Ubisoft CEO refines message, Sony's PS3 price is right -- Joystiq

Ubisoft CEO refines message, Sony's PS3 price is right

by Alexander Sliwinski { Jun 20th 2007 at 10:15AM }

Ever wonder if gaming executives wake up in the morning and go, "What outrageous thing can I say today that I'll retract or refine in the future?" Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot last month called for a PS3 price cut, a sentiment shared last week by Sony über-boss Sir Howard Stringer. Well, looks like Guillemot has refined the message a bit, saying that a price cut is necessary to bring more consumers into the fold, but that the PS3 had "a great launch" and that Sony has "sold a machine that is actually expensive to build at the right price for consumers." He goes on to say that he thinks it should just "have a price that will make more people come in."

Guillemot continues to refine his message by saying that the last-gen consoles were at a lower price and that impacted sales in a "huge" way. If you look at the fact that so many games still come out for the PS2, it's still in a publisher's best interests to keep making games for the system that they know people own and has a higher probability of sales -- it's all about install base. Plus, the spread is even better developing for PS2, because PS3s play PS2 games (well, at least most of them).

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Dustin @ Jun 20th 2007 10:33AM

I wonder if these C.E.O.'s are aware of the vicious circle they themselves are part of creating. They release games for last gen systems because of the huge install base,nothing wrong with that, but ignoring the new systems slows them from gaining an install base. He really makes good points, too bad it's the correct/damage control and not the original statement...

bearattack79 @ Jun 20th 2007 10:31AM

PS3??? oh, that expensive blue ray player?

se37 @ Jun 20th 2007 10:45AM

I wonder where I can buy some of the pot he's smoking?

vidGuy @ Jun 20th 2007 10:43AM

So he's not saying "it needs a lower price", but he is saying 'it needs a lower price' (notice the lack of a direct quote ;). Well, it may or may not be worth the money to have the tech, but a $600 pricetag is not going to win over a lot of customers regardless.

The whole industry is saying 'it needs a lower price', why can't this guy have the stones to stick up with his original statement?

dsub @ Jun 20th 2007 10:44AM

Hmmm. How convenient. Just as Haze happens to "vanish" from Ubisoft's release list for 360/PC all the sudden the PS3 is now "the right price".

A message to Yves Guillemot:

The numbers don't lie. If the PS3 price was right, then why is Sony only selling 80,000 of them every month? The PS2 never saw numbers that low. In fact, it's worst month was 180,000 back in April of 04. The XBOX sold 300,000 that month due to a price drop. But the PS3 price is right huh?

BulletToothTony @ Jun 20th 2007 10:48AM

wasn't #1's comment the best joke you've ever heard?? wow, i can't stop laughing,

what i really think is that ubisoft actually finally got a ps3 and they realized what type of machine it is, and then they realized is worth the prize, who cares about ubi, they keep treating the ps3 like a piece of crap, i rather them not make a game than keep making shitty ports, yeah thanks for haze, i still hate ubi.

watch in 1 year they're gonna be kissing sony's ass, sony should pull the plug on these bastards and give the money to a new company that will show it's loyalty

vidGuy @ Jun 20th 2007 10:52AM

"Just as Haze happens to "vanish" from Ubisoft's release list for 360/PC all the sudden the PS3 is now "the right price"."

From what I saw earlier in the week, Haze releases on the PS3 ONE WEEK earlier than the 360 and PC versions.

el indiano @ Jun 20th 2007 10:53AM

THE PS3 IS DEAD!

who cares, a price cut will not dig sony out of the 700ft pit they are in.

Get the publishers back and we will talk.

BulletToothTony @ Jun 20th 2007 10:54AM

wow and now ubisoft says that Haze is still not confirmed on 360 or pc.. that the release date was an error..

my goodness could this people make up their mind..

ubisoft is like an already annoying girlfriend going thru pms... make up your mind freaks

BulletToothTony @ Jun 20th 2007 10:56AM

here b4 people call me a liar!!

http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=78000

copa @ Jun 20th 2007 10:57AM

It makes more sense in context of the full interview:

Guillemot: "Sony has sold a machine that is actually expensive to build at the right price for consumers."

GI.Biz: "So does that mean that you will start doing day-and-date releases of games like GRAW2 while the PS3 is still $600."

Guillemot: "Fuck no."

