Geoff Keighly interviews Sony's Jack Tretton about the E3 conference and more.
From GameIndustry.biz: "When Citadel: Forged With Fire launches this fall, the release of the online sandbox RPG will be a milestone not just for the developer, Toronto-based Blue Isle Studios, but also for Jack Tretton, former CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America.
Since leaving Sony five years ago, Tretton has turned his eye toward investment in the games industry. He is a strategic partner at Ocean IQ Ventures, as well as a managing partner in Interactive Gaming Ventures, two outfits with a remit to invest in gaming intellectual properties rather than game studios. While IGV has yet to announce the projects it's backing, Ocean IQ invested in three Blue Isle properties back in 2016. Two of those games -- Valley, and Slender: The Arrival -- received Switch ports earlier this year. The last of them is Citadel: Forged With Fire, which debuted in Steam Early Access two years ago this week and is slated for a full release on Steam as well as PlayStation 4 and Xbox One October 11."
Former SCEA boss Jack Tretton said Sony is well position for next-gen as the current market leader but will face much greater competition this time around.
Ex PlayStation America Boss Jack Tretton: "Their [Sony's] business model obviously worked well for them the last time around, and it doesn’t look like they’re going to deviate from that."
(source: https://venturebeat.com/201... - sentence 3 from question 12)
the future - pc is going to have a party.
cloud gaming from both sony, MS and youtube/google. Epic game store, Steam. and then 3rd party emulation.
I love Jack Tretton, miss the guy. He was a great CEO for Sony. Particularly remember his Sony E3 2013 conference.
Did you hear that Stadia? Read between the lines your just a wrinkle! Here let Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft iron you out.
They have no competition for first party exclusive games but I can't speak on all the other features yet like cloud gaming. Games make a system shine something Microsoft hasn't learn yet
Next generation hasn't started yet, so you can't speak on games either. Everyone starts at 0.
Kwiet I think he's basing that on the last 2 generations. Halo, gears, forza repeat. For 2!? Yes 2!? Generations. That's what now 13/14 years? That's how long its taken them to realise they actually need games on a games console.
There may be more exclusives next gen but don't expect much more than GAAS.
@Kwiet Historically speaking, he's right, they have never had any real competition. I don't see why that would change now, it might, but doesn't seem likely. Especially with regard to single player AAA titles, which other companies see as less lucrative, and don't even really pursue.
@milo
still banging the halo gears forza drum? They have done much more than those 3 ip's but you probably will not attempt to recognise them.
Your comment screams pure fanboyism
We have not had halo for 4 YES 4!!!! years YES YEARS!!!! or gears in 3 YES 3!!!! years yes YEARS!!!
So your rinse and repeat comment is based on the non factual Sony drivel you get drip fed from unconfirmed sources
Nintendo has Sony beat on Highly Rated exclusives the last 2 gens. Funny how everyone always forgets that
These dudes like to forget MS is also buying Sony hardware to help improve their Azure servers for gaming and media streaming.
Microsoft is buying Sony camera sensors for ar/vr. They use Nvidia for their server chips.
-Foxtrot
"Funny seemed like a two way thing, they partnered with each other"
If Sony plans to use Azure servers to power up PS Now, i think it´s safe to say that this partnership may be a two way thing. But it´s deffinelly critical to Sony.
They're using Azure to maybe host PSNow. PSNow runs fun on their current servers though. Maybe it'll get some improvements, but the announcement said they were looking to just adapt PSNow to run on Azure. Nothing about how Azure would make it better. It's not known if this will be Sony moving all their services to PSNow, and it certainly doesn't mean they're moving PSN over to Azure like some have been positing.
@rainslacker
Of course Azure will make PS Now better. I´m sure Sony is definelly looking to the same technology behind XCloud, otherwise the partnership with Microsoft wouldn´t make any sense. I mean, why would you run to your main competitor looking for their technology instead Amazon or Google?
You said that yourself, remember? You said Sony were fine with Gaikai and in case they need extra servers they always could resort to Amazon or Google.
You would NEVER guess that Sony would become Microsoft´s partner on this.
I don´t know nothing and didn´t say nothing about PSN running on Azure servers. But i can´t say that i would be surprised if that´s turn out to be the case. I been warning people for some time now, Sony is under new management. Things are supposed to change, some things already changed and will continue to change. Sony´s new CEO has a financial background. Kaz Hirai has a Marketing background. Very different approachs and goals.
Under Kaz Hirai, Sony was more focused on strengened the Playstation brand making it the number one, which he succed. I think under Kenichiro Yoshida, Sony´s main focus will be making more money out the Playstation brand.
Wheter it´s gonna be good or bad for Playstation fans, remains to be seen.
I read MS is using Sony's camera sensors for their a.i initiative. Not gaming related though.
Obscure
"Of course Azure will make PS Now better"
How is that, are you from the future? Is Xcloud up and running and objectively better than PS Now at your future timeline?
Smh..
The only REAL Cloud gaming example we currently have from MS(Azure) is Crackdown 3...well yeah. How good will full on game streaming be is another question entirely.
