Peter Moore: Sony is 'failing' in Japan

by Alexander Sliwinski { Jul 16th 2007 at 8:40PM }

The funniest part of the GameDaily.biz interview with Peter Moore is that he knows the Xbox is biting the big one in Japan, but he points out that Sony "crumbling" in Japan against the Wii is just more delicious. Moore says he planned for an uphill battle in Japan -- actually it's more like a flat-faced vertical mountain battle, having only sold 122, 565 Xbox 360s this year -- but he believes Sony never expected to fail in Japan like they have.

Moore points out that Sony keeps talking about this 10-year plan without ever explaining what that means. He says, "I'm not sure what their 10-year plan is ... It's like they just said, 'We have a 10-year plan' [and that's it]." Moore isn't talking 10-year plans but he expects the Xbox to live longer than the original's four years. He says Sony can have all the plans they like, but the key is getting to the "mass market with price points [that matter]," which Moore says Microsoft is a lot closer to being able to do. Yes, that certainly sounds like allusion to an incoming price drop.

Tags: crumbling, e3, e307, failure, microsoft, peter moore, price drop, sony

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)

Psaakyen @ Jul 16th 2007 8:48PM

I would think that, instead of a direct price drop, they would still continue the 2 SKU formula, BUT have the current model replace the low-end SKU and a new model take the place of the high end SKU. Except do it right unlike the "clearance sale" and still continue to produce the lower end SKU.

JonnyBoy2U @ Jul 16th 2007 8:50PM

OUCH...

And hes got a point...all the plans in the world do NOT change REALITY.

Whats that saying again? "Men make plans and God laughs". Or something similar to that I believe.

And b4 the sony trolls come in and start their bitching yes we know that MS is doing excellent in Japan too. But that was EXPECTED. Its not that surprising that MS isn't doing as well in Japan as it is in other regions.

But its the complete opposite when it comes to sony and the piece of shit 3.

10 Year Plan....

Charron @ Jul 16th 2007 9:28PM

Dunno about that quote, but another that I think is appropriate, in some fashion, for every console maker...

The best-laid plans of mice and men are often thrown asunder.

Can't say anyone's had the generation they've entirely expected.

Noshino @ Jul 16th 2007 9:50PM

"OUCH..."

you fell? where does it hurt? here, I got you a sponge bob band-aid

"And hes got a point...all the plans in the world do NOT change REALITY."

The only real points taht Peter Moore has are the ones from all the tattoos he has, I seriously hope there is a Halo XII, I want to get to the point where he ll have it done on his forehead.

"Whats that saying again? "Men make plans and God laughs". Or something similar to that I believe. "

wah? Moore should have this one tattoo'ed somewhere "Try not to become a man of success but rather to become a man of value" he lost his values long ago, hey, its Microsoft after all, OPEN SOURCE!, hahah

"And b4 the sony trolls come in and start their bitching yes we know that MS is doing excellent in Japan too. But that was EXPECTED. Its not that surprising that MS isn't doing as well in Japan as it is in other regions."

err, I think you meant "isn't doing excellent", either way...one plans for success, not for failure. If you get into a battle think that you will lose, then you will, even when you got everything on your side.

"But its the complete opposite when it comes to sony and the piece of shit 3."

heh, well, your milkbox 360 was doing "ok" last year around this period, right now they all (Microsoft) feel superior, let's see what he would be saying next year? I really doubt he'll have any sign on a happy man. Sony is finally getting their stuff together.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but if Sony messes up, then Microsoft can do it 3 times worse.

Triforceowner @ Jul 16th 2007 10:56PM

Sorry about Sony Fanboys dropping you down points. Joystiq needs to get rid of this voting system-thing. And the phrase is better put in my opinion as "The best laid plans of mice and men gang aft agley," just because it sounds cooler :p.

sheppy @ Jul 17th 2007 9:23AM

You know what's truly and tragically pathetic about this stance? For the past THREE years, we've been hearing about how Xbox 360 is positioned to "breakthrough" the Japanese marketplace. They've spent millions... MILLIONS advertising the console alone. They've both recruited and funded japanese developers for Japanese exclusives. At the beginning of this war, we heard about how Peter Moore expected 360 to take off in Japan. And this entire time, they were talking about how they were optimistic, snagged killer exclusives, that have thus far flopped hardcore. Then Microsoft took the position of "well, consider how well your game will sell OUTSIDE of Japan... think GLOBALLY" now that Japan is fucking lost.

