Sony boss: PS4 will appeal to women too

TheSun:

Brit Mr House says the games console will feature a raft of new features to broaden its appeal beyond young male gamers.

[Root]

It can appeal to them but it dosen't mean it's going to target them.

I mean Drive Club, Killzone SF and inFAMOUS SS....well those first party launch games speak for themselves really. They are all targeted a core male gamers.

I think it's fair to say the majority of core male gamers make up the gaming community, the ones who actually go out there and buy games/consoles at launch or within the launch window. I don't see why developers would waste time trying to appeal to everyone, take what you have, if people are actually interested in something they will come to you.

[JoGam]

The PS4 target gamers. Men, Women, Children. "GAMERS"

[Root]

...I never said it didn't

I was just pointing out that core gamers are mainly made up of male gamers, just like back when the PS1 first launched or the N64, NES, SNES, Megadrive etc

Why waste your time seeking out more of an audience when you already have a good install base now. If people are actually interested in gaming they will come to you. We don't need any casual crap to try and scoop them up because after a while they will loose interest and will go off to the next new shiny thing. Core gamers are here to stay

We had that "Nerdy Guys and their computer games" stereotype for a reason you know back in the 80s/90s.

[Ezz2013]

sadly my girlfriend don't like video games
but i know girls who play pretty much every sony 1st/2nd/3rd party game
so i don't know what the Big deal here
they are gamers as we are

and also as long as sony keep bring TONS of hardcore games like this gen
and at the same time make few games for casual demographics
i will be happy :)

[Reverent]

If JoGam doesn't get a "Well Said" bubble, nobody deserves one, ever.

[RememberThe357]

I think this has been the PlayStation philosophy all along. All inclusive but catering toward the core.

But bubbles for stating it so frankly. Well said.

EDIT: @Reverent: You get one too. I'm handing out bubbles like their candy over here! Keep it coming N4G, I got lots of love to give!

[Skips]

Pretty much, Sony is in it mainly for the gamers. I honestly don't see that changing.

@whoyouwit04 below...

Sony =

"We’re All About the Gamers”
http://www.playstationlifes...

"PS4 is “gaming console at heart”"
http://www.vg247.com/2013/0...

with a little casual on the side...

"I think the key is to have people — and increasingly women — with different sensibilities creating different games. It is not all about shoot ’em up games."

While

Microsoft =

"“Xbox isn’t a gaming console."
"Xbox is a family entertainment center."
http://www.worldtvpc.com/bl...

"Our audience is leaving us behind,"
"Women are the new core"
http://n4g.com/news/1220604...

I think we all know which direction these two are heading in...

lol

[silkrevolver]

@ Root:

You did specify core MALE gamers.
It appeared as if you were implying those games were for men only.

[DeadlyFire]

Sony says everyone is a gamer. We aim to please.

Even your girlfriend that doesn't play games. She would if one of them caught her attention. Video games are the new era of board games and everyone has their favorite.

[PopRocks359]

@silkrevolver

Games of those caliber do often get marketed towards men, but that certainly doesn't mean that women cannot enjoy them. Call of Duty has a reputation of being for the "fratboy" gamer. I know more than a couple of women who enjoy the game though, as well as other AAA 'core' games, like Assassin's Creed (which I think could be considered more gender ambiguous with its marketing).

[Dee_91]

wuuuuttt
And here I am thinking women were included in the gamers category

So there it is.
Sony PlayStation 4
Appeals to Gamers ... AND WOMEN !!

[BISHOP-BRASIL]

Pretty much the #1 mistake you can make in attacting female gamers is making "girly" games... Just because she's a girl doesn't mean she want to play barbie on pony land or kitchen simulation, even on pre-school toys this sexist notion is (slowly) dieing. Now it can be done right, having a more broad spectrum of main characters (not just more females), which more girls can relate to (the testosterone filled action shooters are usually quite out of touch, although there are still more girls today enjoying those) would help a lot.

Not saying that either way is what Sony is doing (in fact, doesn't look like it at all, more like a more broad demographic target in ads or something like that, not changing the developers' focus), just throwing it out there: a less "sexist" (if it can even be called that) gaming industry is not necessarily a bad thing, it doesn't mean more focus will be given to crappy girly games (at least not if they know what they are doing).

