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IGN Unfiltered 11: Former PlayStation Boss, Jack Tretton

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Bits N Pieces

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Jack Tretton is fascinating.

This Unfiltered series of interviews is such a high-point for the gaming industry to me. Long form, allowing the innovators and developers to discuss and tell stories rather than clipped sound bytes or packaged conference dialogue.

Well done Mr. McCaffery and IGN.
 
GTSweet said:
Jack Tretton is fascinating.

This Unfiltered series of interviews is such a high-point for the gaming industry to me. Long form, allowing the innovators and developers to discuss and tell stories rather than clipped sound bytes or packaged conference dialogue.

Well done Mr. McCaffery and IGN.
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Yeah, it's frankly my favorite thing IGN has ever produced.
 
2441574-jack.jpg
 
"Early Access is probably the best thing that ever happened to gaming."

We're gonna MASSIVELY disagree there, Jack.
 
god do I miss Jack T.......dude was easily their best on stage presence for E3 conferences. Such a great speaker and fantastic love for the medium.
 
Finally got to watch it after finishing work. Great interview with some really cool insight into the Japanese/Western working relationships, Jack really was the figurehead of Sony as I grew up playing games. He certainly left his mark.

Mr Hoodie next Ryan :)
 
Good interview. I didn't realise that he oversaw the X'Eye release at JVC's game division prior to joining Sony.
 
BD1 said:
Saved for later; did he mention what he's up to these days?
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His LinkedIn details that: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacktretton

LinkedIn said:
Advisory Board Member
DigiLens, Inc
November 2015 – Present (11 months)Sunnyvale, CA
Digilens, Inc is a leader in holographic optical waveguide technology and materials, serving the aerospace, security and consumer electronics industries.

Consultant- Chief Strategy Officer
Studio Wildcard
July 2015 – Present (1 year 3 months)
Providing consultation on publishing strategy, corporate partnerships, mergers and acquisitions and revenue generation.

President
Interactive Concepts, LLC
June 2014 – Present (2 years 4 months)San Carlos, CA
Consulting firm focused on providing leadership insights for consumer products companies with extensive experience in the interactive entertainment industry.

Board Member
Scientific Revenue
June 2014 – Present (2 years 4 months)San Mateo CA
Scientific revenue provides a dynamic pricing engine that helps maximize in app purchases for mobile games and all forms of interactive entertainment. Jack has been a board member since June of 2014 and provides the organization with insights on P&L maximization, corporate partnerships, business strategy and fundraising.

Advisory Board Member
Genotaur
2014 – Present (2 years)La Jolla, California
Genotaur applies advanced evolutionary computing techniques, cognitive computing, and complementary advanced communications technologies to create a seamless new ecosystem for human-computer interaction. in his role as advisory board member, Jack is assisting the team in licensing its technology for use by a diverse array of strategic partners in the fields of digital entertainment, robotics, education, action figure toys and games, and corporate customer service

Advisory Board Member
Lifeapps Digital Media inc.
2014 – Present (2 years)san diego, ca
Lifeapps is a digital publisher, delivering a cross-platform suite of products and services that are focused on enthusiast health, fitness and sports topics. Jack is assisting the management team in finding strategic partners to help grow their business.
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Jack mentioned something about historians in the industry saying no company or platform had been the leader 2 gens in a row when talking about PS2.

Well they forgot about the Nintendo NES and SNES, which is funny because he just mentioned Nintendo and Sega right before, talking about how the PS1 made a name for itself with Nintendo and Sega basically taking up 50/50 shelf space in stores.

The SNES might have sold less than the NES but it was still the sales leader that gen for home consoles.
 
Mass_Pincup said:
He was barely there this year.
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this E3 was an outlier, barely anyone was on stage.

that was the point, and I kinda want that to be the E3 format for them going forward.

we'll see him plenty at PSX.

jroc74 said:
Jack mentioned something about historians in the industry saying no company or platform had been the leader 2 gens in a row when talking about PS2.

Well they forgot about the Nintendo NES and SNES, which is funny because he just mentioned Nintendo and Sega right before, talking about how the PS1 made a name for itself with Nintendo and Sega basically taking up 50/50 shelf space in stores.

The SNES might have sold less than the NES but it was still the sales leader that gen for home consoles.
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I thought it was like 51/49 to Sega Genesis vs SNES when all was said and done?
 
Ryan's definitely an innately talented journalist and interviewer but it seemed he focused on topics from when he got into gaming or joined the media. They spent more time talking about the Wii and Xbox 360 than they did on the PS1 or PSP. The rumble situation and PSN hack are interesting footnotes of varying significance but the focus should have been on the machines and the games. Resident Evil, Metal Gear Solid, and Final Fantasy VII irreversible changed this industry and made console gaming what it is today and I would've liked to know what it was like when these games took off and propelled the console with them. It would also be great if he could divulge what made him stay at the company longer than the three years he said he initially inyended to join for.

BD1 said:
Saved for later; did he mention what he's up to these days?
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Kind of being a middle man for independents, helping them find financing and assisting with management. He mentioned he's just done some stuff with the ARK team.
 
Fat4all said:
this E3 was an outlier, barely anyone was on stage.

that was the point, and I kinda want that to be the E3 format for them going forward.

we'll see him plenty at PSX.
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If he's barely there I don't see how you can say that he improved compared to previous years.
 
Oh sweet I'll be watching this! Miss ya, jack. Went out on a high note though for sure.


Edit: watched the video finally. I really appreciate this format. Especially given its rarity in the industry. Good on ign

And it's a weird compliment but I really respect Jack for his ability to navigate difficult subjects
That's exactly the kind of trait you want in a ceo position. With very interesting anecdotes as well. Props on the off script e3 apology too.
 
Finally saw the whole thing. Nice interview. Amazing to learn where he started.

I miss him at E3 too.

I like when these execs give props to the competition. He has some good things to say about MS.

Compare that to former BB and MS execs that basically laughed at the iPhone..
 
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