At Sony’s CES 2015 keynote, CEO Kaz Hirai today publicly thanked both the press, Sony’s partners, and also consumers for their support throughout the Sony Pictures hack.
In reference to the attack, Hirai labelled the hackers as “criminals,” and gave some insights into the internal difficulties in actually bringing The Interview to digital distribution channels, thanking staff who worked for “literally 24 hours a day” to release the controversial film.
Hirai also was quick to point out Sony’s work in fighting for “freedom of speech” by releasing the film at all, stating that this freedom for creation is the “lifeblood of Sony”.
Perhaps the most striking aspect of The Interview’s release was the day-one digital distribution of the film. In this regard, while there is still controversy surrounding the US-only release, and also the film’s quality itself, it is important to recognise the fact that Sony did release the movie at all, especially onto practically untested digital platforms. For this Sony should at least be congratulated, especially due to the simply bizzare trail of events which proceeded the film’s release.