[rainslacker]

I think it depends on what exactly they're trying to attract. If it's the female demographic at large, then yeah, most of the games you mentioned probably aren't going to do it, because they haven't really done it before. If they are trying to attract the "core" female players, then they already play and probably like those games, so no real change here.

Women make up 40% of game players in the US according to the ESRB. But that number doesn't say what kinds of games they play. There are just things out there that attract females more than men, whether it's biology or society is rather moot, and to attract them they have to really appeal to the market they are trying to reach, regardless of gender, sex, nationality, or gaming preferences.

I agree with your assessment of the core gaming community. Women exist among us for sure, but they obviously aren't the target demographic, as core games tend to be geared towards males in general to increase sales.

[antz1104]

"It will appeal with the release of Old Spice through a special port in the back.....of yeah, and the games. They'll like the games too."

[Xelestial]

Women do tend to like certain things just like men tend to like certain things. However, personality type overrules gender every time.

There shouldn't be a problem if Sony decides to make more games with realistic female protagonists for example, or more games with a focus on story. But if they are going to try to aim for what some people think women like (people with closed minds) like pink, shopping and Farmville or whatever, yeah that'd fail.

But plenty of men like casual games as well...I think all of us can agree we'd probably like them to stay on the core gaming audience, which is made up of plenty of men and women (I don't know any girls that don't play games...and I don't know any that play casual games. However I know several men who play casual games)

[TheTwelve]

The kind of girls I care about all loved Journey...

[Veneno]

Heavy Rain I noticed was popular with women too.

[MoveTheGlow]

The kind of girls I care about (my friends) tend to play a lot more CoD than my guy friends. And win.

[ALLWRONG]

Amazing how positive the comments are now when you compare them to here http://n4g.com/news/1220604...

[DOMination-]

I was going to say the same thing

[vega275]

Come on man you know what site this is and you know the double standards and hypocrites that run it. If ms or Nintendo does something (especially ms) they are abandoning the harecore.if dony does it, its good. If ms copies something its they lack innovation. If sony copies its they are improving the tech.

Come on you been here long enough to know better.

[xursz]

The difference being:

this is an opinion piece by PSLS...

and not comments from an employee saying publicly,

"our audience left us behind"..."women are the new core".

Just pointing that out.

edit: disagrees for stating facts... Gotta love it.

[maniacmayhem]

@ Xursz

"this is an opinion piece by PSLS...

and not comments from an employee saying publicly,"

Really, let us take a look at the actual article and the quote in it...

"Sony Group CEO Andrew House shared the company’s desire to allure more than just gamers with the PlayStation 4. He told Sun City:

I think the key is to have people — and increasingly women — with different sensibilities creating different games. It is not all about shoot ’em up games.

He added more to the mix:

The key is getting games developers — who are going to make the next Angry Birds — excited about the PS4. And they are."

Now do you see why you have the disagrees.

[xursz]

I guess that sums up the comments regarding women being the new core and the core audience leaving them behind. Carry on.

[SilentNegotiator]

How does "Women are the new core" compare to "increasingly women"?

Oh right, because you're always trying too hard to find Ps3 fanboi hypocrisy.

[BlmThug]

Honest to ***, that's exactly what I was thinking when reading the comments on here. I am no fanboy of consoles, i'll buy where the core games are and the comments on here reek of double standards

[loulou]

lol

you just cannot beat a fanboy. sony can do no wrong on n4g. no matter what they do, the n4g dwellers will lap it up.

it is such a shame that n4g has a gutter community. the fast flow of stories (90% pure rubbish)which bring the occasional piece worth reading is not really replicated elsewhere

[Dee_91]

It appears in that article some people didnt actually read that article and assumed that " women are the new core" meant that the next xbox will focus more on or target women or casual gamers instead of appealing to women or casual gamers.And for that I can sort of excuse them and put slightly more blame on the people making the titles.

