Atari founder says PlayStation an accident
by Justin Murray 
{ Nov 8th 2006 at 3:55PM }
Nolan Bushnell , founder of Atari and Chuck E. Cheese, looks to be a new member of the Microsoft Defense Force. In an interview with Red Herring, Bushnell took the time to trash the entire PlayStation brand, not just the PlayStation 3. While we can expect the SDF to come out swinging, Bushnell's comments leave even those of us sitting on the fence with raised eyebrows.Bushnell is absolutely convinced the PS3 will fail ... and not just fail to reach the vaunted nine-digit milestone for the third time, but outright flop. Bushnell told Red Herring that "It would not surprise me if a year from now they'll be struggling to sell 1 million units ... I think in the the number of early adopters you have is actually around 300,000." Furthermore, he goes on to say the PlayStation and PlayStation 2 were merely accidents, reaping rewards not by being the best, but by being in the right place at the right time.
The PlayStation did not succeed because Sony had a Field of Dreams moment; it was supported because developers loved how it was easier to develop than the cumbersome Saturn and consumers bought it because the software was far cheaper than the N64. My PlayStation didn't just fall off the shelf and into my shopping cart, I bought it for a reason. While it would take a fanatic to believe the PS3 will sell over 100 million units, thinking the PS3 will only sell one million units by this time next year -- and fail to sell out of the launch units -- is crazy.
[Via GameDaily]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
NATO_Duke @ Nov 9th 2006 11:59AM
Ouch. Someone was grumpy!
David @ Nov 8th 2006 4:01PM
My mommy said I was an accident too.
Tim @ Nov 8th 2006 4:01PM
That's funny hearing that from Atari. Because we all know, they are the master a succeeding in the current video game industry.
kevinski @ Nov 8th 2006 4:07PM
I'm no PlayStation 3 fan, but you'd have to be crazy to not think that it's going to sell out on launch day. I expect them to be a hot item initially, but I honestly don't think that it'll sell all that well afterwards. A lot of people are really turned-off by the fact that it costs $500-600 (and the $500 model will only be available in very limited supplies).
The Intangible Fact @ Nov 8th 2006 4:05PM
He is right!
AJ Blitz @ Nov 8th 2006 4:05PM
Hey Nolan, how's that uWink coming along?? Comments coming from a man who knows what failure is firsthand. Maybe Mr. Bushnell was in the right place at the right time with both Atari and Chuck E. Cheese.
Zoot Suit Jedi @ Nov 8th 2006 4:06PM
And this guy knows about console failure. Remember the Jaguar? Maybe the PS3tards should take this comment to heart.
The Intangible Fact @ Nov 8th 2006 4:07PM
Here comes the fanboys to defened there POS company with irrational arguements and comments.
AJ @ Nov 9th 2006 10:22AM
Not to mention that the PS1 and PS2 have such a vast library of titles. Damn Sony for forcing developers to make games for its system.
> @ Nov 8th 2006 4:07PM
LOL .. hes just bitter because his company is in the dumps.
And, yea, 210,000,000+ PS1/PS2 consoles were a total fluke.
Intentless @ Nov 8th 2006 4:21PM
From all I have seen its 50 50 on the selling out of the PS3 50 actually want it and 50 want the 1000-2000 profit from EBay.... Demand isn't has high as it may seem.
Miniboss @ Nov 8th 2006 4:09PM
"And this guy knows about console failure. Remember the Jaguar? Maybe the PS3tards should take this comment to heart."
Actually, he left Atari in like 1980. In fact, it was only after he left that Atari tanked.
Masaki @ Nov 8th 2006 4:11PM
Actually the n64 was the same price and at one point cheaper than the ps1.
Darrell @ Nov 8th 2006 4:14PM
To clarify his statements number 8, he's saying that the Playstation was sucessful by being at the right place at the right time.
The Saturn was a unwieldy system to develop for, and Nintendo stubbornly insisted on going with cartridges with the N64, making the Playstation all the more attractive to delevopers. What he's suggesting is that anyone could've possibly parlayed that sort of nonsense into success.
While Bushnell very well may be speaking out of his arse, it is something to think about.
