[PS3] Terremoto ai vertici di Sony Computer Entertainment

[Turrican3]

Notizia bomba: Stringer e soci riordinano i vertici della società spostando Kaz Hirai dagli Stati Uniti a Tokyo mettendolo al posto di Kutaragi, mentre a SCEA sale di grado Jack Tretton.

Sulla carta è una promozione per Kutaragi ma sono in molti a ritenere il suo riposizionamento in un ruolo da supervisore un modo elegante per toglierlo di mezzo. :boom:

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601101&sid=aKlCTJpDyP6g&refer=japan

Sony Replaces PlayStation Chief Kutaragi After Delays (Update5)

By Pavel Alpeyev

Nov. 30 (Bloomberg) -- Ken Kutaragi, the developer of Sony Corp.'s PlayStation game console, stepped aside from day-to-day management of the unit after production delays forced the company to slash shipment targets.

Kaz Hirai, head of the U.S. game division, will take over as president of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc., the Tokyo-based company said in a statement today. Kutaragi, 56, will become chairman of the unit.

Sony Chief Executive Officer Howard Stringer is counting on the PlayStation 3 to revive a company that has lost almost half its market value in the past six years. Kutaragi, a 30-year Sony veteran, in September cut 2006 shipment targets by half because of parts shortages.

``Given that PlayStation 3's main market may be overseas, turning to people who know that business is understandable,'' said Naoki Fujiwara, who manages $720 million at Shinkin Asset Management Co. in Tokyo.

Sony cut the Japan price of the PlayStation 3 by 20 percent to help lure buyers from Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360 and Nintendo Co.'s Wii consoles, which sell for about half as much. The PlayStation 3 went on sale earlier this month and the company aims to ship 2 million units this year.

`Most Important Product'
``PlayStation 3 is the most important product in the Sony Group,'' Stringer said today in a faxed statement. The management changes will ``accelerate the expansion of our game business,'' he said.

Kutaragi led the team that developed the PlayStation brand in 1994, giving Sony the biggest share of a $20 billion industry.

``Kutaragi will focus on overseeing the entire operation rather than day-to-day business,'' said Nanako Kato, Sony Computer Entertainment's spokeswoman. His position at ``the top of the management doesn't change.''

The company probably missed its goal of having 400,000 players in the U.S. when it went on sale Nov. 17, analysts including Merrill Lynch & Co.'s Justin Post and Paul-Jon McNealy at American Technology Research said this month.

Hirai, whose full name is Kazuo, will start his new job tomorrow, the company said. The 45-year-old joined CBS/Sony Inc., now Sony Music Entertainment Japan, in 1984, at the same time that Stringer was an executive producer at CBS News.

After joining Sony Computer in 1995, Hirai oversaw the U.S. introduction of the PlayStation, PlayStation 2 and the PlayStation Portable game players. He also led Sony into online game-playing in 2002, gaining more than 2 million users, according to Sony Computer's Web site. Hirai has been president of Sony Computer America Inc. since 2003.

Declining Outlook
Sony on Oct. 20 cut its full-year net income forecast to a five-year low of 80 billion yen ($688 million), from an earlier estimate of 130 billion yen. The reduction was caused by the PlayStation 3 price cut and a battery recall that was the largest in the history of consumer electronics.

The games division had an operating loss of 43.5 billion yen as sales dropped 21 percent in the three months ended Sept. 30.

The company today also named Akira Sato, a board member, as vice chairman. David Reeves, president and chief executive of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, becomes deputy president of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

[Reiz]

Notizia bomba: Stringer e soci riordinano i vertici della società spostando Kaz Hirai dagli Stati Uniti a Tokyo mettendolo al posto di Kutaragi, mentre a SCEA sale di grado Jack Tretton.

Sulla carta è una promozione per Kutaragi ma sono in molti a ritenere il suo riposizionamento in un ruolo da supervisore un modo elegante per toglierlo di mezzo. :boom:

mi sa che è proprio cosi 

[Sensei]

un po' di aria nuova, meglio così 

[Quelo]

 

[Biggy]

Per altri è solo una promozione per Kaz Hirai (le sue performance fanatico-canore  :ehsi: ? ) mentre per Kutaragi non cambierebbe nulla  ::) ... come se Sony non avesse perso la faccia ultimamente e non si dovesse dare una "punizione" ai vertici ...

[Hondino]

forse gli "altri" ( che siano a LOST? hihihi) la pensano diversamente... è sempr eun pò  come vedere il bicchiere mezzo pieno o mezzo vuoto.... ;)

[Turrican3]

Per altri è solo una promozione per Kaz Hirai

Guarda, non so che dirti: il taglio che Bloomberg ha dato alla notizia non lascerebbe dubbi riguardo l'intento "punitivo" nei confronti di Kutaragi.

Io di queste cose non so moltissimo, posso solo riportare le perplessità che ho letto in giro per svariati (grossi) forum italiani e stranieri: qualcuno concorda con l'interpretazione in chiave anti-Kuta, altri no. Boooooh?