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EA founder on PlayStation Home: what's the point?

Posted Dec 9, 2008 at 3:46AM EST by QJ Staff

Listed in: PS3 Tags: Electronic Arts, Phil Harrison, Playstation Home, Sony

Trip Hawkins, founder of Electronic Arts, doesn't get what Sony's trying to do with PlayStation Home.

Are they trying to compete with Second Life, or are they trying to bag the tech-savvy gamers who like to have an active virtual social life?

What I can't really tell yet about the various announcements [Sony has] made about online and what they're doing so far, I can't tell whether they're going more towards this mass market idea - the way I'm describing this 'omni-market' - or if they're being lured into essentially trying to compete with [World of] Warcraft or Second Life.

Either way, it doesn't sound like he has high hopes for it.

My own personal opinion is: if Sony makes Home feel too much like a Warcraft environment, they're just never going to create the kind of audience size that you're going to see Nintendo and Microsoft create.

Because clearly Nintendo is orientated towards the mass audience, and even Microsoft has learnt a lot of valuable lessons from things like Xbox Live Arcade

Now in case you were wondering why he compared Home with WoW (of all things), he gave a few clarifications:

The only reason I noted WoW and HOME together is that they are both from hardcore game companies with a hardcore bias. Hence they both care about 3D graphics and immersion based on audiovisual realism, and their concept of "social" is to be gameplay competitors online.

By contrast, what I call the Omni Consumer is more socially motivated and is more likely to adopt technology that is simpler and more convenient and that they know their friends can handle, plus the Omni Consumer may be seeking social benefits like making a date in real life.

Phil Harrison would have a thing or two to tell Trip Hawkins, you betcha.

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I know that there are alot of sports game fans out there, but to buy the same game every year with just roster updates and a few game enhancements doesn't make sense to me. I would rather they release and update to the game every year with roster updates and new players (for a cheaper price) and only realease a new version of the game every couple years when they can have major improvements. But maybe that's the point, why release an update for the game for $9.99 or $19.99, when you can release the same game with some minor tweaks for $59.99 and have all the Madden junkies buy it every time. Go Madden!!!

# Home Haters — DannyDanger 2008-12-09 05:57

Why are there so many out there? And why do I keep hearing about interviews from random know-it-all's. But really, It's not this guy's fault, its the ppl who interviewed him. They ask u a question, u answer.

# . — Stario001 2008-12-09 08:30

Is this guy for real?

How can he not see the point of Home? Its a virtual community hangout for gamers to meet and socialize, thats what Sony have been saying from the beginning saying about Home.

Does he have brain damage? or maybe he just didn't get a Beta Invite. XD

# WHAT? — NarooN 2008-12-09 10:39

Warcraft? Home? How the hell do you compare those two? His reasoning for the comparison is bunk too. Home is just a 3D hub where gamers can meet up and possibly meet new friends. It's a simple concept.

# Trip dont get it because... — mari1r 2008-12-09 11:09

EA aint involved with any aspect of HOME. (my guess) Marketing strategy "HOME" maybe,, good or bad, whats the difference in releasing an 07, 08, 09 etc. in various sports. EA make great games,, but its getting sickening to see same games revised with a lil extra annually.(Are you an annual member of EA? ya probly didnt realize it,, on every gotdamn console you got, from day dot.)

I agree with z0m13ie and others on this diss. So whats YOUR point EA?

EA's marketing strategy should be being able to upgrade your existing Fifa 08 to an 09 via PSN, or from there own servers.

So Trip,, does your company make consoles?

All these years and not a concept,, scared to join the console wars.

Trips trippin'

# yah... — Shatterdome 2008-12-09 12:35

Maybe they will add an arena to home and ppl can duke it out...

# @EA: What's the point? Of doing good games? lol — platon 2008-12-09 14:34

EA says those kind of things on everything.

