The Playstation already became an American console with the PS4, considering its architecture was designed by Mark Cerny as opposed to Japanese hardware design team formerly comprised of Ken Kutaragi and Shuhei Yoshida.
The design influence and direction in terms of hardware hasn't been led from Japan for the entirety of this generation. The PS4 being a American designed console has not impacted software output from Japanese publishers and developers this generation in a negative manner, so why do you think with the PS5 this going to change at all?
So do we know of any of the regional EMEA offices are closing?
If they aren't then I think the fears about local 'tone' in marketing efforts are misplaced.
But without knowing which roles are affected it's very hard to say how this will impact overall operations - don't forget, these are job losses from an operational rather than development division (they're also the kind of jobs that are - and what it means for EMEA messaging. I still think you'll see stuff like the Spanish Fathers' Day GoW happen, there'll just be a different approval process.
Also - burying bad news isn't a conspiracy it's a fairly standard PR tactic, and these redundancies would've been planned probably from the start of the FY and been built into budgets (specific role losses would've been in micro planning since the FY started)...altho equally it speaks to the gap in comms between the regions that the planned redundancies happen on the same day as the Wired article so that even if not intentional the optics aren't great.
Just to clarify too, game dev sign-off is the responsibility of WWS, not the marketing teams, so that process shouldn't be impacted by this news.
Please god no. This is my immediate concern. Europe is classy, has taste. America is Xbox. Yeah that's a bit reductive but it's not far from the truth. I don't trust the brand being led from America.
This is one of the most sensible posts in this thread. One of the main reasons Sony has been successful in Europe is because it's had its own European marketing strategy. If Sony decide to consolidate marketing efforts to one location that won't bode well. Europeans, especially the UK, don't engage with American marketing tactics much at all. As Kyser quite rightly put, it's down to tone.
Sad to hear about their job losses, but unfortunately this is a case of a large corporation with tunnel vision.
Yeah because EA was closing down successfull studiosIt's nothing like EA.
These teams underperformed/lost money, Sony isn't a charity, no console maker is.
This is my fear with the news. The European marketing game this generation has been strong, particularly in the UK. It's one of the main things that sets it apart from competitors. If the consolidation means they're canning that, Americanised marketing just isn't going to appeal to the wider European public in the same way. Unless you've spent time on both sides of the big pond it's not really something that's easy to appreciate.
lol, what is this?
2017: Gran Turismo Sport, Hatsune Miku, Gravity Rush 2, Tales of Berseria, Yakuza 0, Digimon, Nioh, Nier Automata, Persona 5
2018: Dissidia NT, Yakuza 6, Yakuza Kiwami 2, Ni No Kuni 2, Deracine, Astro Bot, Fist of the North Star
2019: Death Stranding, Shenmue 3, Sakura Wars, Everybody's Golf VR, Judgment, Trails of Cold Steel 3, Zanki Zero
Are these games "all about America?"
Some of those games' exclusivity have nothing to do with Sony though.All of those games are (or at one point, were) console exclusive, which shows Sony is still aware of the value of Japanese games.
This is my fear with the news. The European marketing game this generation has been strong, particularly in the UK. It's one of the main things that sets it apart from competitors. If the consolidation means they're canning that, Americanised marketing just isn't going to appeal to the wider European public in the same way. Unless you've spent time on both sides of the big pond it's not really something that's easy to appreciate.
Apparently the EU marketing teams were not even in the know about the recent PS5 info blow-out in Wired.The thing is Jim Ryan is the man behind a lot of the success in Europe, so if anyone is ever going to understand this, it's him.
I'm sure it'll be fine, even if it does seem a bit odd from the outside.
It feels weird to think that they actually stand a chance of pulling another PS3-level faceplant after such a successful generation, but here we are.
It's baffling to me how Sony is going through this when the PS4 couldn't have been a bigger success.
For sure, don't hide your dirty laundry SonyDoing it on the day of the announcement of the PS5 is really scummy.
There is whiffs of Late stage Xbox 360 around PlayStation for the last while.
It doesn't inspire confidence.
There is whiffs of Late stage Xbox 360 around PlayStation for the last while.
It doesn't inspire confidence.
I mean, during those weeks they did have other stuff to "hide", like Layden leaving. Sony doesn´t produce news of that calibre every week, let alone three weeks in a row. Coincidence or ill intentions is up to you, but it´s not true that they always have something like that to gather attention.You can never hide news of this nature behind anything. Special interest groups will always hear about it.
If they did it last week people would accuse them of hiding it behind the PlayStation Now announcment. The week before that, The Last of Us 2 previews.
Yesterdays Wired article was published almost 6 months since the previous Wired article.
The conflicting reports lately about the state of Sony is in itself creating uncertainty, at least looking from the outside in.
I think there is some concern that they are essentially restructuring large internal parts of their operations 1 year out from a massive worldwide console launch. Surely this type of restructuring and layoff of staff should not be happening 1 year out from a launch of your new console?
Please god no. This is my immediate concern. Europe is classy, has taste. America is Xbox. Yeah that's a bit reductive but it's not far from the truth. I don't trust the brand being led from America.
Not an option but probably entrusting Mark Cerny and the other people on that design team to make the PS4 super developer friendly and not doing something esoteric again. If they'd done that they'd be toast (or would have had one hell of a fight).
In this particular round of layoffs yes but we remember Layden and other top execs leaving less than a week ago right?Is the marketing team/pr team that is getting restructure not the entire company.
In this particular round of layoffs yes but we remember Layden and other top execs leaving less than a week ago right?
Also restructuring the balances between all the SIE divisions in terms of turning them all from relatively autonomous divisions into a more centralised global division which would change reporting structures and likely result in further layoffs all while seriously prepping for their biggest hardware launch in 6 years just sounds concerning...
Sonys strength has always been strong regional support. Americans taking over is not good.
Sorry what? Laying off PR and marketing people one year out from SIEs arguably biggest hardware launch when as we know the bulk of that work would be in motion right now is not concerning? Surely the best time for these restructures would have been either a year ago or a year after launch of PS5.That is their decision, beign 1 year before the ps5 is their best time to do it.
2 exect left the company last week, Layden and president of SIEJ which has already replace. Is just bussines, not quit sure has why you peopel are soo concerne about this, if they fucked up the lauch you will have other options to choose.
This restructuring has been happening all year, nothing to hide. Just because posters repeat the same thing over and over again doesn't make it true.Sony hiding this with ps5 news is shitty and needs to be called out. If this was EA people would be calling for blood.
Im not concern because the PR/Marketing team has nothing to do with the console/games and it happen now because a new CEO took over in April, soo yes, it is the best time( as company).Sorry what? Laying off PR and marketing people one year out from SIEs arguably biggest hardware launch when as we know the bulk of that work would be in motion right now is not concerning? Surely the best time for these restructures would have been either a year ago or a year after launch of PS5.
It is by far doom and gloom - Sony is in a commanding position and will hold it going forward but that doesn't mean that you can not be concerned about some of the recent news coming out of the company either - people lost their jobs in what has been a very successful generation for them.