Sony Looks to Extend Life

Digital distribution and microtransactions are going to make you and your games have a much longer relationship, or so says Sony.

It used to be that you would walk into a store, pay the kind clerk at the counter your money, and that would be that - you and the publisher would have very little else in the way of a relationship afterwards. But that's not how Sony sees it, and it's banking that you'll be willing to pay for the pleasure.

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"The launch should mark the beginning of a relationship with the consumer that we need to develop and service," Sony's Michael Denny said during an extensive interview on digital distribution with Next Generation.

The idea is that through the miracle of microtransactions, people will be able to not only extend the life of their games through downloadable content, but also at the same time extend their relationships with game creators. Denny says that building a vibrant community around a game will be one marker of success in the next generation.

Like Sony boss Ken Kutaragi, Denny feels that users - that would be gamers - will have a role in the creation of game content. He stopped short of the "120 per cent contribution" Kutaragi spoke of during his keynote address at the Tokyo Game Show, but he said that Sony will "push the boundaries". Quite how is still something of a mystery.

There are still many questions to be answered, but Denny is at least confident that this is the way forward:

"I believe consumers will readily pay for quality content and service delivered on an ongoing basis."

Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo