Posted Feb 22, 2008 at 12:54AM by David T. Listed in: Wii, PlayStation 3, PSP Tags: Japan, Sony, Phil Harrison, San Francisco
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GDC 08: Phil Harrison expresses frustration with Sony Japan - Image 1  

During a private lunch held at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, Sony head honcho Phil Harrison admitted frustration over the company's Japanese division. The reason? Sony of Japan was too slow at accepting ideas of social gaming.

Harrison mentioned that Japanese executives apparently didn't believe in the concept of families and friends playing video games together. The fact that the European branch of Sony had three products meant to encourage social gaming

Those games, Harrison explained, were even before the Nintendo Wii was even released - served to highlight the apparent contrast between the two branches of the company. Harrison put it this way:

It's a very interesting and frustrating thing for me to experience because I have been banging the drum about social gaming for a long time, with SingStar, EyeToy and Buzz.


And our Japanese colleagues said that there is no such thing as social gaming in Japan - people do not play games on the same sofa together in each other's homes. It will never happen. And then out comes the Wii.


Harrison also cited the example of Nintendo's approach to family-oriented gaming with the following statement:

What's interesting with Nintendo adverts - and they are the same the world over - they always show the view from the television back to the sofa, which is very clever. And what do you see? A family or friends all on a sofa.


The Sony executive reportedly admires Nintendo's success in marketing and sales; he specifically named Nintendo's Wii Sports as "a title that encapsulates the idea of a true 'next-generation' game."

Who knows? With Harrison's clout, we may see something similar in the future. Keep checking back here at QJ.NET for the latest development on this matter.


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5 Comments


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   by RexNox - 2008-02-22
 » Harrison=

Lies....Secrets and Lies.


   Re: Silver-Tiger - 2008-02-22
 » ...

but he's right. As you can see, Family or "social" gaming is very successful. These games show what games are really made for: to have FUN. Nintendo is just the only company who shows this with all of their consoles. Even if I hate to admit the fact, Nintendo just got the whole idea about fun gaming. These games are just about fun, playing together and be active. We call them "casual" games, though these are the actual games.
Just take the example Mario Party: you can play it again and again with friends, however a game like God of War (don't be angry GoW-fans, just needed an example).... well, you play through the game once, and then... you put in the locker.
That's actually a problem of nearly all single-player games, though.

   Re: Advertising -


   Re: scarface_tha_second - 2008-02-22
 » -

I think you are right. Nintendo has people playing games that wouldn't normally do so. Its brought a lot of consumers into a market they formerly weren't in. And even though I agree with you on multi-player games that are fun and can be played over and over again, I still think that the games that come out for the die hard gamers - like GOW and that applies to both series - will always be the best and most satisfying.

That's just me though.

   Re: RexNox - 2008-02-22
 » bah!

1. the Secrets and Lies comment is a Simpsons reference
2. Phil Harrison is more opportunistic (PR-wise) than a teenage crack whore on Friday. You can't believe anything he says.
3. Nintendo markets to kids and adult morons...$50 games on a $250 system...duh! Hence, the simplicity of their games.

All Nintendo has ever done is leverage the same market over and over again. It's their expertise. Sony's focus has ALWAYS been get ahead of the market. In the entertainment world, getting ahead of the market USUALLY isn't allowing people to recreate things they could actually do together in real life on a video screen. If this does happen, it's usually the exception to the rule.

Dude, if you could climb Mount Olympus and punch a god in the eye, chances are you wouldn't play a video game about it.

However, if you could avoid paying 400 dollars to do the exact same thing you could do through other less expensive means, chances are, you wouldn't pay the $400. Except, if you're a kid or an adult with an IQ
   by RexNox - 2008-02-22
 » dammit...

that last line should read "below 90 IQ" of an adult with an IQ



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