IndustryGamers - Informing the Games Industry

Interview: Sony's Peter Dille Talks PlayStation Past, Present and Future

Posted September 14, 2010 by David Radd

Sony Computer Entertainment America recently celebrated 15 years since the original PlayStation launched in the U.S. While the company has made an indelible mark on gaming as a whole, and generated $63 billion in revenue in the U.S., there's no rest for the weary as another busy holiday season is coming up for SCEA. We chatted with Peter Dille, senior vice president of marketing at Sony Computer Entertainment America, about how marketing has changed and the upcoming holiday season.

IndustryGamers: It's been fifteen years since the launch of the original PlayStation in the U.S., meaning that the home consoles have iterated roughly every five years. Keeping this in mind, is Sony happy with where they are at right now with the PS3 for the foreseeable future?

Peter Dille: We're thrilled with the PS3; it's come into its own with tremendous momentum. The $299 price point, Blu-ray and we think Move will be a huge catalyst. We're pushing 3D; movies have helped get people excited about 3D and we want people to bring the 3D experience home with the PS3. The marketing campaign 'It Only Does Everything' speaks to what the PS3 is really about. We've had 13 months of growth and we think we have a bright future ahead of us. We're hoping to make it the third straight console with a 10 year lifecycle.

IG: What does 15 years of PlayStation mean to you personally?

PD: I was here in '95 so I remember what it was like. I've always regarded Sony as an innovator; it's not a “me too” company. I think PlayStation has proven this, whether its introduction of CD, DVD or Blu-ray or breaking some fresh ground with EyeToy, Home or PS3 Move. But it's gratifying to see it's not something that is limited to one area, whether it's PS3 and Blu-ray or a free online service. You can only imagine what the next three years will bring for the platform.

IG: While Jack Tretton mentioned the NEXT fifteen years for the PlayStation format in the press release, what excites you the most for the PlayStation format in the next year?

PD: That we're really just getting started with the PS3. We've got major introductions to the format with 3D gaming and Move and there's also a focus on new HD adopters who are just finding out what next-gen gaming looks like. We've got software that's going to act as a real catalyst for us like LittleBigPlanet 2 and Killzone 3. We're hoping Gran Turismo 5 will do for us what previous Gran Turismos did for the other PlayStation formats. You add Move and an entirely new audience of moms, families and others who haven't gotten on board yet and we'll keep the PS3 momentum up.

IG: How has the customer experience changed over the past 15 years? People referred to games as being more of a “fire and forget” model back in the '90s, but now it seems like you have to have a continual conversation with customers about new features and updates.

PD: That's a great point! It's a fascinating topic and something that we talk about a lot. In 1995 there was a product registration card where we'd ask you to tell us what your interests are and you'd put a stamp on it and mail it to us. Now on PSN we have a 1:1 relationship with consumers. Just like when you're on Amazon they're able to tailor things to peoples' preferences, it's completely changed our relationship with our consumer. We have an army of people, the PlayStation Nation, leading the charge for us online. You used to have to work a little harder; there wasn't a network for fans of Crash Bandicoot! It used to be a product manager's job was done when a game shipped. There were still some things to do, but they were mostly focused on launch day, but nowadays when you launch, that's when the product manager's job is starting. Once the product ships, especially something like LittleBigPlanet 2, that's when you're nurturing the community. You didn't talk about that back in the day. It's not just about a game on a Blu-ray disc, it's about the ongoing dialog with the consumer and the ecosystem were cultivating. When to make updates and managing that entire experience is what they have to do now.

David Radd has worked as a gaming journalist since 2004 at sites such as GamerFeed, Gigex and GameDaily Biz.