And now Peter Moore's position is they expected the 360 to fail in Japan? How convenient.

Meanwhile, PS3's weakest region is Japan... and yet Disgaea 3 has just been announced as a PS3 exclusive. Sony's performance hasn't been bouncing away the Japanese developers in the slightest. Sony keeps talking about a 10 year plan and it's true, they won't let people in on it. But so far, I've seen PS3 do much better than any previous similarly priced console. Hell, it's keep pace with 360 and in some regions, surpassing it.

So while it's all nice that Peter Moore is laughing it upp and yucking it up at Sony, let's see what he has to say as even more of his estimations fail to be reached. True, Sony isn't winning, not by a long shot. But until the 360 starts actually outpacing the Xbox, I don't see how he's in a position to point a finger.

Anam @ Jul 17th 2007 9:42AM

@sheppy

Peter Moore never said that he "expected" to lose Japan. He said that it would be an uphill battle.

@Noshino

Making fun of tattoos and saying that another console is doing "even worse" isn't really making the PS3 look good. Face it, PS3 sales in Japan have been poor. That fact isn't changed because Peter Moore has more tattoos than you think are appropriate.

@Triforceowner

Just a point I'd like to make: Your problems with the voting system are likely due to your name. Many people will see "Triforceowner" and stop reading. Especially in a thread about Microsoft and Sony.

rdj75 @ Jul 16th 2007 8:54PM

I have been saying it for almost a year, I new MS was not going to drop the price at E3 this year. The price drop is going to come right before the launch of Halo 3 and thats it. As far as Microsoft is concerned their black friday is not the day after thanksgiving but the day Halo 3 is released.

Eric @ Jul 16th 2007 9:06PM

Think man, for as much as Halo will drive sales at any price, why would Microsoft sell those units at a lower price? Look at the array of "special editions"...Microsoft has no desire to save anyone $ around Halo. Black Friday will bring a price drop when Halo has moved all the units it can at the current price.

WedgeTalon @ Jul 16th 2007 9:27PM

That doesn't make sense to me. MS *knows* Halo3 will be a system seller, so why cut guaranteed profits? I think that if we see a price drop from MS this year, it will be late October to November. By then the vast majority of Halo3-stimulated sales will be done and a price dop would encourage any "on the edge" buyers and invigorate sales for the holiday season.

WedgeTalon @ Jul 16th 2007 9:28PM

Oops, looks like I was slow on the draw and Eric beat me. ;)

Radicoon @ Jul 16th 2007 9:39PM

Yeah, it won't be before Halo 3. I would guess it would be just before Black Friday.

Triforceowner @ Jul 16th 2007 10:59PM

Wasn't it stated a while back that most of the people with a 360 now didn't hav an Xbox? So all those guys who picked up the Xbox for Halo 2 will probably pick up a 360 for Halo 3 and the current owners will probably get Halo 3. That game is going to sell like crazy and it would really hurt Microsoft to drop their price.

Mr Khan @ Jul 17th 2007 4:13PM

Normally, i would say that Microsoft would try to orchestrate a sales coup by lowering 360 price WITH Halo 3, but since they're being slapped with another $1 billion bill (after the $5-$6 billion the division has already lost), i think it would be prudent for them to just ride Halo 3's coattails all the way to the bank to try and offset that

Curmeo @ Jul 16th 2007 8:54PM

LOL Peter Moore has officially become a clown. 360 is doing PATHETIC in Japan. Wii is selling like crazy because of the price and the motion remote. PS3 is doing very well for its $599 price tag.

Peter boy, you wanna understand Sony's 10 year stategy? look at the original PSX. it was in production for over 11 years and sold over 102 million units. PS2 has been in production for barely 7 years now and has still managed to sell over 120 million units, unlike Xbox1 which you abandoned a mere 4 years after launch. by the time Sony stops PS2 production, hardware sales may even exceed 150 million units. do you understand now, Peter boy? freakin' retard!

oh, and you heard it on Joystiq from me first: 40GB PS3 for $399 this holiday season baby! thats gonna make Peter wet his pants when Microsoft doesnt let him give the 360 a price drop, what with the $1 billion needed to repair all the RRoD units.

