God of War creator would have left Blu-ray out of PS3

by Kevin Kelly { Apr 12th 2007 at 3:59PM }

It's refreshing these days when someone says what is on their mind, and doesn't pander to the corporate entity that they work for all the time. One voice that certainly isn't afraid of biting the hand that feeds him is David Jaffe, creator of God of War, and Game Director and Designer for Sony in Santa Monica. He pretty much chomps down on that hand with relish.

In a Bonus Round video interview with Jaffe on GameTrailers, he says "I probably would have taken the Blu-ray out and sold it for less money." Considering how Sony is really pushing the Blu-ray as one of the main reasons to own a PS3, he's certainly swimming upstream. Jaffe (pictured above with a Nintendo neckstrap *gasp*) is probably the only Sony employee openly questioning the Blu-ray inclusion.

He not only rails on the high price of the hardware, but also on the mindset of the game development industry that says every game has to be a giant blockbuster with a huge story. During a GameDaily interview, commenting on working on God of War, he said "It's like, 'F**k you capitalist society that says all I need to do is work and contribute to the bottom line. F**k you up your a**.' I want a life." You can almost hear Sony's PR department cringing from here.

Instead, Jaffe wants to see a return to games that focus on the gameplay, not the story. He cites Calling All Cars as an example of a small game that is cheap, fun to play, and didn't have an extremely long development cycle. "I want to do games that take 10-13 months; I want to do games that aren't always story-driven, that are more gameplay-driven."

Tags: Blu-Ray, david jaffe, David Jaffee, DavidJaffe, God of War, GodOfWar, PlayStation 3

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Jeff @ Apr 12th 2007 4:04PM

can people please stop paying attention to this guy. it's only encouraging him

Jack of No Trades @ Apr 12th 2007 4:05PM

After seeing that Nintendo neckstrap I discarded everything he said.

Vince @ Apr 12th 2007 4:06PM

We'll stop listening when he starts being wrong.

Kye @ Apr 12th 2007 4:06PM

Fanboys unite!
Mission: Defend your system!
Bonus: Diss the enemy!

Let's form Voltron!

Z @ Apr 12th 2007 4:10PM

That guy made a game???? HOW???

silkylove @ Apr 12th 2007 4:12PM

@ Jack of no Trades

So just because he's wearing a piece of Nintendo SWAG that he probably was given at a conference you are going to ignore what he said? Deny much?

SynikaL @ Apr 12th 2007 4:13PM

I pity people like Jeff that can't see the intrinsic merits this man projects with his opinions. The man is humble, articulate (and anyone that thinks the fact that he curses makes him otherwise is a damned idiot), honest and outspoken. There's NO good reason for a gamer to be up in arms against this man.

Dissenters like to project him as arrogant, which is bullshit. You need look no further than comments in this interview to see that. But people that lack confidence don't like to see it projected in their faces, so they spin this merit as being its ugly, twisted, twin sister (arrogance).

The man has the balls to say things that other people in his position wouldn't, and this industry would probably be better off if there were more people like him running it.

-Kimosabae

Dolla Dolla @ Apr 12th 2007 4:14PM

@Z

How?

Does Twisted Metal or God of War ring a bell?

The man works for Sony and Sony alone. He knows how much cheaper and more successful the system would've been if it didn't have Blu-ray.

1) It would've been cheaper.
2) It would've launched sooner (perhaps alongside 360).
3) It would've 3-peated.

With Blu-ray delayed, exclusives couldn't ignore the 360s userbase. Now a multitude of exclusives are cross-platform and Sony is accepting less than 1st place this gen.

hvnlysoldr @ Apr 12th 2007 4:15PM

I'll form the Head!

Voltron, Defender of the Universe

SynikaL @ Apr 12th 2007 4:17PM

Or maybe the guy can wear Nintendo swag because, JUST BECAUSE HE WORKS FOR SONY DOESN'T MEAN HE DOESN'T HAVE LOVE/RESPECT FOR NINTENDO???

OMG WHOULDA THUNK!!!1111????

-Kimosabae

Jon @ Apr 12th 2007 4:21PM

He confirms what everyone working with or owning a 360 already knows...that is that Blu-Ray is clearly not necessary for Hi-Def gaming.

Still not convinced? Take a look at all the titles on the 360...all are Hi-Def...yet all on standard dual layer DVD.

