GDC: Microsoft Homes in on Sony strategy

The general manager of Microsoft’s Game Developer Group stated: "I think they’ve definitely taken some concepts that we originated like Achievements, but I think they’re pushing in a different direction and we’ve sort of fundamentally got two different approaches going on here."

"I think there is very much a vision that people see it and it looks cool but it’s fundamentally separate from the games – or at least what they’ve shown so far. It’s a cool world but it’s like a little game by itself. Our approach is the other way around; it’s that games are the center and that’s the star of the show, that’s what people buy the console for."

But even Microsoft can’t resist Little Big Planet’s wool-coated charm: "I think Little Big Planet is very cool," he said. "But I can’t see a big portfolio of games at the moment that do this. I don’t think there’s a whole load to catch up."