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Jack Tretton, CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America, has hit out at publishers who have suggested that console manufacturers need to lower the price of their hardware to improve sales, GamesIndustry.biz reports. Late last month Activision's Robert Kotick said that he wanted to see the Xbox 360 and PS3 priced at USD 199 within the next two years', but Tretton has called this suggestion "unrealistic". Reacting specifically to Kotick's price cut suggestions in an interview with The Mercury News, Tretton said: "I'm surprised by it, because I would never venture to suggest what software publishers should price their software at. "So I don't think it's appropriate for them to suggest what hardware should be priced at." Tretton said that publishers should be just as interested in Sony's business as their own, pointing out that without hardware, there's no third-party business. "I think from an unrealistic standpoint I'm never surprised by that, because a software manufacturer may not be concerned whether a hardware manufacturer is successful or whether they're profitable. "But I think they should be, because without the hardware manufacturer, the software manufacturer has nothing to publish on." And speaking more bluntly about Kotick, he said if the Activision CEO didn't appreciate the way Sony is currently running its PlayStation business, "maybe he should design a platform.

 

 

 

 

Im not even going to touch this one. I agree with Tretton on alot of what he said, but WOW at the red section. 

well a couple of things are important in this post:

1) $200 in 2 years unrealistic? That's a real problem. It shouldn't be, otherwise Sony is going to be in trouble
2) Don't Sony set the usual price of games on their console?
3) Of course Activision is interested in their business. But only in terms of how many PS3s there are, they couldn't care less how much money Sony is making. So I don't quite understand his point here. Activision would do best with lower priced consoles, because that means more consoles sold and a larger user base to sell games to, and ultimately, more games sold.

WOAH crazy statement. Really surprised (next month Activision's console THE BLIZZARD!

omgwtfbbq said: well a couple of things are important in this post: 1) $200 in 2 years unrealistic? That's a real problem. It shouldn't be, otherwise Sony is going to be in trouble

    
Well I look at it like this from Trettons point of view. $200 in two years in itself isnt unrealistic. However, you need to remember PS3 has already dropped $200 in one year. Thats an ENORMOUS drop ENORMOUSLY fast, and all the while, they have been losing money on the hardware. So another 200 in another 2 years is unrealistic for the PS3 because that would equate to 400$ in 3 years. That is just madness if they ever want to catch up with the manyfacturing costs and ever make any actual money on the thing. They cant keep dropping the price at this insane rate, or else they just stay behind on cost forever.

 

I would expect the 360 to easily be at sub-$200 levels in two years (the core at the very least). If that is so far away as to be "unrealistic" for Sony, then that is a problem for the PS3.

Just when you thought Sony had finally stopped shooting their own foot! Sometimes it almost seems like Sony executives actively want the PS3 to fail...

 

Dude there goes support from Activison on the PS3, that means more support for the Xbox 360. Tretton should of kept is mouth shut, I think he is getting a bit cocky since the PS3 is doing better than before.

That wont be the end of Activision support for the PS3, but still what a dumb thing to say. It'll be a bit chilly in any Sony-Activision boardroom meetings for a while.

People often cite cartridges as the main reason the N64 sold poorly in comparison to the Playstation, but in reality it was that Nintendo alienated most third party developers. Activision (probably) stated that the consoles needed to be $200 in 2 years because they believe both systems have to hit that price in order to sell well enough to justfiy game development.

Tretton must be stopped. Sony must stop him soon before he rosters up an entire cue of enemies. Making friends and influencing people is supposed to be a priority at his posting. Instead comments like this are bound to polarize the software industry against Sony. After all Activision already has plenty of justification to start severing development for their console as is. Hell Sony directly competes with Blizzard on the software front.

Tretton desperately needs to be terminated soon. He isn't doing Sony any favors, and more often then not he is probably making the situation worse. There were half a dozen non confrontational ways for him to have expressed his thoughts. How did he end up picking a fight instead.