Until Xcloud comes out and outperforms PS Now(or at least, realistically shown) decisively (in performance, cause library-wise it won't) we can talk. And any PS Now to Azure migration wont happen until then. So please stop it, just stop it with the hyperbole.
And yet all everyone is talking about is "Cloud"
Semiconductors and optic sensors might be okay for Kinect and AR/VR but that's niche stuff. None of Sony stuff will he used for console gaming.
Cloud is where everything is going. Microsoft's Azure Cloud is probably more valuable than all of Sony.
This wasn't a partnership where Microsoft needs Sony. They have much bigger things than video games. But Sony does need Microsoft.
It’s pretty certain that Sony is using Azure for gaming. It was announced by the MS CEO
“Bringing the power of Azure and Azure AI to Sony to deliver new gaming and entertainment experiences for customers”
https://twitter.com/satyana...
And really, do you believe Image Sensors being used for AI makes this a 2 way partnership? lol. Billions upon billions going in to the Azure Cloud, image sensors is not a equal trade lol
That's not the reason. It's meant to be a long term partnership profiting both companies and.not just gaming related.
Regarding the cloud, I think they are trying to built future gaming solutions together for the next decade.
I reckon the partnership will bring "The power of the cloud" to ps games.
Expect there to be an xbox gold subscription required though. XD
They probably will help Improve the streaming of psnow, I mean they need to do something to claw back some $ their R&D department is burning through. Must be gutting, spending all that money on the cloud for it to be tainted by crackdown 3s development and that massive downgrade it received. I mean if they're offering their only ace to the competition, right as we're going into a generation where there's gonna be a massive push on cloud gaming (meaning they would have an advantage over Sony in that area), the brand simply can't be doing well.
I wonder if this partnership will lead to a collaborated studio... could pump out some good stuff. With Sonys talent at recruiting talent and Microsoft's marketing skills they would be nearly unstoppable and I think something like this is needed to counter Google and Amazon's gaming ventures.
My god some of you are way too far up Ms arse
It's always been the case
Like Samsung all other phones including apple warriors phones use Sony cams as they are the best cams ever
Most of your games use Ms havok licences or so on
It's deffo a 2 way thing
Are u thick heads too stupid to see sony been using cloud gaming for years now
They own onlive and Gaikai cloud gaming service
Sony dose not need ms they could of gone amazon and or Google
Between em both behind closed doors they are best buds
Ms did not save anyone and sony dose not need saving you read way too deep into bs
Naturally, though this seems to be part of the cycle. Not only are Sony going to face increased competition from MS, but Nintendo are in a very strong position. Plus the growth of PC gaming and cloud gaming.
@Chris_Wray
"Plus the growth of PC gaming and cloud gaming."
Growth of PC gaming? Last time i checked, PC gaming is shrinking. :/
https://h3g7w2e9.stackpathc...
That's a graph on revenue share by 25 top companies. If in the top 25 there are Sony and Nintendo first party developers then of course PC will rank low.
You need to look at the larger picture when referencing:
https://www.wepc.com/news/v...
Every market is growing year over year alongside each other with a growing number of people owning Gaming PC's and a console for exclusives.
@warriorcase
Wow, that's old. Some of it is based on 2014 numbers. Wanna find some new ones? Some that take into account the fact that ps4 sold 100 million units? I think a whole lot of people decided to go with a console instead of upgrading
@BrettAwesome
It refrences plenty from 2014 to 2017. It literally says 2018 on many of the references. I own a gaming pc, ps4 pro and xbox one x and have no favourite.
Fanboys who get upset over some stats and have loyalty to a corporation because it's all you could afford so defend it is just sad. The growth of the industry as a whole is best for everyone.
@warriocase
Nope. I question your numbers. I have no problem with PC. Plenty of room for both PC and consoles. What? You wanna measure dicks with apple fans too? You know you'll never beat them when it comes to fanboyism, although I have to say you certainly do give them a run for their money. The only one defending anything is you. And you deserve it. You paid good money for bragging rights. Enjoy it! But quit fucking about with obsolete numbers. Some might be correct, others may not. Get back with some real shit, or shut up while the grown folks are talking
>"Nope. I question your numbers."
They're not my numbers and question away. It's just a reference which like any could have misinformation
>"Plenty of room for both PC and consoles. What? You wanna measure dicks with apple fans too? You know you'll never beat them when it comes to fanboyism"
That's exactly what I was getting at. There is plenty of room and the industry is growing year after year all around which is great. I think something was lost in translation here because you agree with me and I you.
>"The only one defending anything is you."
Was pointing out that all markets have been growing. Not really a defense
>"And you deserve it. You paid good money for bragging rights. Enjoy it!"
Thanks?
>"But quit fucking about with obsolete numbers."
You do realize that most groups don't do large global market statistics every single year right?
Here's different sources for you if you like.
https://www.statista.com/to...
https://gamegavel.com/gamin...
>"Get back with some real shit"
Not even sure what you're talking about.
You seem a bit upset from your reply. When I referred to fanboys I wasn't even talking about you but other comments on n4g that base their bias around whatever they own. You need to relax with the hostile tough attitude online dude. It's just people talking about video games.
