Sony sees PlayStation success in 2009
The economy is crap, and the PS3 isn’t getting any cheaper. How can the most expensive gaming console improve its situation amidst growing financial woes? Gamepro sat down with John Kohler of Sony to answer this question in detail. Despite the state of affairs for the PS3 right now, Kohler sees big strides forward for the PS3.
No guts, no glory. Despite the less-desirable state of affairs facing PlayStation right now, Sony continues to remain positive and prepares itself for a brighter 2009. That’s gonna be tricky, seeing as the PS3 is the most expensive console out there, and the economy doesn’t leave much room for pricey purchases right now. John Kohler let’s us in on his game plan.
Game development is at the forefront of whatever success that the PS3 has right now. It wasn’t easy in the beginning, since developers had the year-earlier Xbox 360 to work with. Now that the PS3 is two years old and developers are getting more and more accustomed to its software and hardware, things are looking up. “…we’ve had a nice run-up in game development for the PS3. It’s shown that developing for the PS3 isn’t as difficult as many had thought,” said Kohler.
With the holidays beckoning and the industry suffering, Kohler remains optimistic that they will get a sizable sales boost in the coming weeks.
We’ve seen a very strong run-up in the last few weeks on the PS3 and PSP hardware. Games are selling very well…we’re forecasting big things this holiday. We’re very aware of the economic situation, and we monitor that hourly to make sure our sales analysis is on point. But everything we’re seeing points to a really good holiday season for Sony. I think we’re going to have a good run of it [this holiday].
Between Home and NXE, Sony has been working on improving their download service, adding that consumers prefer to own content, not simply rent them.
Sony is also working on having downloadable PS2 games on PSN. So far, there are a lot of technical hurdles that impede their progress, but Kohler maintains that they are “absolutely interested” in the idea.
For now, they’re expecting the PS3 to continue its momentum. To support that, they’re going to tap their first-party groups to provide console-selling exclusives. “We would place Sony’s first-party developers up against any other team,” Kohler said. “Our worldwide studios group is as large as Microsoft‘s and Nintendo‘s internal studios combined. Some of the games we’re seeing for 2009 are absolutely fantastic, and they will set the PS3 that much further apart.
As for the PSP, Kohler believes that 2009 “will be fantastic” for the handheld. The quantity and quality of games arriving into the platform will most definitely encourage sales. He didn’t specify what titles are coming though. Even the PS2 will smile in 2009, with Sony still expecting 100+ titles for their old console.
Kohler wasn’t big on details in this interview, but he did give an encouraging thought that the PS3 will be staging a comeback next year by enhancing existing features and bringing in new ones. Great. But how about a price cut?
More PlayStation news:
- EEDAR: Xbox 360 scored more hits than PS3 this year
- There’s no place like Home, Phil Harrison says Sony has “brilliantly realised their ambitions”
Via Gamepro
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