Tell the boss who's boss! - SCEE CEO taking questions on PSN forum

[Dan_]

I don't care about what and how much questions our fellow GTP members have posted, what is really of my concern, is wheter he will or nor reply to some question regarding GT. As a high executive, probably he will ask some polite and soft question (Maybe about Modnation Racers...), CEOs never take on any controversy with small players, and that's what fans are under the eyes of Sony, unfortunately. That's a fact.

 

[Ardius]

Yes, moral. Such a underrated value these days.

Anyway, I still think you're missing the point of this thread. We all want to know more about GT5 but we are not trying to make them talk about the game and it's features here. It's their choice to reveal more or not.

What we are asking for is clarification regarding the release date mess. Don't you think we are entitled to that?

No, I don't. You are entitled to nothing, they owe you nothing and that was my point.
A games company has no moral obligations, if you don't like what it does, then don't buy games from it. They don't provide a service - they provide an entertainment.

 

[Griffith500]

Yes, moral. Such a underrated value these days.

Anyway, I still think you're missing the point of this thread. We all want to know more about GT5 but we are not trying to make them talk about the game and it's features here. It's their choice to reveal more or not.

What we are asking for is clarification regarding the release date mess. Don't you think we are entitled to that?

No, I don't. You are entitled to nothing, they owe you nothing and that was my point.
A games company has no moral obligations, if you don't like what it does, then don't buy games from it. They don't provide a service - they provide an entertainment.

It's interesting, since I agree with the both of you.

Whilst I would say that games developers have no moral obligation to not torture their fans with a lack of progressive info, I do think that they DO have moral obligations, in-line with being a "good citizen" - whatever that means.

As for the "evil" of business, thankfully it's not perpetuated by the totality of undertakings (in their various natures), but it is a general occurrence.
Unfortunately, whatever route we take politically, socially, economically etc. there are always going to be ***** in the world, and it's the ***** that really really want all the power. So it's the ***** who are more likely to get it; primarily because they're *****, and they'll do almost anything to get that power.

Best we can do is to make a noise when they're being utter *****, and just try to get on with being "good citizens" ourselves... 👍


As for the thread-bombing raid, I found it at once incredibly childish and utterly brilliant!

 

[Terronium-12]

This thread is nearing full of fail.

It's kind of ridiculous how many people are coming out of the woodwork claiming that asking questions, or rather bombarding a single person with the same questions (with a few exceptions) over and over again is childish, immoral, or whatever else comes to one mind...yet those same people are doing quite the same thing here.

Is pretending to be the "good person" going to stop everyone else from attempting to get a particular point across?

No, I don't. You are entitled to nothing, they owe you nothing and that was my point.
A games company has no moral obligations, if you don't like what it does, then don't buy games from it. They don't provide a service - they provide an entertainment.

Um, no.

A service is a good, or the equivalent thereof if you want to be technical. Entertainment in almost all forms is a good, a service, seeing as it's a tangible product...especially in the sense of a video game and the console which supports it.

 

[analog]

The great irony of this, and playing the devil's advocate now, it will only confirm if it even makes a real impact in the first place that their still is a huge market waiting for GT5 and that they can release it at any given time and not worry much about promotion or feeding us with teasing bits of info.

If there wasn't anyone talking about the whole GT5 release date saga ( apart from a dedicated forum like this ofcourse ) they might actually start worrying whether their investment was safe and they would probably get the hype going themselves by providing more info.

Moral or not ( can't even really take that concept serious in this context ), they just want our money ( that's the point of any business ) and keep getting our money in the future by not "offending" or disregard us too much for us to switch camps.

Sure it will feel great for those who participated to finally take a stand and release some of their frustration in a polite and good-humoured manner but i'm afraid it might actually be counterproductive or confirm the current status quo they ( Sony CEO's ) seem perfectly happy with pursuing until they actually release the d*mn game.

 

[JimInPT]

If anyone can guess correctly which car i'm using as avatar i will be forced to change it

Well, start looking for a new one. It's a Tatra T-87.

No, I'm not an expert car geek; a simple search on "aerodynamic car center fin" brought it up on Page 2 of the images - from there it was easy.