What do you know, people based their opinions off the title instead of the article itself... Welcome.... to the great land.... of N4G

[Bathyj]

"It can appeal to them but it dosen't mean it's going to target them."

Bingo. Thats all I came to say.

[delboy]

Appeal to them, make a wii sports game.
Target them, make a wii sports game and a sixaxis dildo and bundle it with ps4. :-)

[Bigpappy]

You can make it appeal to women and then not target them. What is the point of that?

But my question to Sony is how will they do it. M$ is going to use Kinect to attract that demographic in a big way. In fact, they already have. Sony will need to have something similar are more accessible to move them away from Xbox. I know several women who bought 360 with Kinect just for Zuma Fitness. That is despite the Wii being way cheaper.

[Nilemonitors13]

The controllers will really REALLY vibrate, thats how, jk

[AngelicIceDiamond]

@Root “I think the key is to have people — and increasingly women — with different sensibilities creating different games. It is not all about shoot ’em up games.” Mr House, president and chief executive of Sony Computer Entertainment, also wants the PS4 to appeal more to families in general.

"Also wants the PS4 to appeal more more families in general."

That's gonna be one of the focuses on both the new Xbox and Wii U. It's inevitable there's a huge market for it. But that does not mean a shortage of Core games for either console (Maybe Wii U)

Sony is a company first. A 100 or so people who disagree is the minority. If you don't like casual then that's to bad others do. I don't care for casual either but like I said there is a market for it. just because you don't like something doesn't mean Sony won't do it, they will do it. And if woman/casual market want casual family oriented games then Sony will do it. And your just gonna have to deal with it.

The question is, is how much will Sony cater to the casual crowd next gen?

[yewles1]

I'd rather see Sony let third parties handle casuals and first party handle hardcore... then again, more Journey/Flower/Heavy Rain/Beyond/Unfinished Swan-type games wouldn't hurt either.

[Qrphe]

It's certainly appealing to all the "gamer gurl xD" audience who will be streaming their cleavage to teens while also playing Modern Warfare 4.

[DragonKnight]

I don't get the idea that female gamers should be treated any differently than male gamers. What exactly is a "female" game that needs to be created to attract female gamers? Hasn't anyone heard of groups like LT3? LT3, in case anyone doesn't know, is a group of women who are professional gamers (they play in tournaments) and cosplayers who play the same games men do. Jessica Nigri is part of the group. What is a "female" game?

As for the casuals, they are a problem. They shouldn't be a focus. They contribute to the dilution of quality in favour of bland and easy experiences which turn games from more of an investment to an impulse buy. Let the casuals have their facebook and phone games.

[rainslacker]

I think it's possible to cater to both. Sony, MS, and Nintendo already does this, along with some 3rd parties that do it on all systems. Typically the popular casual games are quite successful. Some even transcend casual/core barriers(such as Guitar Hero).

I think this article was referencing the female demographic at large, and arguably they are probably casual players in this case. Despite the fact that this group exists now, AAA hardcore games are still being produced. I won't deny that there has been a push to casualize games as a whole, but games need the sales. It's more the hard-core's demand on pushing graphical boundaries that has brought about this change as we aren't big enough in numbers to really offset the increased budgets of today's development budgets.

[ShaunCameron]

Casual = female (or majority female).

[SlavisH2]

Didnt members just flame m$ for this? why the change?

[Skips]

Because I think this...

Sony-
"I think the key is to have people — and increasingly women — with different sensibilities creating different games. It is not all about shoot ’em up games."

is vastly different from this...

Microsoft-
"Our audience is leaving us behind" "Women are the new core"

http://n4g.com/news/1220604...

lol

[maniacmayhem]

@Sonic

Sure lets take one quote from the article and spin it. Here's another quote too from the article:

"A narrative writer for Microsoft Studios has said that "women are the new core" and that creating more diverse stories, including more female characters and ethnicities, will make for better games."

Sounds to me like this narrative from MS wants to make more games with more lead females or other types ethnic lead characters. More games eh, no mention of MS and casual.

Here's a quote from Sony

"The key is getting games developers — who are going to make the next Angry Birds"

See crazy edits and leaving out info i too am a spin wizard!

