Yoichi Wada, president of Japanese publisher and developer Square Enix, has called for Sony to establish “an unwavering marketing strategy” for the PlayStation 3 with a series of implicit criticisms of the company’s marketing efforts to date.
As
reported by the Reuters news agency, Wada told reporters that: “Sony first unveiled the PS3 as a mighty home electronics product. Then, after some badgering from game companies, it shifted the position of the console closer to a game machine.”
"[The future of the PS3] would be tough if its marketing strategy is not straightened up," he added.
Although a staunch supporter of Sony (which owns a 8.58 percent share in the company) during the PS one and PlayStation 2 era, Square Enix has, like most Japanese publishers, diversified its format support in the new generation. In particular, a warming of relations with Nintendo has seen more company titles released for Nintendo formats than at any time since the SNES era.
Despite this, the PlayStation 3 still remains a focus of Square Enix’s business, with the core
Final Fantasy series remaining one of the format’s most important third party exclusive franchises. Although Wada’s comments are likely to refer primarily to marketing in Japan, his unusually forthright public comments suggest unease with Sony’s approach.
