Consoles have traditionally been closed places for outside development, with development only officially approved by the platform makers in a very formal way. However, the digital world is changing, and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe president Jim Ryan knows this.
“It’s definitely the case that the old model of these very siloed platforms is breaking down a bit. And it is function of now having proper connected devices. PS2 was not a connected device. PSP was not really a proper connected device. PS3 is and PS Vita most definitely is. So we have the ability now to have devices talk to each other,” said Ryan, who added, “There are obviously lots of people, whether it is on a tablet or a smartphone, playing games. Sorts of people who a number of years ago were simply not doing that. We see it a real opportunity to take that constituency and offer them a PlayStation experience, whether that is with an emulated virtual dual shock, or whether it is the use of PSN functionality, which will come in the future.”
“We think there is a great opportunity to offer consumers a place where they will be assured of a certain level of quality of Android game, presented with a gaming format that is similar to what they’ve experienced in the past,” he said. “This is new ground for us. It didn’t seem it at the time but these walled gardens are actually nice, cozy places, and we are now going out into the big bad world where there are no rules. We are trying to set those rules.”
“We are having to reset a lot of our thinking. And I am enjoying that. But it is a challenge, because we’ve been pushing PS1, PS2 and PS3, basically the same way, and then all of a sudden we are like ‘You have to forget that and think differently’. It is great that the industry evolves and goes in different directions. No entertainment industry can just carry on the way it was. For our industry to thrive and prosper it has to evolve and it has to innovate,” he concluded.
Source: MCV
