Although historically many publishers have worked with Xbox 360 and ported to PS3, resulting in sometimes not-so-pretty graphics on a machine that's very capable, Dyer sees this trend reversing. And a big part of it comes with the marketing campaigns behind the games.
“I point to a couple big examples. One is Batman: Arkham Asylum, with what the guys at Eidos and Rocksteady did, and I point to Madden and the unique campaign EA put behind it with us, showing promotions that were very PS3 focused. And that really drove sales," he explained. "Look, we're not going to get the exclusive games. The Mass Effects, Gears of Wars and Left 4 Deads aren't going to happen nearly as often. But we have our own first-party development and exclusives like Final Fantasy XIV and Agent. Exclusives just aren't as commonplace as they were during the PS2 days. What is going to be the driving force is either exclusive ad campaigns, like the Madden campaign, or exclusive content like we had with Batman. The PS3 version outsold the 360 version, and what we've said to [developers] is 'If you take advantage of what the PS3 can deliver – more content on the Blu-ray disc, better graphics, being able to get more of what the player wants onto the disc – you're going to see those sales translate.' [EA Sports and Eidos] would both tell you that by focusing on PS3 and its virtues and what it provides, it translated into much bigger sales and bang for the buck.
"So what we've been doing is going to publishers and using that as our basic story, and going after exclusive content. You're going to see a lot of that, and for example, you're seeing it now with Dante's Inferno. EA had the collector's edition only on PS3. They filled up that Blu-ray disc and were able to do a lot more that they couldn't with 360. The consumer is starting to understand that – there's a lot of cross-ownership between PS3 and 360, and so we're now trying to differentiate that and give that consumer a reason to buy the PS3 version instead of the 360 version.”
We further pressed Dyer on the exclusives issue and if Sony felt at a disadvantage since Microsoft does have the money to secure exclusives for 360. "Sony counters that with its own first-party," he stated simply, before ripping into Microsoft Game Studios. "They have very few first-party studios at Microsoft. Bungie's next Halo is the last one, Rare rarely puts out anything, you've got Peter Molyneux with his Fable stuff... but they don't have first-party development studios inside at Redmond or anywhere for that matter. We do. So rather than putting their money behind that, they've been going to Epic or Valve or BioWare to do what they did with Mass Effect, and that's where they throw their dollars."
He added, "Candidly, we're not going to compete with Microsoft on that front, but what we have is a global business here. Our global business is bigger than 360's and will continue to get bigger than 360, and people are seeing that. We passed them in Europe and they don't even exist in Japan, and we're going to catch them and pass them here in the U.S. as well."
One other area that Sony intends to counter Microsoft in is at retail itself. Dyer seemed particularly excited about Sony's strategy on this front. “The problem with retail is you really have to give them the ready-made package. So what we're doing is we're going to make that callout on the front of the package. If you walk into a Wal-mart or Target, so many of the titles are behind glass, and if you're the consumer you might strain your eyes trying to pick which game you want. What you'll see is we'll have a new packaging template that is going to call out the additional features you get on PS3 that you can't get on the 360, that exclusive content [like Dante's]," he noted. "That's something that's ready-made, spoon-fed for the retailer, and they put it up there and the consumer sees that and it jumps right off the shelf. So you'll see a lot more of that – it's something we're very focused on. You'll see announcements on it from us at DPS (Destination PlayStation) as well as E3; it's something our publishing partners are extremely excited about – again, because they saw the results that came from the Madden or Batman campaigns.”
We'll have much more from our extended discussion with Dyer later this week. Stay tuned!
[Update: Also see Dyer's comments on Wii - PS3 Benefiting From Wii Publisher Backlash]
26 Comments
February 16, 2010
So if I build my own console and sell 5 to my friends and they buy 5 games each... EA would be happy with that... I understand what you are saying but the attatch rate is not linear like you are saying... the more consoles the more customers are focus on just one kind of products, like in the 360 shooters are the big thing, I think PS3 are sports and action games.
I own all consoles and love only 2 of them, I hate my Wii, but for third party developers the 360 still makes more sense.
