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Sony has continued with their horrid attitude and business tactics in 2007.  These are the same tactics that killed both E3 and Lik-Sang.

E3 was killed due to independent blogs like Joystiq and Kotaku (among many others) reporting things as they are.  Major gaming sites like IGN and GameSpot will always be nice with their previews at shows like E3, and that is the kind of controlled space that Sony likes.  What Sony (along with EA Games) did not like, was that there were bloggers running all over E3, giving honest thoughts on what they saw and played at E3.  Sony could not buy these people off (or make them up like they do for their movie reviews) so they just took their ball and went home, effectively killing E3 since Sony is still somehow a major player in the gaming industry.  As has been reported before, the “new E3″ which will now happen in the summer instead of May, will be an invite-only affair, and this is so Sony can pick and choose who sees what…basically, this is what you have to do when you can’t compete on an even field with your competitors.

Continuing this anti-gamer attitude today, Sony has blackballed one of the most popular gaming blogs out there, Kotaku.com.  I’ve sourced several articles of theirs and put them on this site, they’ve posted bad things about every console, and basically report every single piece of news out there.  Sony today didn’t like what Kotaku had to say though, and began threatening them, and when Kotaku went ahead with the story, Sony once again took their ball and went home. 

Here is the entire story as it appears at this time:

Sony Blackballs Kotaku

Earlier today we posted a rumor story on the site about a possible announcement of a new technology coming to Sony’s PlayStation 3.

The PlayStation Home, we reported, would be an intriguing blending of the Mii and achievements, allowing gamers to create a virtual world for customized avatars and then decorate that space with items unlocked through game play.

What readers couldn’t have known was the great lengths we went to to try and pin down the veracity of the rumor before publishing and, when finally deciding to go live with the rumor, to make sure we put it in the correct context.

In so doing, Sony asked us not to publish the story, first nicely, then not so much. Sony Computer Entertainment of American representatives reminded us that the story was a rumor and then went on to say that publishing it could harm our professional relationship with them.

When I responded that we were going forward with the story and that sometimes news doesn’t come from official sources I was told that if we published we would likely be blackballed by the company.

Specifically, they said we would be asked to return our debug PS3, uninvited from all meetings scheduled with Sony at GDC, including one on blogger relations and a one-on-one with Phil Harrison, and that they would no longer deal with us.

Knowing that, we went forward with the story, choosing not to point out the threats.

Shortly after the story ran, and I forwarded it to Dave Karraker, the senior director of corporate communications for Sony Computer Entertainment of America, to point out we did decide to run it.

Here was his response:

Brian, This is an email I was really hoping I would never have to write, but it is what it is. When I came on board here at Sony, I made every effort to be as inclusive as possible to media and the blogging community in an effort to improve previously damaged relationships. This included getting people access to executives, opening our events to more individuals and personally responding as quickly as possible to inquiries. This was done in good faith with the thought that the people I was working with would operate with the same integrity and courtesy I think I demonstrated when I was a reporter. Basically, I went out on a limb for a lot of people — people SCEA PR and SCEA management had written off. I caught a lot of flack for it from folks, but I felt strongly it was the right thing to do.

I am very disappointed that after trying to work with you as closely as possible and provide you and your team with access and information, you chose to report on this rumor…. I can’t defend outlets that can’t work cooperatively with us.

So, it is for this reason, that we will be canceling all further interviews for Kotaku staff at GDC and will be dis-inviting you to our media event next Tuesday. Until we can find a way to work better together, information provided to your site will only be that found in the public forum.

Again, I take absolutely no joy in sending you this note, but given the situation you have put me into, I have no choice.

Dave Karraker
Sr. Director, Corporate Communications
Sony Computer Entertainment America

I obviously took no joy in receiving it, though I do believe it adds to the veracity of our initial rumor report.

As I told Dave Karraker in reply, this only highlights the differences between what PR people do for a living and what journalists do.

Dave, Obviously I disagree with your decision, but it sounds like your mind is made up. I think this only highlights the differences that PR people and journalists have. My interest is not in making sure that Sony has positive news or that the timing of their news is correct, my job only is to inform the readers of news as quickly and accurately as I can. Hopefully, one day this dispute will settle down and you will reopen communication with us. Know this, while I disagree with this decision and think it is a monumental mistake, it will not effect our continuing coverage of Sony and the gaming software and hardware your company makes and supports. Take care, Brian

Sony’s decision is disappointing, not because of what it means to Kotaku, but because of what it means to the industry.

—————

This kind of story is the exact reason the PS3 should not be supported, and why I have always and will always fight against Sony.  This isn’t about being a fanboy, or not appreciating games just because they are on a different console, it is about not supporting a company that has an obvious disdain for the gaming industry and everything it stands for.

Update: UNSCleric.com readers and Contributor SH1SNO alerted me to the following:

Sony and Kotaku Make-Up

What a hellish day it has been today. Both for Kotaku and I’m sure team Sony.

First to summarize: We posted a rumor after Sony asked us not to and they emailed to say we were no longer welcome at any of their private GDC events and that they would no longer provide us with any information found outside of the public forums.

We posted said e-mail and the Internet imploded.

First, I have to say thank you to all of the websites, newspapers, magazines, people who were so quick to come to our defense and supported our decision to stand by our story.

Second, I want to thank Dave Karraker, head of SCEA PR, who was big enough to call me and talk the whole thing through after this exploded.

He told me his take on the story and his frustrations and I told him mine, in the end we agreed to disagree on some level, but also decided that our readers and gamers in general would be best served if Sony and Kotaku could still play nicely together.

In a nutshell: The story remains up and Sony has re-invited us to the meetings and interviews initially scheduled for the Game Developers Conference.

It’s unfortunate that we, not just Kotaku and Sony, but all of us had to go through this, but it’s good to see the outcome: We were doing our job and Sony was doing theirs and now we can both continue to do so.

This situation ended the best way it could, with Sony’s ego being crushed under the weight of the free, independent gaming press.

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 1st, 2007 at 6:19 pm and is filed under Playstation 3 News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.