Sorry, but you posted the challenge ......

 

[analog]

Well, start looking for a new one. It's a Tatra T-87.

No, I'm not an expert car geek; a simple search on "aerodynamic car center fin" brought it up on Page 2 of the images - from there it was simple.

Sorry, but you posted the challenge ......

👍 Well done, i will have to change it now, thought it might actually take a while and at least someone aware of the Tatra brand to guess it but you actually made an effort, so congratulations.

Try guessing this one........

 

[Sureboss]

Can get heard doesn't mean you'll get your answer, in fact, I can pretty much guarantee it won't. The CEO of SCEE won't be a pushover, he'll have subjects he's allowed to talk about and others he won't, you won't change that.

 

[CodeRedR51]

^^^ He may not be able to talk about it, but at least we've made a clear statement.

 

[Ardius]

Um, no.

A service is a good, or the equivalent thereof if you want to be technical. Entertainment in almost all forms is a good, a service, seeing as it's a tangible product...especially in the sense of a video game and the console which supports it.

Ok, whatever, Business Studies GCSE was over 5 years ago now .
My point was that as a company producing a product for you to buy, they have no "Moral obligation" they merely need to make the customer happy enough to buy said product.
And seeing as people are going to buy GT5 regardless how much they complain about lack of information or whatever, they don't feel obliged to go out of their way making everyone happy.

 

[Sureboss]

^^^ He may not be able to talk about it, but at least we've made a clear statement.

Indeed, but it won't change anything, if anything it will slow down production times. Besides the dedicated gamer is a tiny fraction of their market, the vast majority will be casual gamers who don't actually care when it's released, they just care how use-able and playable the game is which will ultimately be reflected in sales. Of course you get deep down and the dedicated gamer doesn't actually care about the release date over the quality of the product, they just have easier channels to complain through. Quality is what identifies the GT brand for it's success, and that is what you will get in GT5. I honestly don't see why gamers care so much about release dates, it's like people want their gaming in the same way they want their food, fast. Would anyone seriously want a GT5 that needs patching a few times and isn't actually any good until about 3-6 months post-release?

I'll stop before I go into another gamers rant

 

[Terronium-12]

Ok, whatever, Business Studies GCSE was over 5 years ago now .
My point was that as a company producing a product for you to buy, they have no "Moral obligation" they merely need to make the customer happy enough to buy said product.
And seeing as people are going to buy GT5 regardless how much they complain about lack of information or whatever, they don't feel obliged to go out of their way making everyone happy.

Well that I can't really argue with, so, I won't.

It would be nice to know something instead of being left in the dark though, and I'm in a position where even if GT5 was released in 2011 I couldn't or rather wouldn't sell my PS3 because I'm too attached to Burnout Paradise and Bayonetta.

 

[Skidmark]

Any idea when the guy is actually answering these questions?

 

[fasj6418]

Ok, whatever, Business Studies GCSE was over 5 years ago now .
My point was that as a company producing a product for you to buy, they have no "Moral obligation" they merely need to make the customer happy enough to buy said product.
And seeing as people are going to buy GT5 regardless how much they complain about lack of information or whatever, they don't feel obliged to go out of their way making everyone happy.

I think you still didn't understood what we wanted. Nobody here is a five year old to expect a private company to have "obligations" with the society, but the thing is, companies DO want to treat their custumers right, it's good for their business.

What Sony and/or PD are doing is so against marketing rules that have made us believe that they just don't get what we want. We are used to "normal" marketing approaches from other companies, that's why we are so dumbfounded when looking at the situation with GT5. This is not how you communicate with your custumers.

The first line of defense can argument, explain and list a number of reasons why we can't expect anything from Sony because they don't have to do anything, but that does not change the fact that a huge part of the fanbase is mad. That's a clear fact.

Doing nothing to help your business is dumb, i think we can all agree with that.

Basically the message is: "look Sony, we don't like how you treat us and how you handle GT5 at all, can you do something about it?"

I'm glad some of you don't own any business, because thinking that "if you don't like us, don't buy our products and go buy Forza your annoying little ***" is not something a smart company would say.