February 16, 2010
sorry i have to disagree by focusing on the 360 you are limiting yourself because regardless of what you want to say the 360 for having double the install ase doesnt sell twice the amount of games. so your attachment rate is higher on the ps3 for games outside of the shooter genre. so if your a third party you need to focus on advertising for the ps3 becuase driods will buy anything that has a gun. so you will get you 360 sales without focusing on the 360. its liek the final fantasy effect. its better to advertise for the 360 than the ps3 because if you have played this game before youll buy it on the ps3 if your new youll prrobably get it on the 360 . why becuase thats what you see on adverts.
February 16, 2010
To simplify this, the Sony exec is saying that because the 360 has a larger installed base than the PS3--they have to sell atleast twice as many copies of third party games as the PS3 to be doing "well". I heard this same argument when Grand Theft Auto IV came out, by another Sony exec.
The first revelation should be that, no matter what your install base is: you are not going to sell certain games to every owner of your system. So him thinking that "ALL" 360 versions of games should outsell the PS3 versions by atleast 2 to 1 is pretty ridiculous. Not all games sell as well on each system. But if it makes him feel better, Modern Warfare 2 sold around 3 times more copies on the 360 as it did the PS3.
The last revelation is even simpler: at the end of the day it's all about money. All of these companies are in the business of making money and third parties make more money off of the sku that sells more. It doesn't matter how much year-over-year growth gets factored in or how a former 2 to 1 index is now 1.6 to 1. All that matters is how much money you make off of your product and right now third parties are making much more money off of 360 versions of their games than PS3 versions. Having said that, I'm 100% positive that FFXIII will sell better on the PS3 than the 360. But thats the only future third party game I can think of where Sony's version will actually sell better. Even with the exclusive Joker character the PS3 version of Arkham Asyslum still couldn't outsold the 360 version.
February 16, 2010
Yeah, Sony is grasping at straws again. The fact is more sales for a platform is better no matter how much damage control that you try to spread on.
It's a no brainer that Sony would try to come out trying to make themselves sound and look better--even with desperate stats. If you were on the losing side you would do the same thing. Find any stats that you can strawman so that you can use those against your competition.
February 16, 2010
Good thing that Sony still have a sense of humor. I laughing myselft to tears!! PS3 have better server... this is sooooo funny!! LMAO
February 17, 2010
i understand what u guys are saying. and i understand what sony is saying. of course the more u sell, that is more of the interest of any company.
but u guys seem to be missing the point. according to the numbers. once ps3 catches up to the 360 install base. it is likely that ps3 versions of a game will outsell the 360, given they have the same amount of advertising and what not. using modern warfare2 is a bad example since it was advertised as a 360 game. showing the xbox logos at the end of commercials and releasing special xbox exclusive content and hardware such as the modern warfare2 bundles that at the time, had exclusive HDD even to the xbox consumers itself.
but what about games like bayonetta? ps3 version sucked, and it generated lots of negative articles regarding the epic failing ps3 version of the game, yet, it outsold the superior xbox version. games like tomb raider underworld, ps3 version outsold the xbox version when at the time, xbox exclusive dlc was announced, yet, the ps3 version still outsold that of the 360's. at this time, the gap between the ps3 and xbox was even greater than it is now.
do u understand the bigger picture? now the whole point is, of course the overall sales is what really matters. but with the attachment rate the ps3 has, what if ps3 surpasses the install base of the 360? are the companies going to take more interest in that? the way things are going, the ps3 is likely to reach the 360's install base by 2011. unless that is.... xbox has another price cut by Q3 of this year.
*this is according to advertisements and content released in the United States. I dont know if Microsoft took the same approach in other regions. so i dont want to hear no, "well where i live, i didnt see MW2 360 bundles" cuz i dont care where u live.
February 17, 2010
@ THE 1 2 P , i don't think you know what you're talking about at all.
you said Batman AA sold more on X360, lol, you must be joking right? if you're talking about crappy Lego batman than yes it sold more on X360 because it was bundle with the X360 Elite or Pro.
here's the link, PS3 Batman AA sold more than X360 version by 400K.
http://www.vgchartz.com/games/index.php?name=batman
for MW2, X360 version doesn't even sell 3 times more on X360. it only sold 3m copies over PS3, if its 3 times over PS3 version then that mean X360 must have sold 24m copies and its not even pass 10m yet.
here's the link, its not 3 times more than the PS3 version, its 3m more than the PS3 version.
http://www.vgchartz.com/games/index.php?name=Call+of+Duty%3A+Modern+Warfare+2
February 17, 2010
Kreate and Meng Vue you guys are right , you took time and read the article but to the rest LOL you are trying to over think the room . 1 you guys get upset evertime Sony say or do something why ? did someone there took your milk money? Microsoft does the same thing it's called P R boys . to Mr The 1 2 P there you go again putting your foot in your mouth again stop the comment if you don't have the right facts . could you stop being a clone fanboys guys and injoy whatever system you have.
