Sony Computer Entertainment America head Andrew House has revealed that they decided to change parts of their E3 script after seeing the fallout of the Xbox One DRM debacle.
No, House is not copping to any actual changes in their plans. They simply saw the problems in Microsoft’s messaging, as well as the subsequent reaction, and they also observed how many were speculating that they were planning exactly the same thing. The change in messaging was intended to accentuate how Sony had no such intentions for always-online or DRM restrictions on their platforms.
As a brief review, Microsoft unveiled the Xbox One a full month before E3 in its own closed door event, which was attended by many members of the press. In this event, they revealed Microsoft’s plan to make Xbox One an entertainment device, as well as their DRM system and the console’s always-online requirements. The resulting negative reception from fans was to be mirrored by the press after E3, and would eventually lead to Microsoft taking it all back, a little over a week after E3.
House seems to be referring exclusively to his own speech, and he may or may not have had anything to do with that now viral video of Adam Boyes and Shuhei Yoshida demonstrating how you can share games on the Playstation 4. House’s speech was actually a slow burn to that eventual announcement, but when it came out, the audience and gamers around the world reacted in kind.
If nothing else, House’s statement reveals the importance for gaming companies to get their messaging exactly right. It was a truly magical moment, which, to be quite honest, they were not able to replicate to the same degree this year, but maybe it really is one of those things that only happens once.