Chris @ Apr 12th 2007 4:24PM

So what is it about this guy that is making the sand in everyone's vagina so itchy today? I've never even heard him, and as far as I can tell, he's right. One of the reasons I haven't purchased a ps3 is because I want to see which HDDVD gets the go ahead. Well, and the lack of an enticing game. If it was cheaper and there wasn't such a gamble on purchasing a dying HDDVD player, I may have already gone out to get one.

gir @ Apr 12th 2007 4:25PM

I was the chubby lady hiding in the bushes.

gir @ Apr 12th 2007 4:25PM

I was the chubby lady hiding in the bushes.

jkoch @ Apr 12th 2007 4:25PM

/shrug, I'm glad my PS3 has a Blu Ray drive.

gir @ Apr 12th 2007 4:27PM

@Jack of No Trades

Isn't that discriminating. You are messed up.

Champloo @ Apr 12th 2007 4:31PM

I would think that people would take his remarks to heart. After all, here's a man who works for Sony, who makes one of their hottest games, and he's saying "they did certain things wrong". Now THAT is a truly unbiased opinion. He's not some competitor saying "Sony, your product is inferior", he's a man who works for this company and is saying "Hell yes I'd have done things differently".

Regardless of if you feel the same way or not, this man should be respected solely for the fact that he's potentially putting his career on the line by arguing against certain moves made by the people who sign his paycheck. He has an opinion and he's not going to stifle himself and BS us on what he thinks just because he works for Sony.

gambii @ Apr 12th 2007 4:34PM

Who cares.
First it was that article on a guy who couldn't live up to his own hype, saying the Computers are going to make consoles relics. Really you know that, how come you did such a horrible job on your game. If you can't make a game and that is your profession, I could care less what you think about the market.

Now we have yet another developer opinion on some hardware. Last I look developers don't make consoles, nor do they any kind of infrastructor to. And on top of that God of War ain't going to any other console. So anything this dude has to say amounts to a pile of yknow what when it comes to console development, and pricing. Make the games stop your whinning.

You going to drop the price?
no
do you have any control over the price of the PS3 or WI or XBOX 360
no.
okay go sit in your corner, with the rest of us customer who have been screaming bloody murder since day one.

Puhgete @ Apr 12th 2007 4:34PM

Totally agree with #17

Earl @ Apr 12th 2007 4:43PM

I would own a PS3 if it didn't have Blu-Ray. But what do I know? Sony apparently knows what every consumer wants.

wait in the car @ Apr 12th 2007 4:47PM

gambii,

Last time I checked, this guy has as much a right to whine about Sony's hardware as you do to whine about his whining.

Just because he thinks Blu-Ray was a mistake doesn't mean men in black are going to steal your precious PS3 in the middle of the night.

It's just an opinion. Get over it.

Digi Smalls @ Apr 12th 2007 4:51PM

here's the guy who created the superior Playstation franchise PS3 defenders worship ad nauseum saying games don't need Blu-Ray and it's not news?

now you can add Sony to the list of Capcom, Namco, Sega, BioWare/Pandemic and UbiSoft developers saying Blu-Ray isn't necessary for next generation games.

at this point, the PS3 should have just included a remote control and not a controller.

.

Aex @ Apr 12th 2007 4:51PM

How can you afford to lose Jaffe as one of your 1st party developers? The games this guy makes are Gold Jerry, SOLID GOLD! I don't think he necessarily is saying blu-ray was a bad decision, not a decision he would make, but not a wrong decision.

One day he may find a great use for it, and when/if that day comes he will be saying things like "we couldn't have done this without blu-ray" but still probably hold the position that he wouldn't have put blu-ray in the ps3.

I certainly don't think blu-ray in the ps3 is an error, I do think the current pricing is though. But, cost to manufacture the PS3 will drop dramatically due to blu-ray being a new technology. Within a year or two, blu-ray will be an insignificant cost of production. It's just a shame for Sony that I, like many, will be waiting for that dramatic drop in pricing to purchase a PS3.

Rubang B @ Apr 12th 2007 4:55PM

This is a guy from Sony talking about the mistakes Sony has made and what he would have done differently. Only Jack of No Trades would take this opportunity to take a swipe at Nintendo. What a tool.

Hiroken @ Apr 12th 2007 4:58PM

I like and respect Jaffe, but I bet GoWIII will use BluRay's potential very well, and I think he'll be glad for it then. I know I'm glad that he has as much room as he could possibly need and can make me the best damn game possible as a result, and I think he'll share that sentiment eventually.

