Sony's Reeves and Hirai become executive VPs [update 1]

by Ross Miller { Jul 6th 2006 at 4:55PM }

After 11 years each working for Sony, SCEE president David Reeves and SCEA president Kaz Hirai are moving up the corporate food chain. Both Hirai and Reeves have been now promoted to executive vice presidents of Sony Computer Entertainment's corporate executive group -- try putting that on a business card.

Let's highlight some of the duo's choice quotes from the past few months:

So, if [games] becomes a bit higher than $59, don't ding me, but, again, I don't expect it to be $100. -- Kaz Hirai
We have built up a certain brand equity over time since the launch of PlayStation in 1995 and PS2 in 2000 that the first five million are going to buy it, whatever it is, even it didn't have games. -- David Reeves
Riiidge Racer! -- Kaz Hirai

Okay, so the last one is a bit of a cheap shot, but are overconfident voices what Sony needs to hear right now? These people will be making important decisions regarding the future of Sony, but are they too brazen? Only time will tell how smart a decision Sony has just made. Right now, it seems just a bit Krazy. Super Krazy.

[via PS3 Fanboy]

[update 1: Notice Krazy just got Super Krazy -- that's because we were sent a rather hilarious and extremely well-sketched webcomic about Kaz and Ken and we had to share it immediately. Thanks for the laugh, James!]

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

LaughingTarget @ Jul 6th 2006 5:09PM

These guys will have to watch their words in the future. Sony's overall brand equity isn't very strong outside the Playstation market and that attitude would not be shirked off like the Playstation owners do.

Sony music is reeling and their electronics division isn't a quality house and is being beaten down by Korean and Chinese manufacturers. Sony really needs to work on damage control in those two segments, something Hirai and Reeves aren't apparently good at.

Dave @ Jul 6th 2006 5:16PM

It must be opposite day at SCE.

crono141 @ Jul 6th 2006 5:27PM

OMFG ANTI_SONY!!!!111!!1!!!!!11

Spaz @ Jul 6th 2006 5:30PM

Joystiq is way behind its quota of Sony-bashing articles for the day.

Keep 'em coming Joystiq!!!

pandlcg @ Jul 6th 2006 5:53PM

does anyone else notice that it isnt just joystiq bashing sony but a majority of the internet? Get a life

vaylen @ Jul 6th 2006 6:03PM

Nintendo pumping article... check!
Sony bashing article......

.... check

Good job, boys!

skyrous @ Jul 6th 2006 6:07PM

Sony thinks I'm stupid enough to pay $700 for a GAME SYSTEM! Of course they deserve to be bashed.

Ross Miller @ Jul 6th 2006 6:14PM

Heyy, we haven't put a Nintendo pumping article up today, you retract that check mark.

(Damn, I knew I forgot something. How am I ever going to piss off the daily quota of fanboys if I don't remember to pump Nintendo?)

Ianc02 @ Jul 6th 2006 6:21PM

True #7 skyrous, Joystiq have no need to bash Sony for us. Their (sony) words and attitude towards the majority of their prospective customer base for the PS3 have done a damn fine job of alienating us (everyone).

Soooo you dont need brains or common sense to get a high paid, extremely important job at Sony then. Counts me out.

Bored @ Jul 6th 2006 6:29PM

Ross it is because you haven't ripped something from Kotaku yet that pumps your wii up.

Chris @ Jul 6th 2006 7:00PM

Just out of curiousity...is it 'bashing' if they happen to be *right*? All three companies have made some *dumb* decisions lately--and Sony's duo up there have been the most vocal and public with them.

Fan @ Jul 6th 2006 7:24PM

ROFL @ the comic

Anyway people need to calm down. Who gives a shit what executives say? As long as they deliver on powefull hardware and homebrew im sold.

Exclusives are a bitch. Im glad to see that there are less exclusives out there for now. And I hope that the evening out of the hardware market can lead to even fewer exclusives. The sad thing though is that non exclusives are usually made for the lowest common denominator.

Spaz @ Jul 6th 2006 7:24PM

I'd like to see an article bashing Sony's unoriginal game pricing strategy with their idea to charge more than $59.99 a game.

It clearly is a ripoff of Nintendo's $80USD a game strategy from the SNES era.

Oh wait we love Nintendo now, lets forget about all their anti-consumer tactics that Sony helped bail us out of a mere 10 years ago :X

Either way, gotta love competition.

Vince @ Jul 6th 2006 7:25PM

I have respect for other fanboys as I'm a bit of a fanboy myself, but James Avery is clearly going through an angry phase of fanboyism judging by his comments at the bottom of that cartoon.
You only get that sort of venom from the underdogs, funny but disturbing.

Oh and congrats to Kaz and David, enjoy your fat pay rises.

Garriq @ Jul 6th 2006 8:47PM

Giant friendly promotion. You attack the bank, for massive damage.

troc 59 @ Jul 6th 2006 9:24PM

Cheeky bastards....now I'm getting TWO Wiis!

vakerorokero @ Jul 6th 2006 9:29PM

"Who gives a shit what executives say? As long as they deliver on powefull hardware and homebrew im sold."

it really depends on what they say, yamauchi brought nintendo to its knees due to some very bad decisions and nasty comments. I'm sure they are getting nicer jobs for the commitment to the Ps3,

"It clearly is a ripoff of Nintendo's $80USD a game strategy from the SNES era."

yeah, Nintendo charged $17 for a propietary format trying to make a big extra income which eventually made it fail with third parties. Sony is charging $20 for each BD, another propietary format, thus third parties are passing the expense to consumers. instead of keeping the $0.30 DVD price like Microsoft and Nintendo

JJ @ Jul 6th 2006 10:49PM

hmm if sony is charging 20 bucks PER BD... thats REALLY expensive i somehow dont believe that...

But then one has to wonder why MS is charging 10 bucks more for the same format? How come we never talk about that here? Especially early on in 360's life they were charging 10 bucks more for games that had LESS content than on ps2 and even xbox.
I'm gonna laugh though if PS3 games end up being around the same price as 360 games. I dont quite think it'll happen but if it does, that'd be funny now wouldnt it?

MetaHuman @ Jul 6th 2006 11:05PM

But none for Phil Harrison. D:

Insomnia Bob @ Jul 6th 2006 11:12PM

PS3 Fanboys: To be fair, now, Sony is getting bashed cause, well, they're the ones doing the crazy crap at the moment. It wasn't too long ago Joystiq was posting articles to the effect of "Is the name "Wii" going to sink nintendo's new console?"

And Sony IS doing some pretty screwy stuff. Don't believe me? Well, why don't we ask Lex Luthor what he thinks...
http://lexluthor.ytmnd.com/

skyrous @ Jul 6th 2006 11:14PM

It's pretty silly to defend Sony's bad business practices by saying "nintendo did the same thing 15 years ago!"

Yea nintendo did and it cost them their leadership in the industry and they don't do it anymore... isn't that a clue?

Nintendo's made a course correction and are on the right path. Sony's sailing towards niagra falls and now matter how loud you scream they're oblivious to whats going on around them. Just as nintendo believed they were the unbeatable kings of video games so sony seems to think nobody can touch them.

"Pride goeth before a fall" will be the post mortem on the PS3