Sony's Kodera to evolve PSN into next phase + lead Sony's Digital Transformation Strategy

[____]

As a separate discussion, I thought it'd be a good idea to highlight Kodera's new placement and what this might mean for next-gen and beyond for Sony as a whole. The whole "DX" (Digital Transformation) strategy has me curious. It seems to be a new-ish company pillar that branches out beyond SIE, but I can't find much info online about it.

As the person responsible for PSN, PS+ and PS Now, this could be interesting for next-gen as he's alluding to innovating in this space.

Comment from John Kodera:

[I have been discussing with Yoshida-san the need to drive SIE to the next phase in our rapidly changing business environment, and realize the evolution of the PlayStation platform]

[...and for me to spearhead the network area to continue creating innovative services and experiences, where competition continues to intensify with many new players joining the business.]

[I also aim to leverage my experience and accumulated expertise to contribute to strengthening the Sony Group's DX (Digital Transformation) strategy.]

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I also thought this quote was particularly interesting:

Comment from Kenichiro Yoshida, Sony Corp CEO:

"...which will allow John to focus on the key mission to further develop PlayStation Network (PSN) that has now grown into an immensely large platform with over 90 million Monthly Active Users worldwide – will enable SIE to accelerate its innovation and evolution even further. Moving forward, I also have expectations for John to lead the Sony Group's DX (Digital Transformation) strategy drawing on his wealth of experience with PSN, in addition to his mission at SIE."

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[RestEerie]

yah...at first glance, it seems like a demotion (from head of SIE to just head of SIE Network) but digging it deeper, it almost seems like an interim where he will gradually transition from head of SIE Network to Head of Global Sony Network....so i say he's actually moving 'upwards' in a sense.

 

[Drifters_]

I wish him the best. Be fun to be in his shoes.

 

[RoninStrife]

Sounds good to me.. as long as the digital transformation doesn't include everything I despise about Xbox Live, like adverts in my face etc. All in a bid to maximize revenue to that often highlighted 90million plus users. Or their tv and whatever nonsense I want no part of.

 

[IIFloodyII]

Be great if Sony finally used all their resources to make a really great service that encompasses movies, TV, music and gaming. Probably be super expensive though, but they are 1 of the few that's a leading force in each of those industries.

 

[Toni]

Seeing as how PSN's browser accounted for 3% of the world's web search, I fully expect PSN to expand its web searching capabilities for PS5.

PSN and PStore are going to fundamentally change Playstation's ecosystem next gen.

> A master account to play all of Playstation's library (PS1, PS2, PS3, PS4)
> A new search Engine and with maybe it's own web page to rival Google, Yahoo and Bing
> Beefed up social networking
> Live from Playstation separating from Twitch, becoming its 'own thing' to rival YouTube and Twitch and therefore Sony keeps 90 million active users using Playstation "channels" to stream and keep their content there with monetization being the incentive for big Streamers.

 

[ToadPacShakur]

Sounds good to me.. as long as the digital transformation doesn't include everything I despise about Xbox Live, like adverts in my face etc. All in a bid to maximize revenue to that often highlighted 90million plus users. Or their tv and whatever nonsense I want no part of.

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I mean, you kinda get ads on PS4.. There was that Destiny 2 thing, and the pop-ups when you hover over things like Video and Now etc

 

[vivftp]

Be great if Sony finally used all their resources to make a really great service that encompasses movies, TV, music and gaming. Probably be super expensive though, but they are 1 of the few that's a leading force in each of those industries.

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Ya know, I can't think of any other company that has their hands in movies, tv shows, music and gaming. Sony are pretty much the largest in the world for music and gaming, and their movie and tv divisions aren't doing too bad. I'd be very curious to see what an all encompassing service would be like.

 

[IIFloodyII]

Ya know, I can't think of any other company that has their hands in movies, tv shows, music and gaming. Sony are pretty much the largest in the world for music and gaming, and their movie and tv divisions aren't doing too bad. I'd be very curious to see what an all encompassing service would be like.

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Yeah, can't really think of anyone one who has as big a presence in all 4. Disney would come closes I guess, but they lack massively in gaming and their music division is more a off shoot from their movie/tv side than it's own thing.

Amazon potentially, as they've been building their gaming side for awhile now.