Psaakyen @ Jul 16th 2007 9:00PM

So... does that mean we can ban you if Sony doesn't do the said price drop (Or even be selling a 40gb PS3 for that matter), for putting words into Sony's mouth?

JonnyBoy2U @ Jul 16th 2007 9:13PM

Are you really that retarded?

Whats so hard to understand?

The 360 WAS NOT EXPECTED to do well in Japan. Therefore its doing okay despite what was predicted. THe fact that Blue Dragon is selling in Japan is a BIG step forward for MS in terms of gaining more gamers in that region.

As for sony and the ps3 its doing horrible in ALL region because of the price and other factors. Japan isn't just one isolated region in which the ps3 isn't doing great. Nor should it matter if the system is truly that great.

The bottom line is that its not that great and if there was ANYWHERE where the ps3 should have done absolutely great it SHOULD have been Japan. But thats NOT the case. Hence Peter Moore is not the clown.

This 10 Year strategy may work for the ps2 but it definitely isn't look as feasable for the ps3.

Evan @ Jul 16th 2007 9:14PM

Basically, Peter More says:

- Sony was betting on being successful in Japan, so their failure derails their long-term plan ("You can bet that Sony built a long-term business plan about being successful in Japan and that business plan is crumbling.")

- But Microsoft wasn't expecting to do well in Japan, so their failure doesn't impact their long-term plan. ("I don't think my expectations in Japan were anything close to what Sony's expectations are.")

In summary, they both lost their hands, but Sony had a lot more chips on the table.

Ska Oreo @ Jul 16th 2007 10:24PM

Yeah we already know Microsoft is doing horrible in Japan. But Sony ain't doing so well. I mean all of the top sellers are Wii and Ds games which prove that Japanese gamers don't give a rats ass about the ps3 even if it does have Final Fantasy or MGS.

Eric @ Jul 16th 2007 8:57PM

That is one thing that's interesting about the 360...by its previous lifecycle, it's almost half over.

morganfell @ Jul 16th 2007 8:58PM

Wow, even an article that where MS isn't doing well in Japan gets spun with the possible attraction of a price drop and a title that slams Sony. Why am I no longer surprised at this site.

Worse, people think Peter Moore is right about everything. After all, he is the same guy that claimed for over a year there was nothing wrong with the 360. I wonder how he feels about Bach saying there is an engineering flaw? Peter Moore is a snake oil salesman.

Truepatriot @ Jul 16th 2007 8:59PM

thats a brave card for moore to play.but like JonnyBoy2U said MS was expected to fail in japan.sony should have had it.

i still blame price.thats the only reason i dont own one.

rdj75 @ Jul 16th 2007 8:59PM

Sorry about the typo (knew instead of new). In any case it would also be foolish for Microsoft to keep same price structure but with better models like sony. I say the core will undercut the wii at $229(assuming there isn't a price drop for the wii, which there is no need for since they are selling so well), the premium will be at $329 and the elite at $399. Thats if they keep three sku's.

Tony @ Jul 16th 2007 9:00PM

The thing is that the 360 was EXPECTED to do poorly in Japan. I'd say in a lot of ways they've made major strides over the original. They clearly know they have a lot more work to do.

By comparison, we're talking about the next PlayStation. There's been weeks where it's only been a couple of thousand units ahead of the 360. Considering its pedigree, I do think in some ways that could be considered worse considering it's a hell of a lot more surprising.

KiraXD @ Jul 16th 2007 9:11PM

Peter Moore is such a 360 fanboy.... someone needs to tell him to stop tolling the interviews.

Travis @ Jul 16th 2007 9:19PM

But by this logic, isn't the 360 failing in the US then? I mean to discard the fact that the PS3 is doing better than the 360 in Japan and call it a failure because the Wii is outselling it seems to be the exact thing that is happening to the 360 in the US. Sure, the 360 is outselling the PS3, but the Wii is still kicking it's ass.

Maybe Peter Moore shouldn't be throwing stones until he gets out of the glass house?

ExMcloud @ Jul 16th 2007 11:33PM

Actually they showed at E3 that the 360 was only being outsold in America by a couple thousand units this year and seeing that it's a new system they were very happy that the 360 competed so well....Second if anybody argues with the fact that Sony won the last two generations in Japan your crazy...So honestly the Wii is actually helping the 360 which is crazy...But anyway Sony is obviously expected to do its best in Japan point blank period and since games tend to be like a fad the more time Sony gives Nintendo to get its stuff together the more they will be killed by Nintendo...Yo I like Sony but I don't think MS is really trying to win Japan but Sony really has to to be successful

Cash @ Jul 16th 2007 9:19PM

I can't help but laugh anytime one company offers a critique on a competiting company. Not that I'm saying employees shouldn't show bias towards their particular companies, but rather good employees *do* show bias towards their particular companies.

That being said, how can you take anything a good employee says about the competition at face value? On a personal note, I think Mr. Moore needs to tend his own house fires before getting the itch to point out the hot spots in the neighbors bushes. Likewise for the boys in suits and ties over at Sony, because as far as I can tell, neither have spotless records when it comes to honesty, quality, and customer satisfaction.

Mullet Man @ Jul 16th 2007 9:23PM

i wouldn't expect a 360 price drop anytime soon.

those fools at microsoft have $1-2 billion in losses to makeup for extending the warranties along with repair costs for millions of defective 360's.

and peter moore, please STFU.

you think you're gonna be able to sign any more japanese exclusives when you're basically saying - "i don't give a rats-arse if we sell 2k consoles a wk in jpn. its not like we're really trying hard or anything..."

real smart, petey boy, real smart...

Evan @ Jul 16th 2007 9:26PM

As for the 10 year plan...

The original PS1 was in production for 11 years because because it was riding on its early success. A console isn't going a collect dust for its first 5 years and then become popular. Could you imagine the Sega Saturn or Dreamcast making a comeback? Once a console dies, it stays dead.

Psaakyrn @ Jul 16th 2007 9:33PM

Of cause, neither XBox360 or PS3 are really collecting dust yet. All they need is a couple of good RPGs (because RPGs seems to be the predominant genre of choice in Japan) to bring them back up to par, and to also realise they they're no longer in the same market as Nintendo (meaning that they shouldn't put more into casual in the expense of their other strengths, namely online and sheer computing power). I would say that the first to put out a compelling MMORPG would be the one to definitively take hold of their place in Japan (meaning not needing other titles to maintain sales, and other titles only serve to boost them).

Snukadaman @ Jul 16th 2007 9:30PM

the xbox 360 was never going too sell plenty of systems in japan...it was foretold before....the topic is the failure of sonys machine in japan and the surprise of many that it is failing...being the cheapest ps3 in all regions...i hope that 40 gig ps3 was a joke cause im quite sure theres no possible way gigs will go down and not up....why not a ps3 with no hd?

JonnyBoy2U @ Jul 16th 2007 9:35PM

Dude I'm so confused by sony at this point that its ridiculous. We've got a company that went from 20G and now has reached 80 freaking G's in the span of a few months.

And now all of sudden they're going retro and going lower down to 40G?

Whats next? 120G model to mix it up with the Elite? For how much $699.99?

Psaakyrn @ Jul 16th 2007 9:53PM

The 40GB PS3 was only mentioned by Curmeo. Please don't get confused by assuming that as fact.

Jeff @ Jul 16th 2007 9:33PM

Jesus Christ, talk about revisionism. MS fully expected to do well in Japan with the 360. They went all out courting Japanese developers, they hired a Japanese designer to consult on the system design, and they even "relaunched" the system there when the first launch didn't go so well.

You want proof of how well MS thought they'd do? Here: http://www.itworld.com/App/4201/050725msjapan/

Peter Moore's OWN WORDS: "Let me be clear, this time the rest of the world is starting to realize that Xbox 360 is a real contender right here in Japan. That is a very important point because I know success in this country is the ultimate tribute to the compelling power of our platform."

Again, Peter Moore said that. Not me. Peter Moore.

Mullet Man @ Jul 16th 2007 9:40PM

well, looks like moore has been bitch-slapped by the cold, hard palm of REALITY and is trying to play off his embarrasments as - "meh, never really gave a sh!t about the japan market to begin with."

No doubt, his heart has been broken by hideo kojima, who jilted his affections after a year of passionate courtship. along with the hot, sexy clique of Square-Enix who snubbed moore as if he were an impotent lech at a roman orgy.