[insomnium2]

Since Sony has always catered to all kinds of gamers. Singstar is one helluva popular game and most people singing there are female.

There's no point in trying to make it seem as catering to females and casuals would somehow CHANGE anything. In Nintendo's and MS's case the support for the core gamers just stopped. Especially MS.

[vega275]

And how did it stop? Please enlighten us on how ms stop making core games when.....oh I say halo is a core game. When did fable become casual, how about forza, maybe forza horizon. ...maybe you mean gears???? Nope thats still core. Oh oh you must mean games that feature kinect....right? Like mass effect or ghost recon or a bunch of other games that used kinect as a option.

Please tell us. Since your hate for ms is showing

[AceofStaves]

Again with the 'female gamer' tag. Women have been gaming since its beginnings, and I, for one, would rather the companies made enjoyable games rather than attempting to cater to what they assume female gamers want.

We want the same as our male counterparts: excellent games. That's all.

[dbjj12088]

video games definitely need to approach a wider audience if they're seeking legitimacy.

[DragonKnight]

They're already legitimate. The ignorant are the ones making it seem like they aren't legitimate.

[dcbronco]

In the business world anything that generates billions a year is legitimate.

[Yodagamer]

Video games are legitimate, but right now it's about getting the niche crowds (idk if that's the right word as i know alot of women who play games). Those smaller crowds can bring in money, so whoever gets them on their consoles gets the extra money.

[dcbronco]

I guess girls would be considered niche to most gamers. I mean they only make up ten percent of my friend list. It seems the latest survey's are saying they make up a larger part of the market than people realize. But that is more geared to casual games. But it is a huge potential market and over time they will play more hardcore games. It's like any other product. Get 'em early and make your brand the one they know.

[ftwrthtx]

No casual first party games, please.

Nintendo is great at that.

[dcbronco]

Sony likes to be good at making a profit. People that think a for-profit company doesn't want part of mainstream revenue is kidding themselves. Sony sounds like they are continuing to make smart decisions. They should have listened to Howard Stringer but at least they are listening to Kaz.

Now a moment of silence for all of the fanboys whose heads exploded when they read this headline and then realized it was from playstationlifestyle. Boom.

[Ezz2013]

did this article say any thing about sony not making hardcore titles for ps4 like what they have done with all playstation consoles ?! no it didn't
looking at their launch titles
they doing what they have been doing like always...bring the games
and we still didn't see the other new games from other powerhouse 1st party studios

they have been making casual games for all their consoles since ps1 but they still make far more hardcore titles and new ips as well
hard cold fact here

yes sony is smart for doing this
but they won't leave their core games to bite the dust
like what MS doing with xbox owners for very long time now

[dcbronco]

Microsoft doesn't leave core gamers in the dust. They just have enough sense to see that it's other peoples hardcore games that are being bought. Making a bunch of games that no one was buying is stupid. The name of the game is giving people what they want.

Let's put it in perspective.

Sony fans were buying the consoles. They have sold almost 80 million of them. But they aren't buying most of the exclusive games. Most of them don't sell 2 million units.

So they bought the item that was being sold at a loss for many years. But not the item that would have been a nice profit for Sony. On top of that they don't want to help pay the millions to run the MP servers.

Sony must really love their fans. How could they not.

[zebramocha]

@dcbranco Ms doesn't make alot of first party games to make a 1:1 comparison but Sony does have games that do have similar sales to ms games.

[dcbronco]

Yes MS doesn't make many first party games because they quickly realized people didn't like their first party games and had enough sense to stop. Sony is finally catching on. It's not smart business to keep making things to lose money when you're trying to operate a successful business.

[Hicken]

PSLS half-trolls Sony on a regular basis, anyway.

That aside, this is, honestly, nothing Sony has never done. They've always catered to the casual crowd; just never at the expense of the core, and that doesn't look to be changing.

As for the "female" aspect, there are two ways it can be interpreted: first, as the casual type of gamer, which is essentially the same as catering to the casual crowd; second, as a core gamer just like any male, which is the same as catering to... well, the core. In either case, the "female" demographic is no different from one of these two sets, which, as I previously pointed out, Sony already caters to.