 

[Holundrian]

Would be wonderful if a proper refund system becomes part of the future of psn.

 

[____]

Be great if Sony finally used all their resources to make a really great service that encompasses movies, TV, music and gaming. Probably be super expensive though, but they are 1 of the few that's a leading force in each of those industries.

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Ya know, I can't think of any other company that has their hands in movies, tv shows, music and gaming. Sony are pretty much the largest in the world for music and gaming, and their movie and tv divisions aren't doing too bad. I'd be very curious to see what an all encompassing service would be like.

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I feel that some of this might be a part of the strategy going forward. Messaging will be key though.

I forgot they also have PS Vue so they're definitely going to end up with some kind of all encompassing sub next gen in some form.

Sounds like there are plans of unifying and upgrading their digital platform, and ensuring its not tied to hardware. An iTunes-ish platform for PlayStation content.

 

[statham]

yah...at first glance, it seems like a demotion (from head of SIE to just head of SIE Network) but digging it deeper, it almost seems like an interim where he will gradually transition from head of SIE Network to Head of Global Sony Network....so i say he's actually moving 'upwards' in a sense.

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Just no, no way this is a move up, just no.

 

[vivftp]

I feel that some of this might be a part of the strategy going forward. Messaging will be key though.

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I've seen them use a similar sort of messaging when it comes to TV shows and movies in that they are the only company that has a complete end to end solution from movie cameras to monitors used by studios for editing to TVs and movie theater projectors for creating and distributing content. I can see them using a similar sort of approach if they go for an all encompassing digital platform.

Incidentally, whatever happened to all the content they used to have on their ebook platform? Do they still have access to all that content, or did they just drop it completely when they got out of consumer ebooks? Guessing they no longer have it, but just curious.

 

[RoninStrife]

I mean, you kinda get ads on PS4.. There was that Destiny 2 thing, and the pop-ups when you hover over things like Video and Now etc

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That Destiny thing was when you opt to see featured content to get downloaded to your console (I forgot the actual name of that option in the setting tab), which Ive never had happen to me because I've never selected that option. The advertising of McDonald's etc on a paid online service is gross to say the least on Xbox Live.

The only comparison to that so far on Sony's side is how the Singstar app is in your face on the PS3 dashboard.. not a fan of that.. and really hoping Yoshida doesnt trash PSN in a bid to expose anything and everything our way in a bid to make a quick bucks with exposure.

 

[Sonicfan059]

Just no, no way this is a move up, just no.

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Maybe not but it's his wish to work on that. That's better imo.

 

[i-Jest]

As long as this means being able to sign into different regions with the same account, not losing access to ones existing library when signing into a new region, and/or updating the download list function to better navigate content on the PSN web store then I'm all for this.

 

[Stixitnu]

Ya know, I can't think of any other company that has their hands in movies, tv shows, music and gaming. Sony are pretty much the largest in the world for music and gaming, and their movie and tv divisions aren't doing too bad. I'd be very curious to see what an all encompassing service would be like.

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It'd probably be the PS Store with just movie and music sections

 

[dom]

Seeing as how PSN's browser accounted for 3% of the world's web search, I fully expect PSN to expand its web searching capabilities for PS5.

PSN and PStore are going to fundamentally change Playstation's ecosystem next gen.

> A master account to play all of Playstation's library (PS1, PS2, PS3, PS4)
> A new search Engine and with maybe it's own web page to rival Google, Yahoo and Bing
> Beefed up social networking
> Live from Playstation separating from Twitch, becoming its 'own thing' to rival YouTube and Twitch and therefore Sony keeps 90 million active users using Playstation "channels" to stream and keep their content there with monetization being the incentive for big Streamers.

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I call BS on that 3%

 

[IIFloodyII]

It'd probably be the PS Store with just movie and music sections

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It's already like that. Though the music selection is now Spotify.

 

[Stixitnu]

It's already like that. Though the music selection is now Spotify.

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Boom. We're in the future.

 

[IIFloodyII]

Boom. We're in the future.

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Fuck you called it too!

 

[Deleted member 1003]

yah...at first glance, it seems like a demotion (from head of SIE to just head of SIE Network) but digging it deeper, it almost seems like an interim where he will gradually transition from head of SIE Network to Head of Global Sony Network....so i say he's actually moving 'upwards' in a sense.

