Ben-DutkaSony would much rather focus on their own business than point fingers, which has been a common trait of the company during the PlayStation era(s).
In speaking to OPM reporter Ben Wilson at GamesCom last week , Sony's Michael Denny said they judge the success of their studios by the performance of new IPs. It's not necessarily about comparing to the competition, but creating the best product possible. Denny cited Quantic Dream's Heavy Rain as a great example of this and said the new IP had "single-handedly birthed a new genre for games." That's not entirely true, as one could argue Quantic's Indigo Prophecy sort of began that particular genre but even so, Heavy Rain might be the first example of an "interactive drama." When asked about the competition (the Xbox 360 and Wii), Denny replied:
"There are a whole number of metrics we could measure success by, but for me on a worldwide studios side of things, there's nothing more gratifying than when we break new IPs – innovative games we bring to PlayStation fans.
In a year like the one just gone, you look at a game like Heavy Rain. A lot of people questioned whether that was risky and whether it [could] stand up. But I think that's what really brings the pleasure of working for Sony first party – we're willing to take some risks and look at innovation."
It was a definite risk and at first, we were concerned that despite the critical acclaim, it wouldn't be a financial success. But the game has already sold 1.5 million copies this year and the new estimation is that it will push over 2 million before all is said and done. New IPs and top-notch exclusives have proven to be a highlight of the PS3's existence (can you say, Uncharted ?) and in general, it's great games that push hardware…which is another barometer for success.