Sol.. @ Nov 8th 2006 4:15PM
Wow this guy really hates himself some Sony.
Think he faught in WW2?
It's so ironic that he's filled with so much hate too. He was such a hippie way back in his atari hayday. He built this industry on drugs, pale akward nerd sex, and balls. It's a shame he can't respect all attempts to move the industry forward.
but then again, he always has been bitter since the suits came and threw him out of the industry forever. Maybe thats why he hates Sony, they are run by nothing but suits....but then again, so is Microsoft.
reguy @ Nov 8th 2006 5:08PM
JOYSTIQ BIAS!!!!!!
Draco @ Nov 8th 2006 4:28PM
@Masaki
the software for N64 was much much more expensive then PS1. thats what he's referring to.
lets just put the gun down and we go get me those fries @ Nov 8th 2006 4:17PM
im buying 3 of them now to prove this washed out motherfucker wrong. and everytime he bashes ill double that, give them away as gifts. just what i needed after the midterm elections disaster, the rumsfeld resignation (im a republican) i have to hear this fucking atari founder talk shit about a company that has sold HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF PLAYSTATIONS. THANKS FOR THE 80S CRASH YOU BASTARD, IF NOT FOR YOUR CRAPPY ASS STRATEGY WE WOULD BE ON PLAYSTATION 4 OR 5 AND XBOX XUNE60.
primetime @ Nov 8th 2006 4:16PM
I think we need to come up with something other than the Microsoft Defense Force. Sony Defense Force or SDF sounds better. For Nintendo I propose the Nintendo Peoples Army or NPA.
Robotic House Plant @ Nov 8th 2006 5:30PM
The company known as Atari today, is not the same Atari from years ago. The name was purchased by Infogrames, which then changed their name to Atari in 2003.
Atari has been split up, and sold off many times between now and then and was left for dead for quite a few years.
jimjo @ Nov 8th 2006 4:23PM
ps1 was no "accident", it was a revolution.ps2 on the other hand, how many kids got one instead of a dvd player for christmas/b-day's? i personally know three people who strictly use it as a dvd player, they dont even care about the games.same probably goes for HALF of the ps2 owners in the us.
Leto @ Nov 8th 2006 4:34PM
The only reason Black Snow didn't post this anti-Sony article is because not even he could believe this guy.
Jesse Crabbe @ Nov 8th 2006 4:22PM
You can't gauge success by selling all units at launch day. The eBay pirates will clear the shelves. It will be interesting to see how many open auctions there are at or below cost on Christmas Eve.
Jaded @ Nov 8th 2006 4:22PM
He's right in his comments that Sony's previous success was mostly due to good market positioning, and he's also right in saying that Sony doesn't have that same good market positioning this generation. What he seems to fail to factor in is the fact that since that the Playstation brand has become so powerful, they don't need to start out on the right foot to be successful. Look at the Super Nintendo, it came out late and faltered in many ways in comparison to the Mega Drive/Genesis, yet in the end it succeeded, mostly by Nintendo leveraging its brand power. Sony will do the same.
K-man @ Nov 8th 2006 4:22PM
I'm a Nintendo Fanboy but...
I don't think this guy knows what he's talking about. If he would have played his cards right we would be looking forward to the Next-gen Atari. They totally had the oppertunity to be where Playstation is now. They blew it and now he's jelous
Matt Paprocki @ Nov 8th 2006 4:23PM
"THANKS FOR THE 80S CRASH YOU BASTARD, IF NOT FOR YOUR CRAPPY ASS STRATEGY"
Maybe before ripping someone, you should do a little research. Had Bushnell stayed, they probably could have made it. It was the suits who took over that rushed hardware and games to the shelves in mass quantities. Bushnell had nothing to with the crash.
js @ Nov 8th 2006 4:25PM
"It would not surprise me if a year from now they'll be struggling to sell 1 million units ... I think in the the number of early adopters you have is actually around 300,000. I also like to talk to my socks and my favorite number is elephant. By the way have you seen my mind lately?
Todd @ Nov 8th 2006 4:28PM
Bushnell has got a good point. The PlayStation was a craptastic machine that was so simple to develop for, no wonder the marketing model was "Quantity over Quality."
