Sony's Michael Denny - Part One

When we formed Worldwide Studios with Phil Harrison and Shuhei (Yoshida, president of SCE Worldwide Studios), the remit was clear. As a first-party studio, to first and foremost produce exclusive high-quality software to further expand the market for PlayStation formats. But along with that, it was about moving to a global structure to look at the deployment of global resources in the most efficient way.

In terms of structure, Worldwide Studios still has a regional structure in terms of Japan, America and Europe, but we have a worldwide studio management that oversees it so we can plan portfolio's and share many things from knowledge to technology. On the technology side we've formed a global technology team, and we will continue to invest in shared technologies that either increase the quality of our software or lessen the costs, or shorten the time to market. We also formed a global platform group to globalise QA process and hosting processes. So we've been looking at many efficiencies there.

In terms of my role this year changing, it's really just evolved. I was always involved in running Europe, but now I have the opportunity of working more closely with the London and Cambridge studios in particular, and furthering the work with many more talented teams both internally and externally.

This year was really about focusing on the big titles we've had. When we look at the success we've had in the social gaming space, with titles like Buzz and SingStar on the PlayStation 2, and the success we've had there. But importantly, moving them into the online space with the PlayStation 3. With community spaces, SingStar is now an online community of over 300,000 users. The SingStore now has over 3 million downloads of music tracks. Although perhaps on the downside we're single-handedly responsible for reinventing Bonnie Tyler's career with more than 50,000 units of Total Eclipse of the Heart (laughs). With Buzz as well, look at that going online in terms of user-generated quizzes, there's over 100,000 user-generated quizzes that have had over seven million plays. Those have helped us transition those titles into an online space on PlayStation 3.

It's still important that they continue on PlayStation 2. For SingStar we still have over eight SKUs planned for next year on PlayStation 2. Buzz as well will still continue on PlayStation 2, it's still a very active format for us.

In terms of the other titles it was also important to focus on – the sequel to MotorStorm, we're pleased with the high Metacritic rating of 82 per cent and it's sold over a million units worldwide. And then of course there was the big one, LittleBigPlanet, where that's taken us to new spaces with user-generated content. We're over 150,000 user-generated levels with over 20 million plays of those levels. So clearly with titles like those, and the PSN titles, such as Crash Commando which we have real high hopes for, we've really focused on making sure we delivered those to the right quality. (Editor's note: the most recent online stats for LittleBigPlanet can be read here.

But for me, it was the focus of the internal studios. Earlier in the year we had some high-profile cancellations of projects. And so we've been really trying to focus on two things; when we have created successful franchises, that we really continue to innovate within those franchises. And with that, finding new IPs and focusing on each studio's strength. The London studio has a great heritage in social gaming, and really looks at at how we innovate in and define social gaming as a richer, connected experience.

There's always a balance to reach. Clearly, when we have what can be deemed exciting concepts and projects, there's a natural want to talk about them. But you're right, some of these projects that are looking to compete in highly competitive genres need a lot of prototyping, need a lot of work to get them right. If you're going to compete in those genres they have to be absolutely right. So, the review process goes on. But it's really the normal course of business in a way, and these things do happen. What that resulted in was us refocusing the London studio and I think it's a stronger, more motivated studio for that.

Absolutely. But it it trying to move it on and reinvent social gaming in a more connected world. We have a number of big franchises within the London studio – SingStar, EyeToy – but we're also looking at new IPs to move forward with as well.

There are a number of unannounced projects, and they'll remain unannounced until we're happy with them. The one that has been unannounced is really an innovation in an existing franchise – EyePet. We're excited at where that can take us in that genre. I'm sure we'll be showing more of that in the new year.

Paulina's a very talented individual and we have a lot of respect for her. In this industry, there are exciting opportunities and Paulina chose to move on. I think the most important thing is that we have strengthened up within our studios with talented and creative leaders. With Dave Ranyard coming in to head up SingStar as game director we're sure that series will go on from strength to strength.

While we've discussed taking SingStar online and into more community areas, we shouldn't forget the success it's still going to have on PlayStation 2. There are over 15 million discs in on that product and the music genre is still an expanding space. What's important when we have these large, successful franchises, is that we concentrate on innovating within them, as well as defending them from lots of competition, because that's natural.

We're not over prescriptive in these things. It's all about looking at each studio's strengths. It's about looking at a balanced portfolio to some degree but we always want to leave open the opportunity for new disruptive and innovative games.

I think if you look at Worldwide Studios heritage in Europe, we always - whether it's internally or externally - work on innovative new products. Although we've had the success in the social genre we want to move that on as well, like finding new experiences with LittleBigPlanet and user-generated content. In the console field that's an area we can rightly claim leadership to now. We want to look at more areas of that.

And in some of the more established genres, like shooters with Killzone 2 – we've had some great results in the beta trial, certainly in the online space. I don't think people have really seen enough of Killzone 2 - the customisability, the clan support, the tournament support. We're really excited where that can go. Looking forward to next year, a game like Heavy Rain, it's trying to do something very new, whether you call that the adventure genre, action adventure, we're calling it interactive drama and it's about trying to create an emotional connection with the game.

They're very passionate, they're very excited. And that's what drew us to them. When you look at the game it is difficult to pigeon hole, and sometimes we talk about looking for new audiences. But sometimes it's about creating a product that can may be cross over to a number of different audiences. We have a hope for that product that both core and casual can get into it. It's a game that when you look about and when you understand it, it's really not played on the control pad, as in your head. It's about making choices and consequences, it's not about twitch gaming and how good you are. We feel that the mature nature of the content can appeal to the core and then the consequence based gameplay can appeal to a newer audience, a more casual audience as well.