Evan @ Jul 16th 2007 11:04PM

"You want proof of how well MS thought they'd do? Here: http://www.itworld.com/App/4201/050725msjapan/"

I stand corrected in my previous reply. It's hard to believe Microsoft was ever serious about Japan, considering that they've only released two Japanese-centric games (Blue Dragon and Idol Master). Did they really expect one or two games would be enough to lure Japanese gamers?

Curmeo @ Jul 16th 2007 9:36PM

JonnyBoy2U,

"The 360 WAS NOT EXPECTED to do well in Japan. Therefore its doing okay despite what was predicted. THe fact that Blue Dragon is selling in Japan is a BIG step forward for MS in terms of gaining more gamers in that region."

LOL. do u know how rediculous you sound? im starting to think you work at MS's damage control department because i cant believe one could say such a thing and actually mean it!

"As for sony and the ps3 its doing horrible in ALL region because of the price and other factors. Japan isn't just one isolated region in which the ps3 isn't doing great. Nor should it matter if the system is truly that great."

You are in denial, buddy. PS3 is consistently outselling 360 in both Japan and Australia and sales are neck in neck in Europe. We have yet to see the $100 price drop impact on US sales.

JonnyBoy2U @ Jul 16th 2007 9:44PM

You must retarded? What exactly did I say thats beyond your comprehension?

The 360 was not expected to do well. Therefore its doing okay based on its current performance. NOT spectacular. But OKAY.

2nd I said Blue Dragon is a "big step forward". Can you read? Let alone spell? Its ridiculous. Not rediculous. I'm not trying to be picky or whatever but you've already shown yourself to be an ignorant and idiotic troll so seeing that mistake I wanted to know if it was on purpose or just a result of your pathetic upbringing.

At your last comment...LMAO. You do realize that you just said the EXACT same thing you said a few minutes ago?

2nd I don't work for MS. I'm still in college. Bout to graduate and go to Med School.

Get at me when you actually have facts to back up your claims. Or when you can make a reasonable argument.

Psaakyrn @ Jul 16th 2007 9:47PM

I don't really think Australia is a good market to compare to. Stick to the 3 core markets (and possibly 4th...): America, Europe, Japan (and possibly South-Asia inc Australia).

faceless coward @ Jul 16th 2007 9:50PM

The Xbox 360 has been available for about a year longer than the PS3 and hasn't had a price drop. Its sales should be significantly lower than the PS3 everywhere. What I'm interested in is how much the influx of good PS3 games in early 2008 is going to affect the sales charts. Hopefully, they'll have a real price drop by then because they're still way out of mass market range right now.

360chick @ Jul 16th 2007 9:55PM

Johnnyboy, I find it funny that you pick on his grammer, when you put "2nd" twice. Can't YOU count? It goes 1, 2, 3, moron.

I can count higher if you want to go get a pen and a notebook to copy it down.

JonnyBoy2U @ Jul 16th 2007 10:03PM

And I'll admit that I made a mistake. Unlike Curmeo I don't pretend to know everything or that I'm right all the time.

Not to mention I was kinda typing in a hurry since I've got other things to than argue with a troll I don't know over the internet.

But thanks for pointing that out. And yes I can count. Its just that I sometimes forget how too...lol.

faceless coward @ Jul 16th 2007 10:20PM

360chick: GRAMMAR! GRAMMAR, GRAMMAR, GRAMMAR, GRAMMAR!

That is all.

Ska Oreo @ Jul 16th 2007 10:28PM

Yes it's doing better than the 360 but it's still doing bad overall japan. Moore is not saying anything about the 360 being better than the ps3. All he's pointing out that Sony is indeed failing in Japan.

CubanoGnzlz @ Jul 17th 2007 2:52AM

Curmeo u are one dumb bastard.... Japan and Australia are like what? 30%..... if even that of the overall world market? North America alone is like 50%... and guess what? It's failing.... everybody thought it was going to be the next big thing.... well, it's not.. the thing has like two or three absolute hits.... the rest is crap. I owned a ps2 and ps1... a ps2 mainly for GTA and Final Fantasy. If I had the money I would consider buying a Ps3 only because of Home, Final Fantasy XIII (in a year), and maybe MGS(next year finally?).