Sony has had some big third quarter losses, with sales of all its consoles slipping, but that’s never going to put a dent in a Sony executive’s suit. Pretending that the company is exactly where it wants to be right now, Sony’s David Reeves has stated that it’s simply taking a few hard knocks but is ready to punch back. Just like Ali vs Foreman.
“We simply have to suffer a little, go down in market share and mind-share,” says Reeves, keeping a straight face. “It’s like Ali v Foreman – go eight or nine rounds and let him punch himself out. We’re still standing, we’re still profitable and there’s a lot of fight in us. I don’t say we will land a knockout blow, but we’re there and we’re fighting.”
So far, I’ve not seen much “fighting” come from Sony’s corner. I’ve seen a few half-hearted swipes at Microsoft, but other than that, the company has pretty much pulled a coat over its head and asked to be woken up when it’s all over. Nevertheless, Reeves is adamant that the PlayStation brand is exactly where Sony wants it to be.
“Admittedly, in the current climate, more people will go for the lower price, but we still make a profit and that is our objective,” he explains. “My objective is financial – to make a profit in our territory by the end of March, and we will. Our priority has always been the PS3; the forecast was 10m at the beginning of the year and it’s still 10m.”
I can certainly understand Sony’s position when it comes to a price cut. However, the PS3 is still without an identity, and a string of confusing ad campaigns isn’t going to convince people that the PS3 is worth buying. Right now I’m not entirely sure what Sony can do to up the PlayStation 3’s stakes in the market outside of that mythical price cut. Unfortunately, I don’t think Sony’s too sure how to do it either.