~

Arglor @ Apr 12th 2007 5:00PM

I think he has a point. but i also think he is a bit short-sighted. It boils down to two different interpretations.
Should there have been a playstation 2.5? (all features of ps3 without blue ray) Then we would be downloading additional content that did not fit on the disc, and games would be hiting a plateau in data storage. Not to mention it could greatly cut the life span of the console.

I appretiate the inclusion of the blue ray disc technology and the embracing of the HD era in gaming and video watching. It seems like a better long term investment to me, but who knows i could be wrong.

It sounds like he is just feeling the pressure of having created such "marketable" I.P. and he feels the stress of having to produce more. I mean hell GoW 2 comes out and people are screaming for information about GoW3.

Thats got to scare the shit out of a man.

Arglor @ Apr 12th 2007 5:00PM

Agathos @ Apr 12th 2007 5:01PM

Sony has always introduce consoles on a "generational" basis insted of just adding more memory and faster chips.

PS1 - CDROM
PS2 - DVDROM
PS3 - BDROM

So unlike MS who will have us buying new consoles every 4 years that are basically just faster procs and more memory Sony stayed their course. It's a gamble, that's what business is about. Maybe they don't dominate the market this generation but win the Blu-ray battle?

Companies like MS and Sony will always both copy competitors and differ from them, gamers win from the competition of different companies, bitch fanboys always lose by supporting any draconian entity like MS or Sony as if they were there dear little sister or something.

Bottom line, Sony copied some things and did other things differently, so what?

sheppy @ Apr 12th 2007 5:01PM

"First it was that article on a guy who couldn't live up to his own hype, saying the Computers are going to make consoles relics. Really you know that, how come you did such a horrible job on your game. If you can't make a game and that is your profession, I could care less what you think about the market."

Umm, you're confusing David Jaffe with John Romero... having said that, how can he not live up to his own hype?

A. He's repeatedly stated that he's only a B level game designer stating that he could never even hope to compare to legends like Shigeru Miyamoto or Hideo Kojima. Yep, hyping himself up there alright...

B. He's been responsible for some of Sonys more respected franchises such as Twisted Metal and the more recent God Of War (which he handed off so he could work on calling all cars) as well as some true underdogs like Kinetica and War Of The Monsters.

C. Of all the developers, you never see someone like him. Period. He's one of the first people to show you exactly what is WRONG with a game he made. His blog reads like a man who constantly bashes his own work in hopes of becoming better.

If anything, I'm disappointed that his PSP project went belly up. I really wanted to play his "crying" game once he actually said what the concept was.

Slaziman @ Apr 12th 2007 5:05PM

Buying a PS3 for Blu-Ray may seem like a good investment now, but by the time Blu-Ray hits it's stride it'll be 50$ for a standalone player ;/

LaughingTarget @ Apr 12th 2007 5:10PM

There isn't anything generational about BluRay. It is just a bigger storage device. Just like there isn't a generation gap between a 80gb HD and a 200gb HD. Just more space, nothing more.

This man is speaking like a business man, not a "ooh cool, technology" guy. Data is expensive and the more space that is filled the more expensive the game becomes. 360 games are already exceeding $30 million to produce and this is on their 8.5gb DVDs. Just how much will it cost to pump out 50gb of data? $200 million? No game sells enough copies to make that back.

The bulk of the BluRay space will go to waste. Be it empty or filled with useless pre-rendered HD video, it will go to waste.

Especially since new compression techniques are being developed and procedural synthesis is being rediscovered. And, no, procedural synthesis is not about random generation, it is about storing information in an algorithm form instead of a bloated, raw data file. We can thank that game called Myst for introducing is to wasted space. The 360 and PS3 have the processor power to do procedural synthesis and developers will use it because they can slash personnel from their payroll. Why hire 100 artists to build a game world when 5 can do the same?

BluRay will prove to be a generally useless development. We've reached the critical point to how much can be spent on game development and still bring in a profit. Filling in more data will push it past that point. Yes, I do agree we will see a few titles that actually use more than a DVD (where it counts, not like that bloated RFoM that likes to use pre-rendered video), but the vast majority of them will just be DVD sized sitting on a BluRay disk.

If Spore can put together hundreds of thousands of star systems in a galaxy and use a DVD then any console game can do the same.

Jake @ Apr 12th 2007 5:12PM

Of course he would take out BluRay considering he's made the switch to PS Network games. Jaffe no longer desires to make games epic in scope, so naturally he hasn't had the need for more storage.