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I was thinking something similar. I thought it was a demotion but being the President might have restricted his ability in DX area. Moving to Deputy relieves him of some of that burden. Jim Ryan has had success in the EU so his moving to President makes sense for the brand, despite the quotes and erratic zooming he had no control over.

Or I could be totally clueless.

 

[Pyro]

Sounds good to me.. as long as the digital transformation doesn't include everything I despise about Xbox Live, like adverts in my face etc. All in a bid to maximize revenue to that often highlighted 90million plus users. Or their tv and whatever nonsense I want no part of.

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That's what I'm thinking. Perhaps PS Plus giving you not just games/online play, but also movies and TV shows like Amazon Prime, or just a sub to PS Vue. And doesn't Sony have their own music service?

 

[AnotherDayAnotherDollar]

Seeing as how PSN's browser accounted for 3% of the world's web search

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Source?

 

[vivftp]

And doesn't Sony have their own music service?

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They used to have their own music streaming service but they closed it down some time ago in favor of partnering with Spotify.

 

[TheGift]

Sounds good to me.. as long as the digital transformation doesn't include everything I despise about Xbox Live, like adverts in my face etc. All in a bid to maximize revenue to that often highlighted 90million plus users. Or their tv and whatever nonsense I want no part of.

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I see way bigger ads on my PS4 compared to my xb1. Xbox usually has one in a corner while Sony has fullpage ones.

 

[DavidTheKing]

I call BS on that 3%

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Porn?

 

[xillyriax]

Source?

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It's incorrect. It is PSN downloads accounting for 3% of global traffic
https://www.statista.com/chart/15692/distribution-of-global-downstream-traffic/

 

[____]

I call BS on that 3%

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Source?

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https://www.resetera.com/threads/pl...ble-for-2-7-of-global-internet-traffic.75747/

Slightly different but I'm guessing it's this.

 

[AnotherDayAnotherDollar]

It's incorrect. It is PSN downloads accounting for 3% of global traffic
https://www.statista.com/chart/15692/distribution-of-global-downstream-traffic/

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https://www.resetera.com/threads/pl...ble-for-2-7-of-global-internet-traffic.75747/

Slightly different but I'm guessing it's this.

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Thanks. That's significantly different.

I'm willing to bet PSN browser search doesn't even account for .5%. Sony is not going to get in the search engine game, it would require an enormous amount of capital to invest for a very risky proposition where they really would not be able to compete with established players in the field.

 

[Son Goku]

Sony forget all the BC and everything. You can announce that later. When you reveal PS5 just list "can change PSN name without losing anything" as the only feature. The crowd will go wild

 

[dex3108]

Sony first need to bring PSN to acceptable stage by today's standards first, then they can talk about bringing it to the next level.

 

[vivftp]

Sony first need to bring PSN to acceptable stage by today's standards first, then they can talk about bringing it to the next level.

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Just curious, what things would you consider necessary to bring them to an acceptable stage by today's standards?

 

[Stixitnu]

Fuck you called it too!

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I'll be here all week folks.

 

[neptunez]

Just curious, what things would you consider necessary to bring them to an acceptable stage by today's standards?

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On the surface the value proposition of PS+ is pretty poor compared to other entertainment services.

The customer support behind the service could also stand to be a lot better.

 

[dex3108]

Just curious, what things would you consider necessary to bring them to an acceptable stage by today's standards?

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Refund policy, no regional accounts but regional storefronts, world wide support not just limited number of countries, gifting, free cloud save support. Those are just some of the big issues I have with PSN.

 

[vivftp]

On the surface the value proposition of PS+ is pretty poor compared to other entertainment services.

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Well as it stands now for a yearly fee of $60 USD you get multiple games a month, discounts on other games you buy, access to online multiplayer and 100 gigs of cloud storage. We'll have to see next month how things will change now that PS3 and Vita games are leaving the service. So given that's what we get with Plus, how much better are other entertainment services?

 

[Pyro]

They used to have their own music streaming service but they closed it down some time ago in favor of partnering with Spotify.

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Ah, so maybe have Spotify be part of PS Plus then.

