PS3 Informer has an interesting article up today about Sony's fondness for teasing gamers with the prospect of "top secret" exclusive games under development and what exactly this strategy might mean.
In the article, Kris Erickson points out that for the past few months, Sony has been discreetly leaking whispers to the gaming press - all the way up to the BBC - about "top secret" titles in the works. Those same journalists then go on to help build hype for these mystical titles that honestly, we don't know the first damn thing about.
When Sony executive Shuhei Yoshida hinted that there were "more big titles that we have not even announced yet" on their way, Erickson finally had to ask:
What's up with all of this secrecy, Sony? Surely if you have a big game in development there is no harm in telling us about it so we have something to look forward to.
The piece mentions two potential reasons why Sony keeps swearing everybody to secrecy: on the one hand, maybe the titles are simply so far from completion (what with modern development times being what they are) that the developers simply aren't ready to talk about their game. This could be Sony's way of promising its faithful that there are indeed goodies coming down the pipe, but they might not be in the coming year - gamers might need to wait until 2010 to taste this sacred fruit.
On the other hand (and the article acknowledges that this would be the fanboy-preferred reason), maybe these double-plus-secret projects are just that damn good. Perhaps these games are so brimming with innovation and brilliance that Sony can't reveal them for fear that those dastardly dogs at Nintendo or Microsoft might steal the concept and beat it to the punch.
I would like to offer a third suggestion, if I may: it's no secret that, any way you slice it, Sony and the PlayStation 3 are in last place this console generation despite blockbuster exclusives in 2008 like LittleBigPlanet and Metal Gear Solid 4. Sony needs something to jumpstart its flagging numbers and quickly - especially if SCEE President David Reeves' mandate that turning a profit is the company's number 1 priority in 2009 is any indication. As Erickson also points out, of the three participants in this round of console wars, Sony is the only one making such a big deal about secrecy.
Given that we've seen that Sony is no stranger to slightly ham-fisted marketing (see: All I Want for Christmas is a PSP) ... well, perhaps I ought to be giving it more of the benefit of the doubt than I am, but this just comes off as a slightly desperate, potentially underhanded marketing ploy to me. Could Sony be banking on gamers picking up PS3s based on these top-secret-but-supposedly-mindblowing titles before they even know if the games are to their taste or not?
Yeah i'm gonna go with Option 3. "We don't have anything to sell!" "Well sell them DREAMS and fairy dust! They'll buy it! Shit they went to all 3 Star Wars Prequels!"
It's odd, because they were not very secretive regarding God of War 3. In that case they were yelling "look, it's GOW3" from the towers even though it was a year or longer from release.
Oh well, if Sony wants to sell consoles we will likely know by E3.
johnx61: Of course Nintendo doesn't need to keep secrets. Who'd want to rip off games like Cooking Mama?
Nintendo can't keep secrets because they keep making the same games. Nintendo:"We have a new secret exclusive plat former!" Person:"It's Mario isn't it..." Nintendo:"No....maybe....yes.."
johnx61: Of course Nintendo doesn't need to keep secrets. Who'd want to rip off games like Cooking Mama?
Well, I suppose people who like money might. Cooking Mama's doing very well.
And this is what utterly confuses me about Nintendo and people who adore them.
I smack Cooking Mama around all the time because it is perhaps the lamest idea for a video game since...ugh I can't think of a lamer idea. But the lameness of Cooking Mama is perpetuated by people who actually buy this crap.
What it all adds up to is that actual games are being systematically replaced by mini-games disguising themselves as actual games. I don't understand what the possible appeal of Cooking Mama could be, other then the fact that a toddler or your quadrapalegic granny could play it just as well as people who have mastered the nuances of Portal.
Perhaps I'm jaded by the fact that I live amongst a family of stalwart game-haters and that Nintendo is not only targeting people like them over loyal customers, but actually succeeding by doing so.
But as far as I'm concerend games like Cooking Mama, while fine for a niche audiance that plays games only at Thanksgiving or Christmas, should not be the absolute focus for the entire industry.
i know m$ has never had any top secret projects that it's sworn everyone to secrecy in it's history as a company. only sony would do something as bad and evil as that.
it's hypocrisy, the same thing happened during the blu-ray/hd-dvd format war, no matter what hd-dvd did if sony and blu-ray did something similar they were branded as evil bastards that were up to no good
Trico aside, what projects are you actually referring to about this? We're awash in Killzone 2 details, inFAMOUS seems to have weekly interviews and gameplay trailers, Heavy Rain continues to make the circuit with only the storyline kept under wraps, God Of War III has Jaffee running his mouth off....
And you can't fault Sony for being secretive about Trico - thats just what Team Ico do. Nine months before the release of Shadow Of the Collosus or Ico, you'd be hard pressed to find any info on them.
I don't really see the harm in throwing out a title and perhaps a logo and some "accidentally" leaked screen shots or concept art.
Even if they don't give away any kind of real information about the game, at least that gives people something to be excited about. I just can't feel the hype for a project that may or may not even exist.
Obviously, there are times when keeping secrets until the game is nearly finished might work better. Most of these titles, however, are usually big-name sequels that are easy enough to predict, anyway.
cleverlymadeup: i know m$ has never had any top secret projects that it's sworn everyone to secrecy in it's history as a company. only sony would do something as bad and evil as that.
it's hypocrisy, the same thing happened during the blu-ray/hd-dvd format war, no matter what hd-dvd did if sony and blu-ray did something similar they were branded as evil bastards that were up to no good
No, but the difference is, these days Microsoft isn't making an active practice of going "Shhhh here's something REALLY REALLY COOL that we're working on but OH MAN WE CAN'T TELL YOU WHAT IT IS YOU GUYS ARE GOING TO BE SO PSYCHED."
There's a difference between keeping a secret project - like I'm sure every company is doing - and actively promoting your secrets. It'd be like if Blizzard kept hinting at SC2 or Diablo 3 before announcing them. "Hey we're working on something TOTALLY AWESOME HERE but we're not ready to talk about it sorry."
That's the difference, and that's what Sony is doing.
Trico aside, what projects are you actually referring to about this? We're awash in Killzone 2 details, inFAMOUS seems to have weekly interviews and gameplay trailers, Heavy Rain continues to make the circuit with only the storyline kept under wraps, God Of War III has Jaffee running his mouth off....
And you can't fault Sony for being secretive about Trico - thats just what Team Ico do. Nine months before the release of Shadow Of the Collosus or Ico, you'd be hard pressed to find any info on them.
That's always an option, yes, but again, the article isn't talking about just having a secret project. It's about having a secret project and telling everyone you have a secret project. (Read the BBC article I linked in the original post for a good example of it) I hate to use the example again, but part of the reason that the StarCraft 2 and Diablo 3 announcements worked so well is that while we could certainly piece the puzzle together ourselves (hmm, announcing a game in Korea on the anniversary of StarCraft 1... I wonder...) there wasn't any official word at all before them. They were truly spoiler-free.
I'm sure Sony has some top secret projects just like that - they're working on and have not breathed a word that they even exist to anyone - but they also have a tendency to go "hmm hmm we've got something speciaaaalll for you guys."
Trico aside, what projects are you actually referring to about this? We're awash in Killzone 2 details, inFAMOUS seems to have weekly interviews and gameplay trailers, Heavy Rain continues to make the circuit with only the storyline kept under wraps, God Of War III has Jaffee running his mouth off....
And you can't fault Sony for being secretive about Trico - thats just what Team Ico do. Nine months before the release of Shadow Of the Collosus or Ico, you'd be hard pressed to find any info on them.
That's always an option, yes, but again, the article isn't talking about just having a secret project. It's about having a secret project and telling everyone you have a secret project. (Read the BBC article I linked in the original post for a good example of it) I hate to use the example again, but part of the reason that the StarCraft 2 and Diablo 3 announcements worked so well is that while we could certainly piece the puzzle together ourselves (hmm, announcing a game in Korea on the anniversary of StarCraft 1... I wonder...) there wasn't any official word at all before them. They were truly spoiler-free.
I'm sure Sony has some top secret projects just like that - they're working on and have not breathed a word that they even exist to anyone - but they also have a tendency to go "hmm hmm we've got something speciaaaalll for you guys."
Do you see the difference?
Actually, there was a reason they wouldn't let him talk about that project in question - it was Eight Days, and it was half cancelled at the time. They were showing it off to see if it garnered the right reactions to justify continuing with it - people complained that it didn't have any multiplayer aspects, so they put it on the shelf and started doing something that neither Microsoft or Nintendo seem to be able to do anymore - cute.
Sony have been wailing about their 2009 exclusives for a while now. Microsoft have given off a few tidbits of info on their games for next year, but haven't announced any "ground breaking" titles. Nintendo is making us assume their next game will be a Mario/Zelda. VALVe haven't given us ANY god damn info on HL2:Episode 3 Sucker Punch won't give us any details on the Moral System in InFamous!
