Quote:
Originally Posted by fjtorres
Uh, they are the *third* largest game developer on the planet; they own 20-plus development studios outright. And their fanboys are the most loyal on the face of the earth, they don't just drink the Kool-Aid, they mix it and sell it on the roadside.
All they have to do is throw them a bone and they'll run with it all over.
Sony games don't *need* to be great to sell to the faithful. Just pretty. 
Instead, they got possessed doll ads.
http://kotaku.com/210537/creepy-ps3-baby-commercial
http://forums.penny-arcade.com/discu...d-2-steps-back
Like so many other resources they squander, Sony doesn't really know how to leverage its fanboy army.
Now, I *have* seen it suggested that they don't use their studios to best effect and that the reason their exclusives don't sell as well as XBOX exclusives is they fracture their customer base by feeding them multiple games in each category. Which might be true. They also see nothing wrong in undercutting their "partners" by launching their best-selling exclusives the exact same day as prominent third-party games, thereby ensuring those third-party games sell better on XBOX.  (Probably doesn't help the sales of their own games, either.)
Name a way to screw up a business, and Sony has done it.
Mind you, they aren't alone. Panasonic is not as far along the red-ink road, but they've got their own troubles:
http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/13/p...rward-to-prof/
Like Sony, they too misread the HDTV market and bet on the wrong tech.
Not a good business to be in now, even when you're peddling the "right" products. (Big and cheap LCD.)
(Makes me wonder how the Japan-only Sony/Panasonic ebook alliance is doing.)  |
Man, you are dead on target.
Sony should take the Apple example to heart with its true fans.
On the other hand if you have business allies, you should never undercut them. Set the board to be fair and equitable and let your allies know how the game is going to be played and stick to it.