 

[vivftp]

Refund policy, no regional accounts but regional storefronts, world wide support not just limited number of countries, gifting, free cloud save support. Those are just some of the big issues I have with PSN.

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Cool, thanks.

Honestly though, I would kinda struggle to put these things on a list of "big" issues. They are issues, but if those are the "big" ones then I think that indicates they're actually doing a pretty good job.

I do wonder though now that they've increased the cloud storage for Plus users if they'll give a few gigs to non-Plus subscribers.

 

[neptunez]

Well as it stands now for a yearly fee of $60 USD you get multiple games a month, discounts on other games you buy, access to online multiplayer and 100 gigs of cloud storage. We'll have to see next month how things will change now that PS3 and Vita games are leaving the service. So given that's what we get with Plus, how much better are other entertainment services?

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Netflix? Spotify? Apple Music?

Instant access to thousands of different movies and albums? With a commitment to bolster to their respective digital libraries with original content? The ability to use their services across a myriad of devices?

Their consumers have a good idea of where their money is going when subscribing to these services because they continue to see the reinvestment.

 

[dex3108]

Cool, thanks.

Honestly though, I would kinda struggle to put these things on a list of "big" issues. They are issues, but if those are the "big" ones then I think that indicates they're actually doing a pretty good job.

I do wonder though now that they've increased the cloud storage for Plus users if they'll give a few gigs to non-Plus subscribers.

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For me those are big issues. My country is not officially supported so I have to use PSN cards and US account. No refunds is huge issue and if we look at other digital distribution platforms Nintendo and Sony are the only ones who charge for cloud saves. And I won't even start talking about paid MP.

Keep in mind that even though I own X1S, PS4 and PC i am primarily PC gamer so things look really bad from my perspective because all of things I mentioned and more you get for free on PC from almost every digital distribution platform.

 

[vivftp]

Netflix? Spotify? Apple Music?

Instant access to thousands of different movies and albums? With a commitment to bolster to their respective digital libraries with original content? Reinvestment back into the service?

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Well that's what PlayStation Now is. $99/year is easily comparable to those services for prices. They've got over 800 games currently on the service with more being added every month. The service will only expand to more countries and improve its library as we move into next gen.

For me those are big issues. My country is not officially supported so I have to use PSN cards and US account. No refunds is huge issue and if we look at other digital distribution platforms Nintendo and Sony are the only ones who charge for cloud saves. And I won't even start talking about paid MP.

Keep in mind that even though I own X1S, PS4 and PC i am primarily PC gamer so things look really bad from my perspective because all of things I mentioned and more you get for free on PC from almost every digital distribution platform.

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I understand, but your earlier post said they need to bring "PSN to acceptable stage by today's standards first". Paid online is what's acceptable by today's standards on consoles. As for refunds, I'm sure there's room for improvement but we hear about people getting refunds all the time so it's not an absolute that they don't currently do refunds. We'll have to see if they toss non-Plus owners a couple or a few gigs of cloud storage now that they've bumped up the amount for Plus users.

Still, it's readily apparent that they're investing in improving PSN and adding new and better features. Some things take time and some things they're no doubt waiting for next gen to announce. Hopefully they'll continue to expand services in other countries like yours, but if we take a current global look at things I don't think there's any question that between Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony that Sony has the most representation in various countries currently. I'm sure they'll continue to grow as time goes on.

 

[neptunez]

but you know PSNow =/= PS+

What have they've given back to PS+ subscribers over the years that makes users truly satisfied with the services offered? Cross-Play? Name changes? After how many years.

How about this, if PS+ wasn't required for online multiplayer would it have the same adoption rate?

 

[vivftp]

but you know PSNow =/= PS+

What have they've given back to PS+ subscribers over the years that makes feel satisfied with the services offered? Cross-Play? Name changes? After how many years.

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Of course I know PS Now and PS Plus aren't the same. But it seems a bit disingenuous to compare Plus to media streaming services instead of Now, which is a direct equivalent.

Anyways, so you feel the "free" games and discounts on purchases, access to multiplayer and cloud storage aren't worth it for the price of Plus? Do you feel the same about similar offerings from Microsoft and Nintendo?


