$500 million in profit last fiscal year.
You might want to add that they sold their US HQ for 1 billion, and are now facing monthly rent charges. They sold off ownership in a big marketing & advertisement concern too. If they didn't do that, they would have made a 1 billion loss.
I still predict a bleak future for Sony. Hope the console is good though. Reply-5
@apoc_reg Do not agree. I'm having a blast with RR3, and haven't spent a dime. Perfect for short burst, and the waiting for repairs to be done is covered by a bunch of other games I play. Free to play suits certain types of game, paid games suit other types of games. I really don't see why having free access to a game with this high a production value can be a negative. Free to play is like basic cable. Sometimes it drives on Ads that interrupt you, sometimes you have to wait, or pay to play it faster. How is that any different from looking at a TV series on telly and being tempted to download through video on demand. Reply0
@firstarioch Well, then all the other big names on Kickstarter can be blamed for that too. You are right though. A shame to see an indie lifeline like Kickstarter being taken over by corporate guys who can also get their cash elsewhere. Reply+3
@aros speak for yourself there buddy. If free to play is done well, then I like it more that the old full price business model. I can't remember how many times I've been burned by a game (dishonored, ni no kuni) after paying full price, just to notice how none of the websites dared to be honest about it's flaws because they don't want to lose advertisement income.
I've been playing RR3 off and on all weekend, had quite a bit of fun and didn't pay anything yet (the multiple cars thing works). And if I really want to play lots in a short time, I can shell out some cash and continue playing.
But from the looks of it (i'm also playing Outwitters and Hero Academy), I'll never have to pay and will have enjoyed a big budget game, for free.
So you don't hear me complaining.
(Honestly, I think EA would have earned more if they just charged 5$ for this, as all of my mates are playing it, and no one is paying) Reply+2
@anomagnus i agree. You can't feel bad for yet another dev studio that closes, while burning these effort to the ground. The console market is in decline, so something is got to give. And it needs to be a big change, or it won't be enough to lead to four-five years of big profit (like the PS2 age, which led to cool companies making amazing games because they had the freedom to take risks)
I'm hoping it will be dropping the physical versions of games alltogether, which fixes the used games thing and doubles the profit. They can even cut prices by 10 to 15% accross the board if they do that. So gamers win, devs got room to be creative again, publisher control goes down... And unfortunately, gamesstores are no longer needed. Reply-5
@Resurrected-X460 euhm, I got all consoles, but the most hours of gaming are spent on my iPad. Not fps (controls suck), but arcade, puzzle, adventure, platform and strategy are amazing... And cheap... Be openminded man, stuff like Outwitters is among the best stuff I've played in years. Reply-2
To successfull launch the PS4, they need a big team full of creative people, lots of cash to make killer launch games and even more cash for marketing. They have none of that. They don't even have top of the line R&D anymore. I don't see it ending well. Reply-3
@dogmanstaruk The story is more complicated than that. On order to succeed in the big league of gaming, you have to suck up to a bunch of assholes. And John isn't that kind of guy, so he keeps on trying on his own. You can say what you want about him, but do know that most big time game guru's are on a tight corporate leash, and their "I'm a high roller" attitude is just an act. Only a few have real power (Newell, Mallat, Perry, Blezinski...), the rest are employees. So I don't respect this guy any less. Reply0
Another sign of Sony being in a shitload of financial troubles. They got a big ship to sail, and way too few sailors to do it with. They can't fix any crisis situations (Counter Strike being a good example). Being a Sony fan, it's a sad thing to see this giant on it's knees. Oh how far we've come since the days of FFVII, Gran Turismo and RE2 on PSX. Reply-12
I'm playing this on Classic, and while it is a fun game, the reduced depth (only 6 units max, rules on how to spend time points, enemies that spawn before you, the ability to save and load while in a level, narrow and linear maps, only 1 base, fewerbase rules.) makes it only a shadow of the original.