February 17, 2010
I have a ps3 ,psp go and 360 and i injoy them all and am not going to be some clone fanboys and say one better then the other , there no systems war or race only fanboys believe that crap . if there was a systems war 360 and ps3 fanboys then the wii win LOL you can't have two sides win a race or war only one so i don't get how 360 fanboys think there winning or ps3 fanboys think there winning when they pass the 360 guess what 360 and ps3 fanboys were last if your not first your last lol it not a 2 systems race it's 3 get over yourself .
February 17, 2010
LOL this is the whole reason why i hate sony and still do. I Do have a ps3 but barley touch it. i played most multiplatform games on my xbox 360 and will continue to do so...but anyways i love how sony has the arrogance to say this and believe what they say is true...If 3rd parties love sony better how come about 8 months agao EA was annoyed that they didn't do a price drop and Activision threatened to leave ps3 development.. And also if i think right EA's only exclusive game on the market for the xbox and ps3 is Mass Effect 2 for the xbox 360 seems to me EA likes MS better
February 17, 2010
@ closingracer yeah right arrogance right so when microsoft does it that just make it ok in your world ? microsoft was doing this two years ago you fanboys must have forgot about that . EA will have Mass E ported to ps3 it's not a question of if but when now . EA know it will sell more on 360 and ps3 , but if you ask me i didn't injoy as much but i know there are people out there that will.
February 17, 2010
@the nameless poster, this is my Modern Warfare 2 link: http://vgsales.wikia.com/wiki/NPD_November_2009. The 360 version outsold the PS3 version nearly 3 to 1 during it's first month.
And here's the one for when Batman: AA came out: http://vgsales.wikia.com/wiki/NPD_August_2009 . I did read your links and I'm surprised that the PS3 version caught up to the 360 version of AA but it was initially outsold(which is what I was refering to).
@Cowboy, I don't put my foot in my mouth--I back everything up, like I did with those links. Stop riding my nutsack, unless thats your thing. Either way, I don't get down like that.
At the end of the day boys, this is just more PR spin. Yes Microsoft, Nintendo and third party publishers do it as well, but this article is about Sony and thats why we are chastising them. We will do the same to the other companies when it's their time.
February 17, 2010
@ 1 2 P your shock and surprise LOL just say you didn't know lol that why you put your foot in your mouth , how come you can't say that ? hate to be wrong ? also your on mine nutt cause i told you a post ago that it was nothing but a P R spin job so now you take credit from other ? wow not only you a 360 fanboys but you a 360 fanboys who comment on ps3 report i see you have a great life there . I am in shock that 360 fanboys will go this far , LOL microsoft does the same thing when they had there roll where was you when they had there P R spin ? probably haggled on there nutts please didn't reply back it only make you look so bad just wait for the next big thing sony report so you can attack that story just make sure you have real facts this time am done beating you like a drum clone 360 fanboys.
February 17, 2010
its all PR spin the winner is the publishers that sell their game across all platforms and profit, groth is a great word, but gross sales profit is where its at... And Sony and MS both lack in that dept as of very recently both these companies were doing nthing but bleeding money...
February 17, 2010
@Cowboy, you really need to learn how to use spell check. I bet even you can't read what you just typed. As already stated, my links backed up exactly what I said but you must be too illiterate to read. Finally, we all know you are a Sony fanbitch. You first cried because I said Sony has nowhere to go but up from being in last place. Then you saw a headline saying PS3's were in short stock so you made up some lies about how you haven't seen them in stock since 2007(cause you're that dumb). And now you are crying because the majority of people who posted here called out Sony on their PR spin. Everytime something negative gets said about sony you cry like a little bitch. Well we don't mind if you are a sony fanbitch but you have taken it to the next step: you are now officially Industry Gamers first troll. Now go give yourself a one-hand clap.