As for your other points, what have they given back to Plus subscribers? Most recently an increase in cloud storage from 10 gigs to 100 gigs. Crossplay? Sure. Just a quick search on Wiki shows about 38 titles that support crossplay between PS4 and Steam, and a few with the Switch:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_video_games_that_support_cross-platform_play

And now they're working to allow greater crossplay with Xbox and Nintendo. I don't want to shit up this thread with the whole crossplay discussion as there are other threads for that, but the fact is yes they are working to provide that. Name changes? Yup, they are providing that too. It's taken many years due to the poor decisions that were made long ago in PSN's infrastructure. It's not an easy fix it seems but it is something they are doing nonetheless.

So yeah, I'm not sure what the problem is?

 

[IIFloodyII]

but you know PSNow =/= PS+

What have they've given back to PS+ subscribers over the years that makes users truly satisfied with the services offered? Cross-Play? Name changes? After how many years.

How about this, if PS+ wasn't required for online multiplayer would it have the same adoption rate?

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The PS+ bonus sales have been mostly amazing, got a bit poor in the last year though, as the free game selection got better, but that could just be because I've bought pretty much everything I want. The PS+ Discounts have saved me thousands this gen though.

 

[ToadPacShakur]

That Destiny thing was when you opt to see featured content to get downloaded to your console (I forgot the actual name of that option in the setting tab), which Ive never had happen to me because I've never selected that option. The advertising of McDonald's etc on a paid online service is gross to say the least on Xbox Live.

The only comparison to that so far on Sony's side is how the Singstar app is in your face on the PS3 dashboard.. not a fan of that.. and really hoping Yoshida doesnt trash PSN in a bid to expose anything and everything our way in a bid to make a quick bucks with exposure.

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..... You don't have an Xbox One, do you? Lol I can't ever recall an ad for something that wasn't just "hey here's the sales for the week" (which is fine) and another slot that's for either 1: a game that's coming out or 2: a television event that can be streamed through an app that's available on Xbox. Take the NBA All Star Game and the fact it can be streamed via Hulu. It all pertains to things you can do on that console. I'll admit I don't turn on my Xbox everyday (have all the consoles and a PC..with school and a job I dont have AS much time to game as I used to) so I could be missing an ad run or two of something that proves you right, idk.

When I walk over to my PS4 and scroll through the main home screen, the Now, Video, and TV sections all display ads below them.

It's totally cool, neither situation bothers me, and obviously both companies find it financially beneficial to do them.

 

[Cthulhu_Steev]

Refund policy, no regional accounts but regional storefronts, world wide support not just limited number of countries, gifting, free cloud save support. Those are just some of the big issues I have with PSN.

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I agree with all this. It would've been nice if they'd got this all up and running on PS4, but Sony tends to make these big changes during generation changes. It's a bit frustrating, and makes Sony look lead footed at times, but that's how they roll.

I expect all these, with some surprises we never saw coming (like Share Play and streaming with PS4)

I just hope they give us a TV and video section I can sort to my needs instead of the mess of icons I don't need and ads like it is now

 

[nekkid]

This sounds in line with what we heard about their media distribution ambitions.

 

[dex3108]

I understand, but your earlier post said they need to bring "PSN to acceptable stage by today's standards first". Paid online is what's acceptable by today's standards on consoles. As for refunds, I'm sure there's room for improvement but we hear about people getting refunds all the time so it's not an absolute that they don't currently do refunds. We'll have to see if they toss non-Plus owners a couple or a few gigs of cloud storage now that they've bumped up the amount for Plus users.

Still, it's readily apparent that they're investing in improving PSN and adding new and better features. Some things take time and some things they're no doubt waiting for next gen to announce. Hopefully they'll continue to expand services in other countries like yours, but if we take a current global look at things I don't think there's any question that between Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony that Sony has the most representation in various countries currently. I'm sure they'll continue to grow as time goes on.

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For how much money they get their service is not acceptable. As I said you get everything I mentioned and much more on PC for free.

 

[Deleted member 20297]

Just curious, what things would you consider necessary to bring them to an acceptable stage by today's standards?

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I would say that shutting down online services for games in 2019 is ridiculous. The tech is there to start containers on demand (and is there since years!) and not deploy them on a server per game. It makes their infrastructure look like at least 10 years old. There is no need to shutdown anything nowadays in terms of online gaming, at least not from a technical point of view.