Sony's Buser: 'We Don't Design Home Based On What We Think Is Cool'

PlayStation Home director Jack Buser recently explained to Gamasutra how Sony designs its PlayStation Home service based on player demands, noting that nearly all new content in the virtual space is "designed based on [players'] wants and desires." Since its debut in 2008, Home has introduced many new virtual areas, such as the media-focused community theater, and exclusive games such as the futuristic racing title Sodium 2. And according to Buser, all of these additions arose thanks to fan feedback. "We don't design Home based on what we think is cool," Buser said in an interview with Gamasutra. "We design features for PlayStation Home that the community asks for." Not that community-driven features aren't "cool," but Buser explained that, rather than controlling Home's creative vision internally, Sony gathers data on its users to help determine exactly what audiences want out of the service. "We have both quantitative and qualitative methods of going out and prioritizing feature and content that should be brought to the platform. When you see us bring features, when you see us bring content to the platform, it is more often than not due to the fact that the community demands it," he said. Buser went on to outline how user demand has guided specific additions to the PlayStation Home virtual space. "We’re bringing content to Home, we’re bringing full-on free games, we’re bringing racers and shooters, and we’re creating a place where gamers can go and they can unlock content in their favorite games and they can meet up with their friends, and all of that stuff is being designed based on their wants and desires," Buser explained. "If we hear the community say, 'Hey, we’ve got to have feature X,' we’re going to do it." Earlier this year, PlayStation Home saw all-time record traffic as Sony brought the PlayStation Network back online following its major security breach.