February 17, 2010
@kreate--I just wanted to touch base on something from your post. You said that Modern Warfare 2 sold better on the 360 because of the commercials that had the 360 logo on there. But to say that means that you are underestimating the intelligence of PS3 owners. Although a select few of them may be idiots(like cowboy) the majority of them are not. My point is that my PS3 owning friends knew well in advance that MW2 was coming out for their system and no commercial or bundle for other systems was going to deter them from their purchase. Another example is the upcoming FFXIII 360 bundles. Even know that game will only be bundled with 360's in the US, it's still going to move more copies on the PS3. And thats because PS3 owners know it's coming out, just like they knew MW2 was coming out for their system. The 360 is just more popular when it comes to shooters.
February 17, 2010
@ 1 2 p lol you still posting ? no one want to reply to you because you have no facts to your comment lol just say you was wrong or let it go lol your the only one here believing the hype this is nothing more but P R spin . Microsoft have done it now it's Sony turn go away 360 fanboy and play your games if you have any and let it go lol you are looking more and more like a little kid crying in a mall do us all a favor and let it go .
February 18, 2010
According to a good developer friend of mine, PS3 has two issues that 360 doesn't have: a slower fill rate and no unified RAM - its memory is divided into system and graphics RAM that can't be dynamically allocated.
That means that multiformat games that are developed on 360 as the lead platform suffer in the translation to PS3. However, great games are still possible if companies are willing to go the extra mile and throw vast amounts of money and resources at it, see Uncharted 2.
In the long run, Sony might have an edge because Microsoft stubbornly still declines to ship 360 with a Blu-ray drive - Sony might get a larger installed base from people using PS3 as an affordable Blu-ray player with gaming functionality.
February 18, 2010
@cowbitch, the fact that you put "lol" several times in each of your post(only a little kid would do that) proves that you are a high school drop out with no life. And you still can't figure out how to use the spell check feature for your sad excuse of a post or figure out how to follow links? It's a wonder you can even figure out how to turn a pc on. But I guess thats what trolls like you do.
February 18, 2010
I have a PS3 and have been a Sony user for years now. With that being said, I believe that Sony suffered from being stubborn with the price for the PS3 and not changing their game plan from the PS2 - PS3. But things have been turning around for Sony due to a number of things, better exclusive games, price drops, better dlc, and now better adapting to the demographics by offering a wide array of games. But one thing I will say is that Microsoft has been kicking Sony's ass for years but hopefully this year can turn it around, in the states at least.
February 18, 2010
It's like some people don't even read the articles LOL
June 17, 2010
First-party is huge this generation and Microsoft needs to up the ante. They are burning through their core franchise too quickly because they have very few of their own. Gears 3 will likely happen and we are seeing a third Halo game and a second Fable game this holiday season. They need more standout titles like Alan Wake. If people want a 360 and money isn't the issue than its new unique IPS that track their attention. They already know about whats been established. Halo: Reach might be great but its Halo. Everyone already expects another Halo.
June 23, 2010
First, early release has nothing to do with sales, though the Wii was launched one year after the xbox360 and now has sold more units of the two PS3 and 360 combined, sony is just an excuse to do little convincing here, the only reason Sony has not sold in the first two years were because they were relying on the ps2 that is successful and gone for shit like LAIR games while Microsoft dropped the bomb on the sony by the release of Gears of War for the month of the PS3 was released Watch trailer . I think Sony executives should get the head of his ass. A momment publishers can definitely make more profit from the 360 that the PS3, most third party multi-platform titles sell better on the 360 than the PS3. Modern Warfare 2, Fallout3 and Bayonetta to name a Few. And this year, the xbox360 has a great lineup of games compared to PS3, PS3 will be getting insurance GOD OF WAR 3 and heavy rain by Q1 and that's it, maybe there will be more ads. But the way I see the year 2010 is looking very good for the 360. Anyway I hope i havent offended anyone.
July 11, 2010
I recently bought a PS3 and had a group of builders in Sunderland round to try it out. They played for the whole weekend, non stop. Well worth the money especially now that the price is a bit cheaper than it used to be.
September 7, 2010
I have a PS3 and have been a Sony user for years now. With that being said, I believe that Sony suffered from being stubborn with the price for the PS3 and not changing their game plan from the PS2 - PS3. But things have been turning around for Sony due to a number of things, better exclusive games, price drops, better dlc, and now better adapting to the demographics by offering a wide array of games. But one thing I will say is that Microsoft has been kicking Sony's ass for years but hopefully this year can turn it around, in the states at least,thanks for sharing the post.
November 9, 2010
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