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Interview With Warwick Light

Published By: Staff On: 21/03/2007 10:00

We ask Sony the hard questions.

Recently NZGamer got the chance to interview the general manager for sales and marketing at Sony Computer Entertainment about the upcoming release of the PLAYSTATION 3 in New Zealand.

We ask his thoughts on how the PS3 will perform, entering the market after the competitors and the decision to remove the emotion engine from PAL PS3's.

NZGamer.com: The PlayStation brand has enjoyed dominating the New Zealand console market for a good many years now. With the PLAYSTATION 3 launch finally upon us, how do you see the PLAYSTATION 3 performing in New Zealand?

Warwick Light: NZ has a ready gaming market of about 580,000 console owners, of that 430,000 are PlayStation 2 owners. However, PS3’s capabilities go far beyond gaming, so that market is about to become bigger. NZ is poised for the digital high definition revolution, sales of LCD/Plasma high definition screens are the catalyst and PS3 will be the main driver. PS3 will not only deliver high definition gaming and movie content…but its multimedia capability and internet connectivity will ensure it becomes the ultimate entertainment hub in the living room.

NZGamer: Of course a lot of the success of the PlayStation and PlayStation 2, especially in New Zealand, can be put down to Sony’s marketing. How much of a push will the system get in New Zealand, and do you have anything special planned in this department?

Warwick Light: We have the full register of assets ready to deploy for PS3’s launch; TV, cinema, radio, on-line, outdoor, press, print, radio, promotion partner involvement and PR. At the heart of the campaign is a piece of film designed to establish the new brand positioning for PS3 ‘This is Living’. It’s a play on words….because the console is so powerful (we can alter its actual functionality over time with on-line upgrades), and because its designed to always be on-line…we argue that it is ‘Living’…also if you own one and experience what it can do…that is really ‘Living’!

NZGamer: How many consoles has Sony NZ been allotted for the release down under? Would we have much chance buying one in the first week if we haven’t put down a pre-order?

Warwick Light: We are shipping over 1 million units for the European/Australasian launch, which sounds like plenty, but its hard to tell if we have enough to satisfy the local market day 1. To be safe I would definitely pre-order (also because there’s some great retailer offers around). Remember the first 4,000 people that register on the PlayStation Network (on-line), will be sent a free copy of Casino Royale on Blu-ray disc. If you want the best chance to get the movie, you should be pre-ordering your console and then racing to register on the launch day!

NZGamer: Who do you see as the target market for the PLAYSTATION 3? Considering the price tag and current lack of HDTV penetration in New Zealand, have you been forced to change who you are initially trying to sell the system to?

Warwick Light: No our core demo for PlayStation has always been 18-35 year old males,. but as I explained earlier the market is now larger. We just have to educate consumers that a ‘next generation’ console has to be just that, it has to last the ‘next generation’. Gamers deserve a massive leap in technology….otherwise what’s the point?

PS3 is a future proofed super computer, packed with inputs and outputs to enable it to communicate with just about anything. It has enough processing power (2 teraflops – double what’s in 360) for us to simply upgrade its capability ‘on-line’ over the next 5-7years. Savvy consumers in any demographic that understand what PS3 is (and will be) capable of beyond just gaming and movies, can evaluate the console on its full merits and determine that at $1195.00 it’s actually very good value. * The PS2 made its debut in NZ ,7 years ago at $999

NZGamer: One key difference to the market now - as opposed to when the PlayStation and PlayStation 2 were launched - is that your competitors are already doing very well. Do you see this foothold hampering the PLAYSTATION 3’s sales in any way?

Warwick Light: Not really, (ha ha clearly I am biased). I’ll tell you why, and in telling you, some of you will just think I’m arrogant….but here goes.

This business is not about launch or year one, or two….it’s a long term proposition. I truly believe Sony just has a better understanding of the business. I think the console we have developed proves this….its true next generation, our competitors are already scrambling with add-ons to try to up-spec their consoles…we built one that will last the ‘next generation’. Also our approach to on-line community ‘Home’ – clearly proves that we understand what consumers ‘really’ want in a connected world. If you haven’t seen Home….you ‘need’ to see it! *Home demo is available on playstation.co.nz

Logically we should dominate the gaming business. We are obviously a ‘hardware’ company (SONY, Sony Ericsson), but we are also a content company Sony BMG Music, Sony Pictures and the Sony owned World Wide Studios. We have products for everyone - an entry level console (PS2), a portable device (PSP), and the worlds most powerful Entertainment Super Computer’ (PS3). We have a ready community of over 100 million PS2 users (That’s more than 4 times that of Xbox or Gamecube). Simply put…we have all the bases covered.

NZGamer: Of course, every system needs some good games to show off the hardware. One of the benefits of living in a PAL country is that more games are developed by the time we get our hands on the machine. Do you have any personal favourites? Which games do you think will do well in New Zealand?

Warwick Light: I believe gamers want ‘fresh IP’, titles that have never been released before on other gaming formats, such as Motorstorm , and the irrepressible Resistance Fall of Man. I also expect titles new to next generation like Virtua Fighter 5, will do well and don’t discount Fight Night 3, and Need For Speed: Carbon. I have been enjoying Gran Turismo HD, the free down-loadable game from the PlayStation Network.

NZGamer: What was the reasoning behind the decision to remove the Emotion Engine from PAL PLAYSTATION 3 consoles and using software for backwards compatibility? Do you have anything to say to New Zealand gamers who feel they are paying more than Americans for what is being called an "inferior" model?

Warwick Light: The emotion engine is the good old chip that powers the PS2. It is assumed that ‘software emulation’ on PS3 will simply make this chip ‘redundant’. Software emulation ‘will’ allow for a vast number of titles to become backwards compatible. From launch (March 23rd), additional PS2 titles will become compatible on the PS3 system through regular downloadable firmware updates, which will be made available through the PLAYSTATION®Network, from www.playstation.com or via PS3 game discs. I think most ‘NZ gamers’ will be focused on getting their hands on new PS3 titles, rather than dwelling on the odd PS2 title that may ‘initially’ not be backwards compatible.

NZGamer: Despite the age of the PlayStation 2, the system still appears to be going from strength to strength, with Guitar Hero and Okami being two strong examples. Do you see the PlayStation 2 co-existing with the PLAYSTATION 3, obviously targeting different gamers? How long do you intend to show significant support for the PS2?

Warwick Light: For PlayStation 2 owners…it’s not a case of out with the old….in with the new. We will continue to support PS2 for several years, hey there’s over 100 million people out there with them…we owe it to PS2 owners to keep generating new games, and as you say pushing the envelope on what PS2 gaming can offer. Last year in NZ alone 65,000 PS2 consoles were bought…this year we are forecasting another 50,000. Look out for many more social gaming titles like singstar, Buzz and eyetoy, as well as great games for the ‘core’.