Secrecy is nothing new in this industry, and they're completely over-proportioning (that's not a word, is it?) Sony's "evil bad secrecy".
However, I will have mixed feelings if they announce a new Team Ico project. I'll be filled with wonder and glee but I'll be annoyed that they kept us in the dark for so long. But so much glee!
There's a difference between keeping a secret project - like I'm sure every company is doing - and actively promoting your secrets. It'd be like if Blizzard kept hinting at SC2 or Diablo 3 before announcing them. "Hey we're working on something TOTALLY AWESOME HERE but we're not ready to talk about it sorry."
actually Blizzard HAS done that on a few occasions, which i do believe became known as Diablo 3 before they announced it
all companies do it, it's just that most media ignore it unless it's Sony. the media and frankly a lot of ppl have been on a big Sony bashing kick for a couple years now. i know other companies have gotten it before, like Nintendo during the N64 and gamecube era. i'd almost say m$ but frankly they do deserve a lot of it because of the stuff they are force feeidng us and forcing us to use but that goes beyond the gaming world really
I would like to offer a third suggestion, if I may: it's no secret that, any way you slice it, Sony and the PlayStation 3 are in last place this console generation despite blockbuster exclusives in 2008 like LittleBigPlanet and Metal Gear Solid 4. Sony needs something to jumpstart its flagging numbers and quickly
Uh, what? The PS3 is winning in Japan and Europe. America is not the world.
TsunamiWombat: Yeah i'm gonna go with Option 3. "We don't have anything to sell!" "Well sell them DREAMS and fairy dust! They'll buy it! Shit they went to all 3 Star Wars Prequels!"
Better potential greatness with the Ps3 than confirmed badness with the 360.
I would like to offer a third suggestion, if I may: it's no secret that, any way you slice it, Sony and the PlayStation 3 are in last place this console generation despite blockbuster exclusives in 2008 like LittleBigPlanet and Metal Gear Solid 4. Sony needs something to jumpstart its flagging numbers and quickly
Uh, what? The PS3 is winning in Japan and Europe. America is not the world.
More anti-Sony nonsense on The Escapist.
Hurrah!
America isn't the world but it is certainly the largest market by far.
TsunamiWombat: Yeah i'm gonna go with Option 3. "We don't have anything to sell!" "Well sell them DREAMS and fairy dust! They'll buy it! Shit they went to all 3 Star Wars Prequels!"
Better potential greatness with the Ps3 than confirmed badness with the 360.
Just an observation: it seems that all the blatant Sony fanboys here on the Escapist have angry/evil avatars.
TsunamiWombat: Yeah i'm gonna go with Option 3. "We don't have anything to sell!" "Well sell them DREAMS and fairy dust! They'll buy it! Shit they went to all 3 Star Wars Prequels!"
Better potential greatness with the Ps3 than confirmed badness with the 360.
Just an observation: it seems that all the blatant Sony fanboys here on the Escapist have angry/evil avatars.
Okay, first off, Eddie isn't evil - he killed Margaret Thatcher, so he got rid of a great evil. He also happens to be serving as the basis for the main character in Brutal legend (thats where they got the name Eddy Riggs from - Eddie, and his creator, Derek Riggs). And he's quite clearly smiling.
Second off, whats wrong with Jumplions, Omnis or Bulletinmybrains? Hell, nathan-dts has a LOLcat.
Third, your avatar is currently an inhuman looking soldier in front of a ruined background that looks halfway into the act of shooting us - just putting it out there.
Indigo_Dingo: Okay, first off, Eddie isn't evil - he killed Margaret Thatcher, so he got rid of a great evil. He also happens to be serving as the basis for the main character in Brutal legend (thats where they got the name Eddy Riggs from - Eddie, and his creator, Derek Riggs). And he's quite clearly smiling.
Second off, whats wrong with Jumplions, Omnis or Bulletinmybrains? Hell, nathan-dts has a LOLcat.
Third, your avatar is currently an inhuman looking soldier in front of a ruined background that looks halfway into the act of shooting us - just putting it out there.
1 - I think you'd agree that a smiling skull with red glowing eyes appears evil. 2 - I did say blatant. You, AlphaWolf, and Bulletinmybrain (and also that guy with the Dragonball Z avatar whose name I can't remember right now) are the blatant ones as far as my understanding goes. AlphaWolf of course has the snarling wolf and bullet's is a Zero Punctuation screenshot. That's uninspired and sloth is one of the Seven Deadly Sins. And we all know that LOLcats are a sign of the Apocalypse. 3 - Granted, although I don't see how you get "halfway into the act of shooting us" from a lowered weapon.
