After a difficult run with the PlayStation 3, Sony had to mature. The company knew it needed to consider new messaging, fresh software strategies, and a stronger network to run the many PlayStation services on. The results have been largely positive, and many people see the launch of the PS4 as the biggest of all time. Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios boss Shuhei Yoshida explained to GameIndustry International why this particular console is part of the company’s transitional period.
“The PS4 generation is going to be the transitional generation,” Yoshida said. “In a sense, it's the completion of the evolution of the strong 3D capable consoles, but at the same time it's at the maturing phase of our network platform and the beginning of our new service phase, like our cloud gaming that we are preparing to launch next year. And the use of mobile devices is part of our ecosystem.
“So all that considered, and the difficulty we had at the launch of the PS3, and very strong competition especially in North America, that made us really revisit everything we've been doing and redefine the company, almost like we're re-entering this industry. Even across our teams, I think you now get more consistent messages [about PlayStation] compared to past generations, because we talk a lot more and get a lot of input [from all the teams] on different decisions.”
That competition has been one of the best parts of this pre-release period, according to Yoshida, and he hopes that the consumers will continue to benefit from the changes Microsoft and Sony need to make to stay competitive.
