-

    You may not have heard it enough lately, but you guys made the right calls in looking to future tech, not current, and leaving it flexible via firmware updates. It’s nice to know you carry your PSP with you too. It let’s us know it is on your mind.

    If you want to blow other peoples mind the next time someone is taking down the platform, take out that PSP and show them some pictures or play some music streamed from your PS3 (or PC through DLNA) at home to wherever you are. DLNA & remote play alone are killer apps to me.

    Keep up the good work, and thanks for everything.
    Bill

  • Well, first of all, so nice of you to take the time to speak with us.

    When I began to use video games, it was the time of the Nintendo 64. I bought it but after a while I traded it for the PS1 since it had better and funnier games (Thats the point after all)

    After that I didn’t get the PS2, yeah, I said it.

    When I looked at the PS3 I bought it right away.

    Why? Because I think it has so much potential. Specially with the constantly updated firmwares. Please, PLEASE keep the updates coming as fast as possible.

    It is true that this is a machine build for the future. Many people can´t see that yet. The people who can are the ones that are familiar with technology. I am a bit of a tech geek.

    For the other people, they just care about one thing: Fun & Games.

    The lose of some exclusive titles made some damage, but I still believe that with all of the PROMISED features, this with be the console to beat.

    Sadly I believe that today, it is not. But I believe in it, and the future it has.

    So Sony, Jack, or whatever is reading this in the Sony Team, please hurry up to make this things happen. I think you are trying to tell us that so many good things are coming, but the wait has become horrible.

    You need to Make the Cartoon Network thing working, you need to have a better PS Store, you need to be able to rent movies, you need more demos, and all the things we have been telling you….but you need that yesterday.

    Thanks for reading!

    And thanks for the PS3!

  • It’s nice to see this post and get something of a “mission statement” for lack of a better term. Get the games out there and we’ll all be more than happy to snatch them up.

  • Mr Tretton,

    I have to give you credit where credit is due for this post. It’s honest, it seems genuine, and it’s not bogged down with PR speak. Let me be frank for a moment – in the past whenever I got wind of an interview you had done, I jumped quickly to grab the transcript, and write about it on my own blog (may it rest in peace) with fury and sarcasm. Why? Because when restricted by the chains of PR speak, anyone sounds like a blundering fool. When confronted with PS3’s sitting on store shelves, your response was to imply that they weren’t just sitting there, Sony was supplying them so fast that they didn’t have time to go out of stock. Personally I laughed out loud at the comment.

    I’m not drudging up old comments out of ill will, but rather, to point out the difference between a PR heavy statement, and this blog post. The point made in this post is that yes, the PS3 is a gamble, but we’re working to bring you some great games, and in the end we think the gamble will pay off for everyone. That’s an honest message, and that’s how you connect with the consumer.

    I know the PR team is an integral part of any business, but remember this: it’s always possible to keep the PR message in mind while speaking honestly and openly as you have in this post.

  • I love the fact that you guys are being active with the blog. one I want from your guys and hope is possible is to have the sony e3 coference stream live to our ps3’s. couse I dont want to wait until ign or gamespot gets an ok from your guys to go live with it or have it for download in the psn store the sameday of the presetation.

  • I cant wait to see you guy’s at E3!

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