@Lowdefal I never said Sony should have manufactured CD’s for free Don’t think that was ever the issue. Apparently it was a licensing fee that Sony was demanding, something endangering Nintendo’s own IP. True, Nintendo forced third parties to manufacture cartridges with them, but that was their own platform and business model.
We don’t know enough details. It’s in the numbers and terms.
@KingMike Sure, if all contracts had been signed it would have been too late. They probably weren't at that point, and both sides were working on some kind of preliminary agreements. They likely entered development and prototyping quite a while earlier, came to a point where Sony assumed they were going to be the sole partner, and once Sony laid down its proposal for their share from every unit Nintendo abruptly decided to cancel the deal. Apparently shunning Sony by doing so publicly. Which was surely a bad idea.
So, blame on both sides I guess. Sony: for trying to trick Nintendo. Nintendo: for bad diplomacy against a mighty opponent.
One comment on this much-reported story: I've frequently heard how Nintendo "blew it" and "created their own greatest competitor", or even "betrayed Sony". From what I read Sony was planning to ask some extortionate dividends from every CD sold that were unacceptable for Nintendo. Granted: it was highly amateurish from Nintendo to only notice that point late in their negotiations. That was their fault and big mistake. But Sony was going to rip off Nintendo, it seems, so Nintendo had to pull the emergency brake.
Comments 3
Re: It Was "Helpful" That Nintendo Killed The SNES PlayStation - Otherwise Sony Would Have Been "Stuck", Says Shuhei Yoshida
@Lowdefal I never said Sony should have manufactured CD’s for free Don’t think that was ever the issue. Apparently it was a licensing fee that Sony was demanding, something endangering Nintendo’s own IP. True, Nintendo forced third parties to manufacture cartridges with them, but that was their own platform and business model.
We don’t know enough details. It’s in the numbers and terms.
Re: It Was "Helpful" That Nintendo Killed The SNES PlayStation - Otherwise Sony Would Have Been "Stuck", Says Shuhei Yoshida
@KingMike Sure, if all contracts had been signed it would have been too late. They probably weren't at that point, and both sides were working on some kind of preliminary agreements. They likely entered development and prototyping quite a while earlier, came to a point where Sony assumed they were going to be the sole partner, and once Sony laid down its proposal for their share from every unit Nintendo abruptly decided to cancel the deal. Apparently shunning Sony by doing so publicly. Which was surely a bad idea.
So, blame on both sides I guess. Sony: for trying to trick Nintendo. Nintendo: for bad diplomacy against a mighty opponent.
But what do I know...
Re: It Was "Helpful" That Nintendo Killed The SNES PlayStation - Otherwise Sony Would Have Been "Stuck", Says Shuhei Yoshida
One comment on this much-reported story:
I've frequently heard how Nintendo "blew it" and "created their own greatest competitor", or even "betrayed Sony".
From what I read Sony was planning to ask some extortionate dividends from every CD sold that were unacceptable for Nintendo. Granted: it was highly amateurish from Nintendo to only notice that point late in their negotiations. That was their fault and big mistake. But Sony was going to rip off Nintendo, it seems, so Nintendo had to pull the emergency brake.