Nintendo and Sony both have long successful histories when it comes to the gaming industry and quite frankly, they’re the only two companies that produce consoles that can make such claims. It also makes you wonder why companies like SEGA and Microsoft are quite capable of competing with the top brands, but also as to why these two companies couldn’t/can’t put it all together to truly be successful outside of financial goals.
David Jaffe, creator of Twisted Metal and God of War, has always looked at the corporate bullshit spun by Nintendo as just PR babble and nothing more. I’m of course discussing the Nintendo belief that they have no competition but themselves and I’ve come to realize that Sony is in the exact same boat as Nintendo. Despite trying to compete with Microsoft, the reason Sony has been so successful is because they’re willing to take the risks and further themselves through in-house competition rather than trying to just straight compete. This has never been more evident with titles like Heavy Rain and LittleBigPlanet.
While Microsoft has been wildly successful this generation in comparison to last, the company still refuses to create in-house projects or studios to truly push the brand and in doing so has crippled itself to an extent. With the news releasing today about Mass Effect, it really brings to light the dim future the Xbox 360 has, much like SEGA’s in the past.
Speaking with VentureBeat, David Jaffe realized exactly why Nintendo has been so successful and honestly, it’s exactly why Sony has been as well.
“I thought about Nintendo would say about how they had no direct competition for what they were trying to do. I always thought that was such bullsh*t. That is corporate spin bullsh*t. But the more I do this job, the more I understand what they are saying,” he acknowledged. “I can’t worry what others are doing. You have to compete against yourself. Otherwise, you are chasing a phantom. Even if you catch it, then your only goal is making money. If that’s your only goal, then you won’t succeed. Most things that do well have some internal inspiration behind them. In terms of pure car combat, we are the only game on the block right now. We still feel there is a lot of life in this genre and it is wide open for us.”
Do you guys agree with what Jaffe is saying? If not, why?