I don't think any fanboys' heads exploded, as most fans understand this is nothing new for Sony. Just wishful thinking on your part.

[dcbronco]

It's not trolling, it's thinking like an adult and not like a child. Sony has done a lot of the same things MS has done. But MS get ridiculed by real trolls like you while Sony gets praised. Sony has always done this. But because MS had the sense to stop making in-house games that weren't selling and they are considered to be catering to casual gamers. As if they forbid CoD and Battlefield from being on the 360. But then people complain that they make Gears and Halo a lot. Cause they're casual I guess.

Sony is doing what a smart company should. And so is MS. Looking at the changing environment and adjusting their business model. It's called survival. Just like you putting on a coat in 10 degree weather. It doesn't mean you're leaving Summer behind.

Casual gamers are a huge market. And three console makers should be going after them. You just want great games? That comes with companies making a profit. And casual gaming is profitable. And girls spend a ton of money too. More than boys because half the time they're spending some boys money too.

[Hazmat13]

hope so, sick of this 'im hardcore, 360 no scoop bitch!' crap. also more gamers the better female or male we are all the same behind a gun, or a sword. maybe a giant dildo sword. sometimes a unicorn that shoots rainbows out of its ass.

[CaulkSlap]

Sony just needs to go after core gamers at first. What 360 did right last gen is set itself up as the cool new "hardcore" game console. Getting real gamers on your side makes a huge difference in long term sales and actual games sold. Casuals just follow the resulting trends. MS has been taking a dump on their base the last few years with Kinect so it's the perfect time to gain ground.

[WeAreLegion]

Do you know how to get a female to play video games?

Little Big Planet.

Seriously. They LOVE LBP. All of them. Try it.

[NateCole]

Or play any Uncharted.

[ZoyosJD]

A little overgeneralized, but admittedly there are a lot of female LBP players compared to the average game's F/M ratio.

Still want a 3D LBP on PS4 so bad, I really hope they don't drop the series name and style...it has such a wide appeal and a perfectly creative, inspiring atmosphere.

[pete007]

When we read msft targetting female audience, sony's army start bashing and are all out crying loud msft go casual, bla bla,
Now what? Is Sony going casual? Do you hirai's sheeps agree With me?

[garos82]

Lol you calling ps gamers sheep, when you the ones flocking to x box live sheannigans.now go pay so you can play a game you own.
On topic.I don't see what skill the fuss is about.there are loads of games out there that appeal to both genders.I play games with female protagonist and I've never complained that it doesn't target me.I don't give 2 shits if character is black, white, yellow or red, or boy, girl, transgender.I want a game to be fun.period and thankfully Sony has plenty of those do I can't complain

[pete007]

Go To the "msft targets a wider audience " 2 days ago and you'll get it.
And i Pay for 7 years for the best on Line service. Not Like yours, hacked almost half the time. And pausing allthe Time To write SMS To others!

[garos82]

Yeah keep telling yourself that buddy.I didn't go there trolling Microsoft, so gtfo out of here.oh and live being the best online service? Haha you should get that checked out

[BrianC6234]

Sony already makes plenty of games they should like. Just start some marketing.

[Evil_Ryu]

I guess it's ok for sony to attract casual demographic according to N4G sony fanboys but not for Microsoft... Oh The irony.

[StreetsofRage]

Most females play Nintendo with Microsoft coming in second because of kinect. Thier was a poll on this on game informer.

[Shnooze]

That has got to be the most stupid thing I've read all day, thanks for the laughs.

[Relientk77]

"It is not all about shoot ’em up games."

Good, glad to hear it

keep the variety comin'

[MultiConsoleGamer]

Sony isn't the only company going after this much coveted new audience. But Sony has always lead the way in pursuit of the female and casual gaming audience.

[blackstrr411]

If this had been an xbox article it would have gone the way. Double standards

[southernbanana]

I kind of remember a similar article to this the other day and yes it did go the other way. People bashed them but on this thread they say Sony cares about all gamers. Hmmm. I will own all next gen consoles so I do not care who their "focus" is on. They will all be great.