Spirit-of @ Apr 12th 2007 5:16PM

I kinda wish that my boss would buy me a complimentary donut every day when I show up for work too, but no one really seems to care what I think.

This is such a fluffed up "pie in the sky" non-story. Check please.

Digi Smalls @ Apr 12th 2007 5:20PM

if the PS3 had more graphics memory or at LEAST the 360's flexible memory architecture to actually make use of Blu-Ray's added storage capacity ON-SCREEN, then there would be an argument for it being good for games.

ultimately, not having to switch discs on extra-long games (longer than Oblivion? ugh...) isn't the "next generation game feature" that Jaffe and others have all been waiting for.

.

Owen Gieni @ Apr 12th 2007 5:21PM

Jaffe is a national treasure.

NoHitHair @ Apr 12th 2007 5:41PM

Only a complete idiot would hate this man. He is one of the sole voices in the industry willing to speak his mind in the face of multinational corporate scrutiny.

I couldn't care less if he continued to make games. As long as he remains as vocal and outspoken as he does now, I will always back him.

http://blog.myspace.com/nohithair

Konchu @ Apr 12th 2007 5:51PM

I actually am getting more and more respect for this guy. He simply said he wouldn't have put Blu-Ray in the system to get the cost down and I have to say I agree.

I have not seen an example yet that a game could not have been made without Blu-Ray. Just look how impressive downloadable demos can be and they are generally very small. Admittedly the games that will really shine with Blu-Ray will come out and they will be nice but I suspect they will be more of a convienence than a neccesity. You can only display so much data at once after all when you consider all the bottle necks of the system(video card memory,System Bus and disk access times(you can only stream so much))(360 has the same things to consider too).

So as annoying as it would be to have 2 disk for say Resistance Fall of Man would it make the game suck I say no it would not. And with a little creativity you can get alot of content in a small space with procedural texturing and other efficiency tricks.

Now the question that really should be asked is why PS3 games must be made on Blu-Ray. Alot of PS2 games came on both DVD and CD and these will play in the PS3 so we no the drive is able. And we know some of these games dont need the space just look at the crossplatform titles that fit on one disk on the 360.

mccomber @ Apr 12th 2007 6:20PM

I have a ton of respect for the man, but I've got to disagree with the idea that blu-ray won't be advantageous in the future. Is it needed? Not necessarily, at least not at this point. But I'm all for anything that gives the developers less restriction in what they are doing. I've said it before on this very subject, but I always think of my work as a graphic designer, and the fact that I wouldn't ever want my work to be constrained by storage space concerns.

The Exiled @ Apr 12th 2007 6:21PM

@ Chris
"So what is it about this guy that is making the sand in everyone's vagina so itchy today"

roflmao That was totally worth opening up this comments section. Made my day.

Snukadaman @ Apr 12th 2007 6:25PM

#31 has some valid points....but many only see this as bashing the blu...hell i would of also bought a ps3 less blu ray..theres many who also would...

Mr Khan @ Apr 12th 2007 6:30PM

I agree with those praising Mr Jaffe

he's like Miyamato without the universal name recognition (lack of which helps keep his ego down, unlike Shiggy, who can say some pigheaded things, though rarely)

But realistically, this just shows the disconnect between Sony and its developers, although i bet there's some dissatisfaction in every camp that's just never been vocalized

Wes @ Apr 12th 2007 6:31PM

He seems honest enough in his commentary. Some people don't enjoy their jobs, their company they work for or the environment at that company.

Having worked at a call-center when I was younger, I can totally agree with his point of view. 'I don't like my company, I wish I wasn't working here but I need a job, however, I still wish I was working on funner smaller projects that caused me less stress.'

The way he says it, however, is another issue all together =). Yes, pretty much though. The PS3 has an expensive pricey blueray drive.

As a result, some of the other equipment in a PS3 might be lacking to provide budget room for that Blue-ray drive that had they kept the system at $699.00 and not included a blueray drive it might be a different story. 8800s with DX10 support anyone?

However, past-is-past. Now the choice is buy a blue-ray machine, gaming machine, gaming pc-machine or a gaming-unconvental but fun control scheme? machine.

NeverSage @ Apr 12th 2007 6:43PM

"After seeing that Nintendo neckstrap I discarded everything he said."

On attack of the show the other night he said he didn't own a wii, that's got to count for something, right?