Fernando Rocker @ Jun 20th 2007 11:03AM

To Guillemot: Just because you win a lot of money of dollars every week to think that $600 plus tax, plus $60 for a game is a good price, doesnt mean that 80% of the people will spend and want to spend that amount of money on a gaming device (actually, is more a movie player device and protein researcher than a gaming device).

OrganicShadow @ Jun 20th 2007 12:02PM

I like how they can beat around the bush and be so vague when you know they can just get their point out in less than 10 words.

"$600 was okay at first- now lower the price."

9 "words". Was that so hard?

Martez @ Jun 20th 2007 11:15AM

PS3, or iPhone?
Hmm...

Negativecool @ Jun 20th 2007 11:31AM

Fernando Rocker-
"...you win a lot of money of dollars"
"...will spend and want to spend"
" actually, is more a movie player device and protein researcher"

....

You forgot "all your base are belong to us"
Make sense!

NintendoFanbot @ Jun 20th 2007 11:40AM

GBA sez:

"The Price is LOL"

hahanoob @ Jun 20th 2007 11:42AM

Am I the only one that think sit's ridiculous to make such a big deal about $100-200 (PS3 vs the 360) dollars on a purchase you make every 4 years?

I think what's really happening is people who invested in the 360 want the PS3 to crash so they can avoid having to buy a second console, I wouldn't be surprised if the tables turned completely had the PS3 beaten the 360 to market.

Fernando Rocker @ Jun 20th 2007 11:54AM

@Negativecool

I have a limited english... I can read in English like 90%, but I can't write in english very well =(

Rob Accomando @ Jun 20th 2007 12:11PM

"It's all about the install base"? Then where the f@ck are all the good Wii games? (I know there's some, but come on 3rd parties)

Taco_Hell @ Jun 20th 2007 12:37PM

@hahanoob

The problem is exacly the $200 difference. Many people see $400 as the limit of how much money they will ever spend on a system, since they will buy games, and possibly another controller and so on. While people know that if you pay $600 you still need to buy an extra controller (if you want to play multiplayer with your buddies next to you), games, and so forth so the total will be more about $700~800 and most people don't have that much money to spend freely.

horngreen @ Jun 20th 2007 12:58PM

QUOTE "watch in 1 year they're gonna be kissing sony's ass, sony should pull the plug on these bastards and give the money to a new company that will show it's loyalty"

yes a $600 machine with little or no games worth playing should really start calling the shots on developers and "pulling the plug" that will help! Anyway I wonder if Sony in their arrogance thought "if we have a weak game line up people will start scooping up Blu Ray disc and later we can introduce good games". Probably not I guess they just figured they couldn't lose and they were soooo wrong.

Jonathan Tran @ Jun 20th 2007 1:19PM

You guys forgot next gen doesn't start till SONY says it does. So until Sony ASKS Ubi to make some NEXT GEN, it won't happen.

Also in French "earn" and "win" are the same verb, so it's probably like that in Fernando's language also. Esperanto much?

As for this guy, he has got to realize investing in Sony is a bad business move at this point. I am not dissing Sony, it's just that from a marketing standpoint it makes no sense to bet on the "losing" horse now. Wait till/if PS3 catches on big time, THEN CAPITALIZE BIG TIME.

Besides why spend millions to make PS3 games when you can just add waggle to some old game for free?

Matt B @ Jun 20th 2007 1:20PM

Same trolls, same broken record spiel, different day.

deaftly @ Jun 20th 2007 1:28PM

prob get more use out of the iphone then the ps3

Jonathan Tran @ Jun 20th 2007 1:31PM

an iphone is a giant mistake. sure it looks cool but guess what, it is a very expensive liability. unlike a ps3 you will be carrying this little thief magnet everywhere, and after a couple months you won't give a damn what cool features it has.

For the price of an iphone you could get a DS, PSP, and a decent other phone, and even some good games for each of those.

Zeus the God @ Jun 20th 2007 1:39PM

The price is right? BULLSHIT, BOB BARKER!

http://playstation3.justgotowned.com/

Raikage @ Jun 20th 2007 1:54PM

@26

But It's sooooo pretty! LOL.
Well anyway, we all know the price is way to high for the mass market so what do we (or anyone else) care what this guy says. Not saying that the PS3 isn't worth it, it is for the tech it has, but to most people that doesn't matter.