It’s amazing enough to see PS4 doing on par with PS2 in the same timeframe when PS4 has had far more competition than PS2 did.
PS5 will most likely break the 100 million mark as well
Sales would need to completely fall off to not reach 100M.
Personally, I am very curious to know how Japan would respond to a "super slim" PS4. I think it would do quite well and push sales for a while in the region.
Of all the consoles I've seen, PS2 slim impressed me the most in terms of form factor and I think that helped it sell so well.
Ps2 had the gimmick of being a DVD player.
It was cheaper than getting the real thing for awhile. So I think that ps4 sales are actually more impressive.
DVD playback wasnt a "gimmick." It was a damn nice built in feature that added a ton of value to the console. Now, motion controls? That was a gimmick!
@Wicked Gimmick is the wrong word, I think he was saying the sales numbers are less impressive than PS4's because millions bought a PS2 for non-gaming purposes.
@WickedLester, @bluefox755
You guys should look up the word gimmick
A gimmick is a feature that has nothing to do with the product’s primary function.
Like a flashlight on a phone or a radio on a watch.
A console is used to play video games.
A web browser, Blu-ray, DVD player, CD player, all of these things are gimmicks on a console.
Perhaps maybe you feel stupid because fanboys love to call Wii a gimmick as it sounds condescending and cheap.
It’s not negative, but fanboys have made it bad word now. 🙄
@ Dar
I doubt a smaller PS4 on its own would dramatically increase PS4 sales. Not even DQXI had a long lasting effect on PS4 sales in Japan.
Speaking of Japan, it goes to show how more globally successful PS4 is than to PS2 for it to keep up pace despite Japan being a smaller market for stationary consoles. Row markets are making up the difference of that shrinking Japan market.
@ Ben
You really call label features as mere gimmicks?
PS4’s success is indeed far more impressive than PS2’s. PS4 is still in the $300 standard price range going into its sixth year, not as prevelant in the Japanese as PS1 & PS2, not as many AAA third party exclusives as PS2, has far greater competition & no new media format yet its sheer inherent appeal is enough to keep it on the path as one of the fastest selling home consoles to reach 100 million.
That's every gen, but i agree that technology and popularity have both increased and the gaming landscape is evolving faster than ever. However, Sony has sustained enormous gaming success for a number years and the popularity of the PlayStation brand is at an all-time high. Not only that, but gaming is a larger part of Sony's business model than ever before, by a mile. MS for example makes the vast majority of its profits outside of gaming, but PlayStation is the engine that drives Sony. When Sony restructured back in 2013 they decided that gaming was the lifeblood of the company, they realized that gaming saved the company, and they went all in.
Sony may have more gaming competition than ever, but they are also more committed to gaming than ever. This entire generation has also seen PlayStation dominate the market and build an enormous infrastructure of customers, technology, and successful new IPs. Sony is the only console provider to seriously enter the VR space and for all the talk about being behind in streaming, people forget that Sony was well ahead of its competitors and really ahead of its time with the inception of PSNow. Also, Sony has amassed a ridiculous war chest of successful AAA IP this gen. They already boasted an impressive selection of franchises even prior to 2013, but this generation has added hit after hit franchise to deepen their arsenal further. Bloodborne, Until Dawn, Horizon, Spiderman, and Days Gone are already hit new IPs and new franchises like Ghost of Tsushima, Dreams, and Death Stranding are still to come. Not to mention fantastic reboots of games like R&C and God of War. Great new VR franchises like Astro Bot and Firewall, 3rd party games like Predator.
Sony has more established franchises than ever and they are dominating the console and VR space. PS+ has 40 million subscribers, there are hundreds of millions of active PSN accounts and everything we hear about the PS5's infrastructure and technology is great. It seems to me that Sony is in a better position than ever with PlayStation and i expect the unprecedented success to continue from now through next gen proper.
I think Sony is going to be fine, because despite competition, they actually are a leader in the industry, and have a lot of influence in the way things go for the future.
@rainslacker
Course Sony will be fine. All that Tretton said is that Microsoft, Nintendo and the new players (Google, Apple, Netflix, etc...) will give Sony a run for its money come next generation.
I think one of sonys best traits and what actually sets them apart from their competition is the fact that they listen to their customers and developers they learn from not only their mistakes but the mistakes of their competitors. They understand that their customers want excellent games and lots of them.
You think 90 million users are going to abandon their libraries, trophies etc for a console that has had how many hit games this gen? None? Maybe 1? Barely any are rated higher than days gone and if they are they're the same rehashed games they've had since the OG xbox/x360. Not gonna happen, even if a 3rd jumped ship which is unlikely, they would still have 60 million.
Jack Tretton used to run Sony's PlayStation business in North America. Now he is investing in small game studios and helping them scale.
That mic throw is gif material.
Geoff:Drop the mic
Jack:Im not gonna drop it im gonna throw it!
Shit , so indirectly there will be DRM on Third party titles.
When he dropped the mic or well he whipped the mic backwards I laughed my ass off! I really admire this guy :)
R.I.P The Last Guardian :'( !
Jack Tretton is a stud!