Jean @ Apr 12th 2007 6:45PM

How about Sony makes another SKU of the PS3 but a cheap version eliminating the bluray drive for and $400. Giving developer the option to create games in DVD's or Bluray.

ExMcloud @ Apr 12th 2007 6:51PM

BluRay will prove to be a generally useless development. We've reached the critical point to how much can be spent on game development and still bring in a profit. Filling in more data will push it past that point. Yes, I do agree we will see a few titles that actually use more than a DVD (where it counts, not like that bloated RFoM that likes to use pre-rendered video), but the vast majority of them will just be DVD sized sitting on a BluRay disk.

If Spore can put together hundreds of thousands of star systems in a galaxy and use a DVD then any console game can do the same.

It makes me cry when people know what they are talking about. This guy Laughing Target is a genius.LOL. but seriously he's completely right. No game will ever utilize Blu Ray especially not on a Sony Console. First we must remember SONY AMERICA which has completely different stock holders than SONY JAPAN which means they DO NOT I REPEAT DO NOT reap the same benifits. Because I know as soon as I say this FAN BOYS will be quick to say Final Fantasy and Gran Turismo. Now as I was saying Blu ray will never be utilized all the way because Sony America doesn't have a game with ENOUGH fan base to make that 200 million they would have to spend to fill up 25 Gigs of storage space. And that being said MS only has one game that could get the money back which is Halo. I know people say its overated or whatever but regardless of the fact it made 125 Million dollars the first day of release. So when Sony gets that game they can fully utilize Blu Ray case closed

Evan @ Apr 12th 2007 7:07PM

I totally agree about the problem of every game trying to be a giant blockbuster.

Not every Hollywood movie is a blockbuster. The blockbuster movies usually have the best special effects, but rarely have the best stories or acting. Niche movies, dramas, animation, are all important. It's those movies that advance the art, brew talent, and add much needed variety to our entertainment. Likewise, it's the smaller games that create new game play paradigms, brew talent, and create variety.

And, most Hollywood movies that try to be blockbusters fail. There's only room for a few blockbusters each year. Only the movies with the biggest budgets seem to thrive. Likewise, there's only room for a limited number of blockbuster games. As every publisher tries to copy the same formulas, only the absolute best and biggest will stand out and the rest will fail.

This is the second Bonus Round interview where a developer has complained about publisher’s focus on formulaic giant blockbuster games. The first was with Jason Ruban (Crash Bandicoot, Jak & Daxter).

As for the BluRay comment, let’s wait where we hear the full argument in the next part of the video, instead of just the sound-bite!

Yo @ Apr 12th 2007 7:30PM

Jaffe is just giving an opinion. He's has a great mind. He's right about the fact that he prefers gameplay over story. God Of War's story is good, but not as good as other games most of us have played in the past. What mostly in my opinion made the game great was gameplay. Then the scenary (don't know if I spelled that right) was awesome.

Jaffe might be pretty mad cuz he knows PS3 is off on the wrong foot. He makes Sony exclusives, and Sony exclusives only. He knows he might not sell that much when another one of he masterpieces comes out. It's not like he can bring the game to the 360.

Pretty sure he'll utilize PS3's full potential. When GOW3 comes out. Hopefully by then I'll have a PS3

Snap @ Apr 12th 2007 7:53PM

I like that Jaffe speaks his mind. Having only played Twisted Metal on PS2, I'm not familiar with GoW (never played it). But I will say that I like his attitude towards game design; fun gameplay trumps bloated story almost every time in my book.

charlie @ Apr 12th 2007 8:25PM

Sony certainly could have gotten PS3 out the door faster and much cheaper if they went with DVD. Merrill Lynch estimates that each drive costs them $200 to $300 right now. So you figure they probably could have launched at $399.99, taking a smaller loss on each console, with DVD.

But then what would be the difference between the PS3 and the PS2, or between the PS3 and X360? a faster processor and GPU? More and faster memory? Bluetooth? Those are all good things, but nothing that really enables a new level of games. Maybe not in 2007, but at some point game developers will want to be able to have more than 8.5GB of space.

I remember Xbox developers talking about cramming their games onto 4.7GB disks because of all the surround sound high resolution audio they had. Why all the sudden is 8.5GB such a tremendous amount of space? 1080p is more than 5 times the resolution of 480p, and PS3 supports even higher resolution audio than Xbox did.

Nintendo thought it didn't need more than 32MB per game for N64. That worked out well. I know its a more extreme example, X360 developers should definitely start feeling some constraint a couple years in the future.