We expect something different.

We want the company to react like this:

Problem > problem acknowledge > thinking > change of attitude.

Speaking up is very important, i can't see how people can think that being passive is better.

 

[tyl0r_r]

Indeed, but it won't change anything, if anything it will slow down production times.

Uhmmmmm.. how?

 

[NissanSkylineN1]

everyone ask whether the mystery demo will ever be made public

There is no mimaximax secret demo. those footages are from a electronic show as said in his vid description.

 

[eSZee]

Uhmmmmm.. how?

In this case, I don't see how it can but look at all the damage pissing and moaning that went on. It worked,

 

[cicohipe]

I don't quite understand why some here think that flooding the SCEE forum is childish or "lacks maturity". It is, in essence, a method of protest.

The AARP (that's "American Association of Retired Persons" for those of you not in the U.S.) has a huge amount of influence in American government. Why? Mostly because the AARP can rally its members to write their senators (flooding their offices with email and letters) when an issue is important to them. Would those seniors be considered immature for doing so?

Basically, if they had been waiting 5+ years for GT5, they would have all done the same thing that GT fans have done in that forum.

If anything, I would think such an overwhelming outcry lends GTPlanet even more credibility (as if it needed it), but I'm not sure GTPlanet can be seen as the sole cause for this happening. My guess would be that most of the PS3 users on that forum aren't GTPlanet users. What I see in that forum is post after post asking "When will we have a release date for GT5?", not "Hi, I'm a member at GTPlanet.net - When will we have a release date for GT5?".

I know it is a form of protest, but the part you and many others are missing is that GT5 is not a right that PD or Sony owe to us. You have no right to demand GT5 have been released in 2009, 2008 or anytime. That is the difference.

 

[TorqueHappenS08]

 

[SrRd RacinG]

Its day are few is this storm continues.

Hopefully this Mr. House can answer the question before...you know.

 

[TorqueHappenS08]

I for see purple font in the future....


And BMW M5 @ SrRd RacinG

 

[TokyoDrift]

I know it is a form of protest, but the part you and many others are missing is that GT5 is not a right that PD or Sony owe to us. You have no right to demand GT5 have been released in 2009, 2008 or anytime. That is the difference.

No, but we have a right to ask a question when invited, so what's the problem?

 

[[UK] ANDYW]

Speaking up is very important, i can't see how people can think that being passive is better.

Totally agree.

They do owe it to us to communicate, because as a conglomerate of buyers, we're paying millions.

If you was going to buy a ferrari and had it on order, would you expect to know when it it's going to be delivered?

I realise GT5 is 'in development' and that process can be unpredictable, but communicating with the people who pay the bills is only common courtesy.

 

[Ren]

Brilliant !!!

 

[cicohipe]

No, but we have a right to ask a question when invited, so what's the problem?

Of course we do, just like everyone else. But if we flood the post with "GT5 NOAWWW!!!!" and crap like that than other peoples questions, that to them are equally important can be missed. If you read my first post you would have already seen me say that.

 

[TokyoDrift]

Of course we do, just like everyone else. But if we flood the post with "GT5 NOAWWW!!!!" and crap like that than other peoples questions, that to them are equally important can be missed. If you read my first post you would have already seen me say that.

I've read yours and other peoples posts, still doesn't change my opinion on the approach. As I've stated, the posts where people simply say, "Tell us when GT5 will launch" and use massive bold, coloured fonts, yeah, they are kinda' pointless and childish and bring down the whole tone. However, I see nothing wrong with flooding the forums with similar, well presented questions.

Nobody elses question will get ignored or lost just because of the number of GT5 related ones.

 

[Famine]

we should just wreck the psn community forum

No, we should not.

by just posting a very standard
WHEN WILL GT5 BE RELEASED?
in every thread on every catagory. This may sound difficult but if we all post it twice a day on different threads the forum will be covered in it and they may just finally get the point.

Or you'll get banned.

 

[Ardius]

I think you still didn't understood what we wanted. Nobody here is a five year old to expect a private company to have "obligations" with the society, but the thing is, companies DO want to treat their custumers right, it's good for their business.