PS you must have realized by the LOLcats comment that I have been largely joking, if you didn't then I'll tell you now not to take everything I've said here seriously.
Indigo_Dingo: Okay, first off, Eddie isn't evil - he killed Margaret Thatcher, so he got rid of a great evil. He also happens to be serving as the basis for the main character in Brutal legend (thats where they got the name Eddy Riggs from - Eddie, and his creator, Derek Riggs). And he's quite clearly smiling.
Second off, whats wrong with Jumplions, Omnis or Bulletinmybrains? Hell, nathan-dts has a LOLcat.
Third, your avatar is currently an inhuman looking soldier in front of a ruined background that looks halfway into the act of shooting us - just putting it out there.
1 - I think you'd agree that a smiling skull with red glowing eyes appears evil. 2 - I did say blatant. You, AlphaWolf, and Bulletinmybrain (and also that guy with the Dragonball Z avatar whose name I can't remember right now) are the blatant ones as far as my understanding goes. AlphaWolf of course has the snarling wolf and bullet's is a Zero Punctuation screenshot. That's uninspired and sloth is one of the Seven Deadly Sins. And we all know that LOLcats are a sign of the Apocalypse. 3 - Granted, although I don't see how you get "halfway into the act of shooting us" from a lowered weapon.
1. Just another important reminder that looks can be deceiving. I mean, if you looked at me, you'd never guess that I was an absolute maniac (several Escapists can attest to this). 2. Jumplion is my second in command, and will take over my mantle when I die in a freak spooning accident. And like I said, Omni (although he may be the DBZ guy you're talking about). 3. He's not lowering his weapon, he's turning it around to kill us with the butt, using Krav Maga. Can't you see the difference before its too late??!!
cleverlymadeup: i know m$ has never had any top secret projects that it's sworn everyone to secrecy in it's history as a company. only sony would do something as bad and evil as that.
it's hypocrisy, the same thing happened during the blu-ray/hd-dvd format war, no matter what hd-dvd did if sony and blu-ray did something similar they were branded as evil bastards that were up to no good
No, but the difference is, these days Microsoft isn't making an active practice of going "Shhhh here's something REALLY REALLY COOL that we're working on but OH MAN WE CAN'T TELL YOU WHAT IT IS YOU GUYS ARE GOING TO BE SO PSYCHED."
There's a difference between keeping a secret project - like I'm sure every company is doing - and actively promoting your secrets. It'd be like if Blizzard kept hinting at SC2 or Diablo 3 before announcing them. "Hey we're working on something TOTALLY AWESOME HERE but we're not ready to talk about it sorry."
That's the difference, and that's what Sony is doing.
Why do I feel like I'm in elementary school again?
TsunamiWombat: Yeah i'm gonna go with Option 3. "We don't have anything to sell!" "Well sell them DREAMS and fairy dust! They'll buy it! Shit they went to all 3 Star Wars Prequels!"
I did go to all three...BUT I WILL NOT FALL FOR SUCH TRICKERY AGAIN I TELL YOU...
Eldritch Warlord: Just an observation: it seems that all the blatant Sony fanboys here on the Escapist have angry/evil avatars.
Pfft, meanie. I'm going to make sure you don't get any gift baskets at the party next week! (I can do that, I have PoWeRs.
If we had an official bunch of Microsoft and Nintendo people, it would feel a lot more balanced, but nobody has even sent a filled application! And don't tell me "Oh, if you need a fanboy, I'll be one!", last time that happened the gas tank exploded at Bullet's house. Don't ask me how, it just did.
I would like to offer a third suggestion, if I may: it's no secret that, any way you slice it, Sony and the PlayStation 3 are in last place this console generation despite blockbuster exclusives in 2008 like LittleBigPlanet and Metal Gear Solid 4. Sony needs something to jumpstart its flagging numbers and quickly
Uh, what? The PS3 is winning in Japan and Europe. America is not the world.
More anti-Sony nonsense on The Escapist.
Hurrah!
America is not the world but look at the sold units. At the time the PS3 is in the last place.
Edit: It's really ironic to talk about Sony's secrets and posting a image of the new Team Ico game.
Well, being the least selling console of this generation (compared to Xbox and Wii), I think Sony is just trying to get some attention by creating mysterious new franchises and such. Not that there's anything wrong with that...
Vlane: America is not the world but look at the sold units. At the time the PS3 is in the last place.