[Geovanny]

B**ches need to hop on the Ps3.

[Jek_Porkins]

Makes sense, which is why there is no such thing as a dedicated game console anymore. People don't like hearing it, but Sony targeted females, casuals and family gamer's with the PS1 and PS2. I mean built in CD player, DVD player and the games were so varied that everyone had something to play.

They tried to target them with the PS3 as well, but a little late in the generation, Move for instance, Wonderbook and games like All Stars and LBP Karting.

It's a smart move because you'll want to attract as many different types of gamer's as possible, but as long as Sony says things like "Were for gamer's", people will believe they are only after core gamer's.

[Shnooze]

I get the feeling these guys actually think they know what's best for me as a gamer than myself.

I already know that I play games, and so does every other woman I know. We don't need specially catered games, so stop shoveling us shit we don't want just because we're the opposite sex.

[LostDjinn]

WTF?
I wasn't aware being a girl gamer meant you weren't actually a gamer. Seriously who can take this crap...well...seriously?

A persons' gender, sexuality, race or religion mean jack $h!t when it comes to being a gamer. Being a person who plays games is the only prerequisite!

[Shnooze]

I completely agree, it feels like it's practically discrimination.

[LostDjinn]

Try not to take other peoples ignorance on board.

If you do it'll result in you feeling bad and them feeling validated. ;)

[zoks310]

That's good, everybody gets to have some playstation love.
What I hope Sony does is attract women in a way that will make them evolve into medium to core gamers, not the wii and kinect approach that don't offer any kind of evolution from one level of gaming to the next. This way you don't have all these different markets on the platform, children, women, men that don't really communicate with each other.
They need to apply a method that will attract them but allow them to migrate up the gameing food chain.
I would love to see my wife and sisters enjoying god of war or uncharted vs just playing angry brids over and over again for years and years, absolutely no evolution what so ever.

[jakmckratos]

Does it double as a panini maker? My fiancee will love it then!(And so will I)

[FunkMacNasty]

I'd like to point out that earlier this week, an article was posted on N4G that had nearly the same headline and content, except it was "Xbox 720 to target female audience next gen".. Isntantly the comments were the typical brainwashed pro-Sony drivel that's all over this website.. "derrp duh xboxz only for casuals this is proof" "deeerrp dats cuz girl only like Forza gears and halo hurpadurpss" But now that sony wants to appeal to female gamers everyone's like "Yeah! awesome! women want to play killzone and uncharted! Awesome!! Sony is jesus!"

On Topic: I understand what a "female demographic" is, but i am a firm believer that a 'core' gamer likes 'core' games, regardless of what kind of organ is between their legs.

[TheKayle1]

that sony is embarassing everything ms do or say...they need to copy and catch up.....

anyway is nice that when ms say this...is like "omg this is a bs we r gamers not womans!"

and now.."oh well .yeah is cool go sony!" :D everyone find a way to defend sony ....and attack ms :)

read the comments by the same users...there and here
http://n4g.com/news/1220604...

ps. sony said this after ms pointing at that.....and most of ur "different" answer r embarassing at least as much that sony catch up

i wrote this in that thread:
"TheKayle1 + 6d ago
my sister played lineage 2 league of legends aion tera guild wars2 and she was OP at this games..there r a lots of noobs players in the male market..there r a lots of noobs players in the female market...this dont ruin the "core".....

ppl need to grow up ....:) and to find a girl that know how to play videogames"

i toke 3 disagree

aaah ill wait just the show....just that one...then...ill laugh a lots

[BitbyDeath]

"anyway is nice that when ms say this...is like "omg this is a bs we r gamers not womans!" "

MS said Women are the new core.
Which is a HUGE difference to Sony stating they'll appeal to them.

[Evil_Ryu]

The difference between microsoft's casual stuff and sony's casual stuff is nobody plays sony's casual stuff cause there ideas suck

[Picnic]

“We are not going down the route of making the console pink of course."

Of course not... who'd do such a thing? :
http://www.eurogamer.net/ar...
Sony Unveils Pink PS2