I also hoped they would have included a better story (which the original also lacked). A good story can make any game better (6th Planet on iPhone proves that point)
The game still takes up all my time though. But I'll be playing Xenonauts later for my real UFO fix. Reply-2
You can vote negative on the harsh comments all you want, but they're telling the truth. Sony is in trouble. They don't have the money to spend on Vita games to get the platform up to speed, nor the money to advertise for it.
Right now, they are focussed on stopping the company from making imense losses. Their share price went from 38$ to 16$ in a year (at the end of march, which also closes their fiscal year), and are now down to 12$ a share. If they go sub-10 (single digit, as the money boys call it), people will start dumping them by the boatload, and it is game over.
On the bright side, lets hope that Samsung buys them and the merge into one big powerhouse. Then they have phones and tv's to battle Apple. They're gonna need it.
But face it, the future of consoles will be different that we all hope it will be. Reply-1
@verynaughtyboy : being an iOS developer, and ex PlayStation games journalist, I can honestly say that Sony needs to really start changing their attitude towards devs, or they will never turn this around. And they need to. Once their share goes singe digits, people will start dumping it by the boatloads, and the are open to being bought by other giants (Samsung?). Reply0
Sony: "Unlike PS3, we are not planning a major loss to be incurred with the launch of PS4"
You might want to add that they sold their US HQ for 1 billion, and are now facing monthly rent charges. They sold off ownership in a big marketing & advertisement concern too. If they didn't do that, they would have made a 1 billion loss.
I still predict a bleak future for Sony. Hope the console is good though. Reply -5
Machinarium on Vita is set for release next week in Europe
Advance Wars retrospective
And also: if you liked Advance wars, check Outwitters on iOS. Been playing that for hundreds of hours. Reply +3
EA dismisses Real Racing 3 micro-transactions furore, declares "the market has spoken"
Garriott's Shroud of the Avatar: multiplayer explained, Dragonlance author Tracy Hickman added
Real Racing 3 review
I've been playing RR3 off and on all weekend, had quite a bit of fun and didn't pay anything yet (the multiple cars thing works). And if I really want to play lots in a short time, I can shell out some cash and continue playing.
But from the looks of it (i'm also playing Outwitters and Hero Academy), I'll never have to pay and will have enjoyed a big budget game, for free.
So you don't hear me complaining.
(Honestly, I think EA would have earned more if they just charged 5$ for this, as all of my mates are playing it, and no one is paying) Reply +2
Sony admits Vita is "a little behind the numbers we originally pictured"
Saturday Soapbox: Buy-to-let gaming
I'm hoping it will be dropping the physical versions of games alltogether, which fixes the used games thing and doubles the profit. They can even cut prices by 10 to 15% accross the board if they do that. So gamers win, devs got room to be creative again, publisher control goes down... And unfortunately, gamesstores are no longer needed. Reply -5
Trends of 2013: The last console generation
Canabalt and Solipskier devs' new puzzler Hundreds launches on iOS today
Double Fine's accidentally-released iOS game now officially available
Eurogamer Readers' Top 50 Games of 2012 voting
Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition review
How the Sex Pistols, Fight Club and James Dean made the new Dante
A dip in PlayStation sales but also a dip in Sony's losses
Okami HD review
Brenda Romero's Ghost Recon Commander cancelled, several staff laid off
PlayStation Store relaunch now postponed for UK
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XCOM: Enemy Unknown review
I also hoped they would have included a better story (which the original also lacked). A good story can make any game better (6th Planet on iPhone proves that point)
The game still takes up all my time though. But I'll be playing Xenonauts later for my real UFO fix. Reply -2
Heavenly Sword 2 concept art leaked
Sony's Jack Tretton deems Vita sales "acceptable"
Right now, they are focussed on stopping the company from making imense losses. Their share price went from 38$ to 16$ in a year (at the end of march, which also closes their fiscal year), and are now down to 12$ a share. If they go sub-10 (single digit, as the money boys call it), people will start dumping them by the boatload, and it is game over.
On the bright side, lets hope that Samsung buys them and the merge into one big powerhouse. Then they have phones and tv's to battle Apple. They're gonna need it.
But face it, the future of consoles will be different that we all hope it will be. Reply -1
Sony sales highlight PlayStation Vita's struggle