# i agree with him... — erikbirk2 2008-12-09 14:36

...to an extent. i really dont see a point to home either. i will admit that i am looking forward to it being finalized and i will definately probably waste too much time with it. but i dont really think it has much of a point. you can meet new people in any game that can be played online.

but the world of warcraft thing? thats retarded. his justification doesnt even make sense. the graphics of warcraft definately dont have any "audiovisual realism" but whatev.

# EA — trigger 2008-12-09 18:04

doesn't get the point because Home isn't spammed with a crossplatform release for the ps3 psp ps2 xbox360 pc wii ds gba mobile iphone...... LOL

# You prolly — RommelTJ 2008-12-09 18:12

haven't heard about clubhouses, have ya? You will be able to meet in a room with all your friends and then launch a game together and join the same game.

The Warhawk clubhouse will even have a strategy board with figurines for game units so that you can plan tactics and stuff.

Yeah... whats the point?

# the point — Ron Overdrive 2008-12-09 18:23

To be able to make friends instead of enemies. When you meat new people in a normal game your goal is usually to frag them. Unless its a game that employs group oriented goals like MMOs do, chances are those people you played with you won't see again. Think of it as a visual chat room where you can more easily form long lasting teams or guilds regardless the game. Also having a virtual trophy room for showing off is kinda cool too.

# He doesn't get the point because... — ValiX 2008-12-09 18:29

Sony isn't charging for Home. It is a free service.

The word "Free" is not in EA's book of definitions.

# "they're just never going to create the kind of audience size that you're going to see Nintendo and Microsoft create." — ValiX 2008-12-09 18:32

Sorry. Did I miss something? When did Microsoft create a bigger audience? If he thinks that paying for an online service and being able to create fake Mii's will draw in more people than a 3D MySpace, then he really should get his head checked.

# All alot of good ponts everyone — Xis 2008-12-09 18:58

Including the fact is good for marketing and ads for other companies to invest all (most) of the other companies and dev companies especially publishers and even nongame companies and such got thier eyes on home for interactive ads and things plus Sony can make money form just running home especially off ads.

Why this guy cant see the potential this COULD have I have no clue but most of all this some people have no clue what WoW or 2nd life is but they kno what a PS3 is (girls at most) or dont have a PC at the time or ever. ITS (basicaly) FREE, ITS FUN, and just another huge feater that no other console can do.

# so funny — rakizta77 2008-12-09 21:35

so funny that everyone here has the same opinion regarding this matter. and i really do agree with everyone.

i bet EA's just jealous. LOL.

# That's a stupid question — Master Chef 2008-12-09 22:15

The point of those games is to sap money from each sports' less intelligent fans. Duh

# EA EA !! — SikWitThiz 2008-12-10 02:36

This comment is from a company that hasn't made any quality games in 6 - 8 years. It's probably like a total of 5 titles on most peoples list over that time span that would be considered good. Me personally, its only 3 games I liked and that's it. I think EA is jealous. But the reality is, they need to focus more on make better games then taking over other companies and commenting on another companies product. Especially when they can't make a top notch product everybody likes.

# Hawkins left EA in *1992* to form 3DO — damonous 2008-12-10 06:47

To many, my subject title will be enough to explain everything.

Sincerely, this is a BAD job of reporting on QJ's part. Trip hasn't been associated with EA in a long, long time ... and they've left the impression to many here that he's with them. In fact, though, I had a lot of respect for Trip back in the day. The 3DO was a marvelous piece of hardware for its time, and a bold concept. EA was an entirely different company back then, actually making groundbreaking software like the first Need For Speed and Road Rash, as well as daring concepts like Immercenary. ..And, gaming today might be entirely different if Trip had actually found a way to keep 3DO around and release the M2 2nd-gen addon. Unfortunately, he sold M2 to Panasonic for $100 million; and they later got cold feet and turned M2 into a glorified cable box. I think today Trip's latest ventures is mobile phone software. ....So, I think his time as "visionary" has expired.

# The point — blazekingeking 2008-12-10 18:01

He'll see the point 12/11/08

# me again,,, — mari1r 2008-12-12 04:56

waiting to see an EA logo on HOME,, will it ever happen?

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