Phil Harrison, President of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios (SCE WW) has gone on record to admit his frustrations with the Japanese branch of the consumer electronics giant, specifically in regards to how slow it conceded the idea of social gaming.
According to Harrison, Japanese executives did not share the belief that families could enjoy gaming together, an idea that had already been embraced by the European arm of the company with releases such as EyeToy and SingStar.
Speaking during a private lunch at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) this week, Harrison commented: It’s a very interesting and frustrating thing for me to experience because I have been banging the drum about social gaming for a long time, with SingStar, EyeToy and Buzz.”
"And our Japanese colleagues said that there is no such thing as social gaming in Japan – people do not play games on the same sofa together in each other’s homes. It will never happen. And then out comes the Wii."
Harrison also expressed his thoughts on Nintendo’s Wii Sports title, stating that it embodies the very idea of a true ‘next-generation’ game, before sharing his admiration for Nintendo’s success in marketing and sales.
"What’s interesting with Nintendo adverts – and they are the same the world over – they always show the view from the television back to the sofa, which is very clever. And what do you see? A family or friends all on a sofa," added Harrison.