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Jack Tretton, Sony president and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America shared his thoughts on the whole social and freemium gaming scene. He also spoke a bit about the state of the PlayStation Vita.
In an interview with GI.biz, Tretton revealed that he feels much better about the PS Vita currently then where it was four months ago. When asked about the low sales figures for the handheld, Tretton pointed out that the handheld business is similar to the console business in that it’s a marathon and not a sprint.
In this industry, you can’t get too high or too low, because it moves very quickly. I think there’s an acceptable number – and [the number] we’ve sold: That’s acceptable. If it was triple that, I’d be happier. If it was one-third, I’d be disappointed.
Tretton believes things will start trending up for the PS Vita, as the support for the device is there as there is a PS Vita exclusive Call of Duty (Declassified) and Assassin’s Creed (Liberation) game set to launch this holiday. Sony is still projecting to sell 10 million units by end of fiscal calendar year despite the slow start the handheld experienced this year. Could Sony have something in the pipeline that we aren’t aware of?
Anything with great rewards is going to come with great challenges. We felt if the tech was there, and the game support was there, then the audience would be there. … I feel much better about it now than I did four months ago.
Tretton is also excited about where the PlayStation division is positioned within Sony, especially with Kaz Hirai taking the top CEO spot of the entire company. The PlayStation division is now aligned with the mobile and digital imaging divisions as the three pillars of Sony. This is dramatically different than from when TV and music dominated the company.
When I joined Sony Computer Entertainment, I’d meet people from other Sony divisions. I’d be at an industry event and they’d read my name badge and say ‘Sony Computer Entertainment? What the hell is that? I work for Sony music.’ Sony Computer Entertainment was very much an offshoot and not an intimately familiar division of Sony. … To go from there, where you’re a science experiment, for lack of a better word, to one of the three major pillars of the corporation is great.
Tretton was also asked about Sony’s strategy of focusing on core gaming experiences while social media and free-to-play models dominate the mobile landscape.
[Social and free-to-play] is a business I think a lot of companies are learning is difficult to sustain for the long term. It’s an adjunct or it’s an add-on, but it’s not where gaming is headed. It’s an additive diversion. There’s a place for social and freemium, but it’s not going to replace the business models that are out there.
The crisis Zynga currently faces may be telling of Tretton’s belief as social media gaming seems to be on a sharp decline. The industry faced a crash back in the late ‘70s due to over commercialization of video games but was saved by Nintendo. There may be some merit to Tretton’s point, as core gamers are probably much more loyal than social gamers and in turn will help keep your business sustained for the long haul.
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