Anyone jerk could develop a game in their basement and sell for the PS1 and PS2 and make a profit. Only a handful of companies made really good, really innovative games for either system which landed amongst the great games to be remembered.
The N64 was one of the most innovative next-gen systems of the time, changing the face of how we play games in a 2D format into a 3D format/world (thanks Mario).
Mr. Khan @ Nov 9th 2006 4:04PM
@ lets just put the gun down; the haters are always Republicans; that makes perfect sense
The best estimate now would be that this generation will play out like the 5th Generation; With the PS3 (11%) filling in for the role of the 3D0, Jaguar, and Saturn (it has traits similar to all three) the 360 (22%) similar to the 64, and the Wii (67%) similar to the PS1 (all similar in terms of what kind of titles come out for them and what kind of sales they bring in)
I don't know what Bushnell's gripe is either. I believe my formula is proven (The closer we get to Wii and PS3's launch, the less rational the hate becomes, seriously...)
lets just put the gun down and we go get me those fries @ Nov 8th 2006 4:31PM
21. "THANKS FOR THE 80S CRASH YOU BASTARD, IF NOT FOR YOUR CRAPPY ASS STRATEGY"
Maybe before ripping someone, you should do a little research. Had Bushnell stayed, they probably could have made it. It was the suits who took over that rushed hardware and games to the shelves in mass quantities. Bushnell had nothing to with the crash.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS GUY SHOULD GO BACK TO CHUCK E. CHEESE'S AND SHUT THE FUCK UPPP.
hohoho @ Nov 8th 2006 4:33PM
well this guy has a fair amount of skeletons under the carpet. He sold out atari to warner bros (i think) which led to its demise with a flood of rubbish game i.e. ET.
I don't remember if it was him, but some key atari staff left atari because of crappy pay, recognition etc. they formed activision, creator of pitfall and they were the 1st 3rd party dev. They had to win lawsuits to be allowed dev for the atari.
and the most damning of all, ralph baer. Google his name and you'll know what I meant as i'm too lazy to type anymore... back to gow!
James @ Nov 8th 2006 4:32PM
Sony = screwed with no lube. mS 0wnz j00z @Ll
Jeff @ Nov 8th 2006 4:38PM
"From all I have seen its 50 50 on the selling out of the PS3 50 actually want it and 50 want the 1000-2000 profit from EBay.... Demand isn't has high as it may seem."
This is one of the dumbest statements I've ever seen.
What do you think drives prices that high on Ebay? If 50 people buy a system and 100 *more* are waiting to bid for those systems on Ebay, that means 100 people legitimately want 50 systems. What about that do you not understand?
That's assuming that each auction attracts only 2 bidders, when most attract at least 10. So it's probably more like 500 people that legitimately want those 50 systems.
Yeah, demand for PS3 is as high as it seems. It's probably significantly higher than most of the naysayers on sites like this think too. I love how everybody says it's too expensive for mass market acceptance, then turns around and bitches because Sony can't produce enough of them to satisfy demand. It's one or the other, folks, not both.
gamerx @ Nov 9th 2006 3:35AM
"Q: What about Sony’s PlayStation 3 Strategy?
A: I think Sony shot themselves in the foot… there is a high probability [they] will fail. The price point is probably unsustainable. For years and years Sony has been a very difficult company to deal with from a developer standpoint. They could get away with their arrogance and capriciousness because they had an installed base. They have also historically had horrible software tools. You compare that to the Xbox 360 with really great authoring tools [and] additional revenue streams from Xbox live… a first party developer would be an idiot to develop for Sony first and not the 360. People don’t buy hardware, they buy software.
Q: But what about Sony’s success with the PlayStation and PS2? They sold more than 100 million of each system.
A: It wasn’t anything brilliant that they did. With the PS and PS2 it was timing. They had the right pricing at the right time [and were] almost the accidental winner. It would not surprise me if a year from now they’ll be struggling to sell 1 million units. [Factoring in the PS3’s price], I think in the U.S. the number of early adopters you have is actually around 300,000.
Q: Let’s change direction for a bit. What areas of the game industry are you following?
