I thought I'd had my fill of Sony's Jack Tretton after cutting all of Kotaku's interview clips, but Dean Takahashi has just posted his interview from E3 which has some interesting finds. I especially enjoyed Tretton's take on innovation and trends, and how that relates to Sony's strategies at the moment.

One of the big problems of software development given the costs is that companies are slaves to Wall Street and Wall Street wants results. If you have a long-term perspective on development, you have to be thinking two years out. To build a good game, you can't bring it to market in less than two years. If you react to what is going on here and now, you may find yourself with a different marketplace by the time you get there with the code. We have seen it time and time again. Tomb Raider was a revolutionary product on the PlayStation. Everyone tried to do a rip off. By the time they got there, it was too late. When Grand Theft Auto came out, everybody gravitated to Grand Theft Auto. Now the Wii is having success. They are touting casual gaming. Supposedly everybody is going to race over to casual games. The unfortunate thing is the fruits of those labors will show up two years down the road, and if the consumer tastes shift, they will find themselves all dressed up with no place to go.

And before fanboys attack, I really don't see this quote as a shot at Nintendo. I see this quote as a shot at those imitating Nintendo and the innovation of others. And if Sony is doing anything right in an industry full of sell-outs, it's bunkering down and protecting their few major upcoming titles.

Of course...we won't mention PSN, the SIXAXIS, or things of that nature.

An interview with Jack Tretton, head of Sony Computer Entertainment America [mercurynews]