What Sony and/or PD are doing is so against marketing rules that have made us believe that they just don't get what we want. We are used to "normal" marketing approaches from other companies, that's why we are so dumbfounded when looking at the situation with GT5. This is not how you communicate with your custumers.

The first line of defense can argument, explain and list a number of reasons why we can't expect anything from Sony because they don't have to do anything, but that does not change the fact that a huge part of the fanbase is mad. That's a clear fact.

Doing nothing to help your business is dumb, i think we can all agree with that.

Basically the message is: "look Sony, we don't like how you treat us and how you handle GT5 at all, can you do something about it?"

I'm glad some of you don't own any business, because thinking that "if you don't like us, don't buy our products and go buy Forza your annoying little ***" is not something a smart company would say.

We expect something different.

We want the company to react like this:

Problem > problem acknowledge > thinking > change of attitude.

Speaking up is very important, i can't see how people can think that being passive is better.

So in other words, I don't understand yet you agree with what I said? You basically just stated the same thing as me (Businesses only have an obligation as far as gaining/keeping customers).
My problem with some people around here is they do think that they have some kind of entitlement to GT5 and to quote "moral obligations". Of course Sony will want to please their customers....but giving release date information to a bunch of fans who make up a minority in the market is not necessary for this goal.
Fans will buy the game regardless, ironically, Sony/PD have to do the least marketing for these people.

My original argument was that some fans around here are taking this all a bit too seriously if its leading to pestering a Sony CEO and using words like "frustration" and "anger" to term their emotional feelings about GT5 . At some point you have to step back and tell yourself "its a game", is it really worth all this effort? If this guy (or anyone else) gave an answer, would it make such fans happier? I don't think so.
But anyway, I'm really referring to what is essentially a minority. Of course there is nothing wrong with simply asking the guy, its just I get the impression that some people around here take things too far.

 

[Blitz187]

I think you still didn't understood what we wanted. Nobody here is a five year old to expect a private company to have "obligations" with the society, but the thing is, companies DO want to treat their custumers right, it's good for their business.

What Sony and/or PD are doing is so against marketing rules that have made us believe that they just don't get what we want. We are used to "normal" marketing approaches from other companies, that's why we are so dumbfounded when looking at the situation with GT5. This is not how you communicate with your custumers.

The first line of defense can argument, explain and list a number of reasons why we can't expect anything from Sony because they don't have to do anything, but that does not change the fact that a huge part of the fanbase is mad. That's a clear fact.

Doing nothing to help your business is dumb, i think we can all agree with that.

Basically the message is: "look Sony, we don't like how you treat us and how you handle GT5 at all, can you do something about it?"

I'm glad some of you don't own any business, because thinking that "if you don't like us, don't buy our products and go buy Forza your annoying little ***" is not something a smart company would say.

We expect something different.

We want the company to react like this:

Problem > problem acknowledge > thinking > change of attitude.

Speaking up is very important, i can't see how people can think that being passive is better.

Hey fasj,

I was reading through the last few posts to see where the discussion was and I found your post interesting. May I ask if you have any business experience? As in, have you worked for big companies in any way or something like that? I ask this because I think you may have a bit of a biased view of what the focus of big companies, like Sony, usually is. In my experience working for the IT company I work at now, the main focus of our company is a stable product (software platform) and of course turnover turnover and MORE turnover.

Customer happiness can be found somewhere towards the bottom of the list of priorities. It is also not just our company, but our competitors have the same focus. Some companies do tend to focus a bit on customer happiness, but only to help the, there's the word again , turnover. I even think that keeping a customer is more important than if they are happy about our communication towards them. Next to this it is also evident that we would rather have the customer be happy with the product than to necessarily be happy about what we communicate to the outside world.

I'm not saying your wrong in any way, but what you describe would only happen in a perfect world and we dont live in one I would also appreciate a bit more info on GT5, but given the insight I have as to how companies like Sony work in reality, Im not to bothered about it anymore.

 

[Captain Roh]

ANDY... just a request, forget if you cant be bothered, but if there are any GT5 related questions answered in that thread, could you update first post please? Thankyou 👍