Sony Interactive Entertainment president and CEO Jim Ryan is known for having several quotes that haven't sat well with the core video game audience. One of his most prominent regards PS1 and PS2-era Gran Turismo games, where he said that they "looked ancient" and asked, "Why would anybody play this?" The context of Ryan's comments was lost, leading many to believe Ryan was criticizing all old PlayStation games. That's something Ryan is now pushing back against.
In a question and response session with Axios, Ryan tried to clear the air on the subject. He says that what he was trying to say at the time was "just how great the PS4 version [of Gran Turismo Sport] looked." In other words, Ryan was trying to note the contrast between 15-year-old Gran Turismo games and a modern Gran Turismo game. As in, he was building up Gran Turismo Sport by saying the visuals of the new game were so good that older games' visuals paled in contrast.
"I certainly wasn't trying to be disrespectful of our heritage," is as close as Ryan gets to being apologetic about the situation. He, fairly, sees the situation as his comments being considered out of context and that, in retrospect, the better option would have been to say nothing at all. He notes that if Polyphony Digital's Kazunori Yamauchi shows Gran Turismo 7 side-by-side with older Gran Turismo titles, "I will keep my mouth shut."
To be fair to PlayStation fans who have criticized Ryan in the past, while this specific quote was taken out of context Ryan does have a history of not fully supporting older games. For example, when asked about backward compatibility for the PS5 going back beyond the PS4, Ryan said that while it's a much-requested feature it's "not actually used much." It's both true that Jim Ryan's quote was taken out of context and that he doesn't fully support the movement to rerelease older games on newer consoles.
Ryan sees other opportunities for celebrating PlayStation's rich history, instead. Astro's Playroom, the bundle-in platformer for the PlayStation 5, is a specific example he points to. He also says that there are limitations that restrict hardware design and "trade-offs have to be made," in reference to supporting backward compatibility.
It's interesting to see Ryan address his past comments on the matter. Transparency and communication are welcomed by video game fans and Ryan's new statements will help clarify the situation. That said, they probably won't significantly alter those game players' minds with regards to Ryan's attitude toward older games. In that regard, actions speak louder than words.
The PS5 is available now.
Source: Axios