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Sony's Michael Denny

The WWS Europe boss on the cost of development and the uptake of Move

GamesIndustry.biz Sony is slowly rolling out 3D now. What type of research has Sony done in terms of health and eyesight issues, because there doesn't seem to be much research publicly available - not just in the games market, but 3D movies and entertainment as well.
Michael Denny

In terms of 3D it's something we believe in strongly and is something we're going to take forward. It's something we know is going to be an exciting consumer proposition and be a great experience for consumers so we don't have any issues in terms of the concerns you're raised there. From a first-party perspective what we're concentrating on is the experience we can give to the consumer that adds to games as it adds to movies. We believe the immersion in games is more than you can get from movies.

GamesIndustry.biz Have you conducted specific research on the health issues of playing games in 3D?
Michael Denny

It's fair to say that a company like Sony will only invest and take forward products that they know are consumer friendly.

GamesIndustry.biz Can you shed any light on Sony's plans to incorporate the PlayStation Network into other Sony hardware, such as Bravia TVs, PCs and Blu-ray players? The work that Kaz Hirai is currently overseeing?
Michael Denny

When you look at Sony's overall strategy for networked devices it's quite clear that in terms of the different products we want to put forward that having a common network feature would be something that would be very appealing. The PlayStation Network in our space has been a great success and we know that consumers love connectivity in devices. We need connectivity to create great services and great communities to add on to our products. I think going forward in that vein is something we'll want to pursue.

GamesIndustry.biz Any movement on Sony's plans to bring MMO content to home consoles? There have been some false starts and it seems to be a slow process, if it's something that can be replicated at all...
Michael Denny

I agree that to have an MMO experience on console, particularly on console, would be fantastic. It is something we've thought about ourselves within Worldwide Studios and we've got Sony Online Entertainment who are the experts within Sony on that. I've mentioned before that we work closely with Sony Online Entertainment. When it's right, when it's the right content and the right time to announce, I'm sure we can make it work and have the right business models for an MMO, and it'll be something that we'll want to do and PlayStation fans will enjoy.

GamesIndustry.biz The PSP is now skewing towards a much younger audience - is it a cheaper platform to develop for now, for first and third party developers?
Michael Denny

Firstly with the PSP it was our first attempt at a handheld console and with 60 million units-plus now it's been a great success for us. When you look at where we are this year, and the games we've introduced, you're right, many of them are for a younger audience. But we still have blockbuster games like God of War coming out for PSP, so when you marry that with the Essentials collection - 20 triple-A games there at £9.99, and another 20 that we've just announced, it's a great value proposition for people. Now, in terms of the minis selection of games that are downloadable, clearly the investment for developers in those games are a lot smaller. Again, we don't really set our development wishes by budgetary constraint. We want to be inspired by great games and compelling content that obviously we believe can be commercially successful.

Michael Denny is head of Sony Worldwide Studios Europe. Interview by Matt Martin.

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Matt Martin avatar
Matt Martin joined GamesIndustry in 2006 and was made editor of the site in 2008. With over ten years experience in journalism, he has written for multiple trade, consumer, contract and business-to-business publications in the games, retail and technology sectors.
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