A: I’m very curious and interested in the Nintendo Wii. I think it may expand the market beyond the hardcore [18- to 24-year old]. Xbox Live is interesting because it potentially becomes the platform for the living room."
From Wikipedia:
Bushnell was eventually forced out of the company in November of 1978 after a dispute with Warner over the future direction of the company, notably on their closed software strategy (later changed) for the home computer division.
By 1982, Atari had become a US$2 billion empire and "the fastest-growing company in the history of American business" (Cohen). Atari held this title until being surpassed by Apple Computer, which was started by former Atari employee Steve Jobs and his friend Steve Wozniak.
MetaHuman @ Nov 8th 2006 4:41PM
"Furthermore, he goes on to say the PlayStation and PlayStation 2 were merely accidents, reaping rewards not by being the best, but by being in the right place at the right time."
Technically that's true, since the industry these days are largely driven by trends and have little room for alternative styles of games. Just as the N64 and PS1 came in the Arcade industry made its swansong.
Trends include:
Madden
GTA/sandbox games
Shooters
Movie adaptations
Licensed games with IPs created from other industries such as comics, movies, tv, etc.
The IDEA that pricier tech = better experiences
Including multimedia functionality = more buyers
There's always trends, but certain ones can or have become drawn out and do not ensure the integrity of games and appear to be more like fads. Kind of like when comics boomed in the 90's because of a craze over "collectible/holo-foil" covers and the industry nearly crashed because of that exact reason. The kind of people they were attracting were not staying for the product but for playing the collectible value racket.
Sony's goals with the market go against what made GAMING (not consoles) so successful in the first place. Pong was not immediately put into homes in expensive units. Bushnell was the guy who put Pong in the arcades, after all.
EVERYONE knew what was wrong with Atari, including Bushnell. Whether his assessment is true or not, ADVICE from EXPERIENCE is hardly dependent on whether that advice will or will not prove useful.
Sony needs to get off the multimedia focus (especially where movies are concerned) and onto games if they REALLY want to stay on top. Something tells me however that they're more about keeping their competitors down rather than improving their own focus.
Sony is largely successful for games that 3rd-Parties produce, that much is certain.
Storm9 @ Nov 8th 2006 10:03PM
Wait wait wait, why did Blake Snow not post this?
Where is he? I always love to look at his outragously out-of-context(read: false) anti-sony blog posts.
GamerZero @ Nov 8th 2006 4:42PM
"My PlayStation didn't just fall off the shelf and into my shopping cart, I bought it for a reason."
Them were the days.I remember the reasons I bought my PS2 as soon as it was released :-
Toy Story graphics,the Emotion Engine,that
and the fact that you could threaten the world with
missile guidance technology.....Priceless!
We all learn the hard way Nolan.
That's why I'm leaving the Beta-Ray players to the
mindless zombies that are Sony fanboys who will
part with their mothers souls and anything else to
purchase the ultimate corporate trojan horse ass raping
drm infected anti-civil rights crushing joke of a
gaming console that the PS3 so obviously is!
RickDom @ Nov 8th 2006 4:45PM
Isn't releasing a product at the right price at the right place at the right time is sort of what making a new product is about? I think he's also discounting the impact that software has on what makes a system desirable as well. Sounds like the rantings of an agry, bitter old man.
SlyTheBoss @ Nov 9th 2006 6:30AM
Hey "lets just put the gun down and we go get me those fries", were you aware that he left Atari in 1978 and therefore not responsible for the game market crash? Do some research next time...
hohoho @ Nov 8th 2006 4:43PM
i forgot, i gave him two big thumbs up for his idea of the cartridge and joystick (even if they're from his employees).
I gave three to miyamoto for mario zelda etc, three to krazy ken for putting 3d graphics on ps1 (you can rip me on those fx cartridges from nintendo) 3 for kojima's metal gear.
Hardcore @ Nov 8th 2006 4:42PM
So when is Joystiq going to hire this guy as a new editor?
brenden @ Nov 8th 2006 5:00PM
I met him last night at his restaurant uWink in Woodland Hills. He was at the bar watching Comedy Central.
mandarin @ Nov 8th 2006 4:44PM
He said theres a high probability it will fail. He didnt say hes convinced it will fail.