But it has been on sale for less time; the PS3 has actually sold more units per month on sale than the X360. Given that Microsoft have been slashing prices and Sony have resisted, this is an obvious victory for Sony. Interesting that I am labelled a "fanboy" by another poster simply for stating factual information and unravelling the spin in the OP. Why is the American media so determined to bury Sony all of a sudden?
Vlane: America is not the world but look at the sold units. At the time the PS3 is in the last place.
But it has been on sale for less time; the PS3 has actually sold more units per month on sale than the X360. Given that Microsoft have been slashing prices and Sony have resisted, this is an obvious victory for Sony. Interesting that I am labelled a "fanboy" by another poster simply for stating factual information and unravelling the spin in the OP. Why is the American media so determined to bury Sony all of a sudden?
Yes the PS3 sold more in less but that doesn't change the fact that the PS3 is in the last place.
Indigo_Dingo: Okay, first off, Eddie isn't evil - he killed Margaret Thatcher, so he got rid of a great evil. He also happens to be serving as the basis for the main character in Brutal legend (thats where they got the name Eddy Riggs from - Eddie, and his creator, Derek Riggs). And he's quite clearly smiling.
Second off, whats wrong with Jumplions, Omnis or Bulletinmybrains? Hell, nathan-dts has a LOLcat.
Third, your avatar is currently an inhuman looking soldier in front of a ruined background that looks halfway into the act of shooting us - just putting it out there.
1 - I think you'd agree that a smiling skull with red glowing eyes appears evil. 2 - I did say blatant. You, AlphaWolf, and Bulletinmybrain (and also that guy with the Dragonball Z avatar whose name I can't remember right now) are the blatant ones as far as my understanding goes. AlphaWolf of course has the snarling wolf and bullet's is a Zero Punctuation screenshot. That's uninspired and sloth is one of the Seven Deadly Sins. And we all know that LOLcats are a sign of the Apocalypse. 3 - Granted, although I don't see how you get "halfway into the act of shooting us" from a lowered weapon.
1. Just another important reminder that looks can be deceiving. I mean, if you looked at me, you'd never guess that I was an absolute maniac (several Escapists can attest to this). 2. Jumplion is my second in command, and will take over my mantle when I die in a freak spooning accident. And like I said, Omni (although he may be the DBZ guy you're talking about). 3. He's not lowering his weapon, he's turning it around to kill us with the butt, using Krav Maga. Can't you see the difference before its too late??!!
Why is Sony Obsessed With "Secret" Exclusives?
PS3 Informer has an interesting article up today about Sony's fondness for teasing gamers with the prospect of "top secret" exclusive games under development and what exactly this strategy might mean.
In the article, Kris Erickson points out that for the past few months, Sony has been discreetly leaking whispers to the gaming press - all the way up to the BBC - about "top secret" titles in the works. Those same journalists then go on to help build hype for these mystical titles that honestly, we don't know the first damn thing about.
When Sony executive Shuhei Yoshida hinted that there were "more big titles that we have not even announced yet" on their way, Erickson finally had to ask:
The piece mentions two potential reasons why Sony keeps swearing everybody to secrecy: on the one hand, maybe the titles are simply so far from completion (what with modern development times being what they are) that the developers simply aren't ready to talk about their game. This could be Sony's way of promising its faithful that there are indeed goodies coming down the pipe, but they might not be in the coming year - gamers might need to wait until 2010 to taste this sacred fruit.
On the other hand (and the article acknowledges that this would be the fanboy-preferred reason), maybe these double-plus-secret projects are just that damn good. Perhaps these games are so brimming with innovation and brilliance that Sony can't reveal them for fear that those dastardly dogs at Nintendo or Microsoft might steal the concept and beat it to the punch.
I would like to offer a third suggestion, if I may: it's no secret that, any way you slice it, Sony and the PlayStation 3 are in last place this console generation despite blockbuster exclusives in 2008 like LittleBigPlanet and Metal Gear Solid 4. Sony needs something to jumpstart its flagging numbers and quickly - especially if SCEE President David Reeves' mandate that turning a profit is the company's number 1 priority in 2009 is any indication. As Erickson also points out, of the three participants in this round of console wars, Sony is the only one making such a big deal about secrecy.
Given that we've seen that Sony is no stranger to slightly ham-fisted marketing (see: All I Want for Christmas is a PSP) ... well, perhaps I ought to be giving it more of the benefit of the doubt than I am, but this just comes off as a slightly desperate, potentially underhanded marketing ploy to me. Could Sony be banking on gamers picking up PS3s based on these top-secret-but-supposedly-mindblowing titles before they even know if the games are to their taste or not?
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