MosquitoControl @ Nov 8th 2006 4:45PM
I think he's, at best, off by a factor of two.
There are at least 600k "early adopters" in the US, not counting those just looking for ebay. And there should be at least 2 million sold in the US by this time next year, assuming they get 2 million into the US.
I'd imagine that's underestimating, too. I'd guess 4-5 million sold in the US by next Halloween. Again, supply issues will be an enormous limiting factor.
As for the PS getting lucky... I'd say it's a good chance. Right place at the right time. I hated the original PS, but wasn't enamored with the N64. I actually only knew one person with the PS, and I was in a fairly major college during its heyday - people my age just didn't buy it. The PS kind og won by default for having a CD drive, though, that's what sent devs to it. 1 good idea, a whole lot of right product at the right time. The PS2 kind of won by default for being the only product at the right time. By the time others were there the PS2 had a good, strong grip. Which I'm sure Microsoft is hoping they have once the holiday dust settles.
But if the devs had stuck with the N64 from the start, had FFVII been a Nintendo title, things would have been different. Sony won with that initial push. They did much of the same with the PS2. Sony's first party games aren't massively better than Microsofts, and are inferior to Nintendo's. They just had an enormous amount of third party leverage.
Which is now gone. Even playing field.
AJ @ Nov 9th 2006 2:13PM
He does make a good point.
> @ Nov 8th 2006 4:52PM
Lots of n64 talk (i still have mine)...
If there is one single reason that N64 bombed; it could be the decision to use cartridges. Now, who was that individual who insisted on using cartridges when clearly the industry was moving towards optical media? Who said that devs. would just use good compression and programming and would never fill up a CDs worth of game assets?
Well, it was Miyamoto... the same person who says that graphics dont matter, that HD dont matter, that BD dont matter, etc, etc...
IslandLife @ Nov 8th 2006 4:58PM
"It has always been the prerogative of children and half-wits to point out that the emperor has no clothes. But the half-wit remains a half-wit, and the emperor remains an emperor."
-Dream, in SANDMAN #60: "The Kindly Ones:4"
Thanks Mr. Bushnell for your obvious display of jealousy, envy and complete bitterness.
MosquitoControl @ Nov 8th 2006 5:00PM
"Isn't releasing a product at the right price at the right place at the right time is sort of what making a new product is about?"
Yeah, but you sometimes luck into something huge.
Outside factors led to Sony's rise at least as much as Sony did. It was Nintendo's decision to eschew CDs and Sony's decision to include it that helped the PS explode, in ways I doubt they really knew would happen (I don't think ANYONE fully understood what would.)
PS2 was pretty much all stepping in a very good pile. The system did nothing particularly well. Lesser graphics, lesser controller, lesser online, harder to program for, lesser power, but had the right brand name and right timing. That can be half the battle.
Sure, Sony deserves some credit, quite a bit. But quite a bit was outside factors not existing currently.
skr1lls @ Nov 8th 2006 5:01PM
I completely agree with Nolan, despite all the fanboy comments above. I've always believed Sony got to where they are by accident. So do most of my peers. I've been telling people that for years. Granted they've had some gems along the way help them to become stay at #1, but none of them were really Sony's doing (it was Konami, Square, and the other Japanese devs). But their timing with the N64 and the Saturn pretty much handed them the torch. That carried over to the PS2, where the Dreamcast folded shop, leaving them uncontended... (sorry GC fans).
And honestly the more you make fun of Nolan Bushnell for his companies past errors, bankrupts, failed ventures... HIS OPINION MATTERS because he HAS FAILED. Hell. Someone who knows failure has the most credible voice in my opinion. So go ahead and be lame, rip on him, be that offended fanboy. Cause you're just backing him up, whilst making yourself look like a sad fuck.
Darren Tilley @ Nov 8th 2006 5:03PM
I'm adding all these negative PS3 comments and remarks into a time capsule to be opened on November 17th 2007. I'm not a fanboy one way or another, as I'm waiting quite some time before picking up whichever one shows the most developer support, but I think it's gonna be humorous to read through these a year from now.