ONE of the world’s largest game publishers says it may stop making titles for Sony’s PlayStation 3 due to high costs and poor sales.
Activision Blizzard chief Bobby Kotick told the Times Online that the PS3′s price tag was too high and the game publisher might stop supporting the console.
He was quoted as saying: “I’m getting concerned about Sony. The PlayStation 3 is losing a bit of momentum and they don’t make it easy for me to support the platform.
“It’s expensive to develop for the console, and the Wii and the Xbox are just selling better.”
Mr Kotick said in 2010 and 2011 Activision “might want to consider if we support the console – and the PSP (PlayStation Portable) too”.
The game publisher did not respond to requests seeking additional comment.
The PS3 has so far lagged behind the Nintendo Wii – the market leader – and Microsoft’s Xbox 360 in sales.
New figures from the US show 290,000 Wii consoles were sold in May, compared with 175,000 Xbox 360 consoles and 131,000 PS3 units.
In Australia the Wii and Xbox 360 sell for about $400, while the PS3 is about $700.
Complaints from game publishers about the cost of consoles are nothing new, but Mr Kotick’s statements were particularly pointed.
“It’s a little shot across the bow…. Was there a message there to Sony? Quite possibly,” said MKM Partners analyst Eric Handler.
“It is more difficult to develop for the PS3 and it costs a little more… The PS3 install base isn’t what they thought it would be and the machine is too expensive.”
Sony Computer Entertainment America said “we enjoy healthy business relationships with and greatly value our publishing partners and are working closely with them to deliver the best entertainment experience”.
Activision Blizzard is the publisher of some of the largest video games in the world, including Guitar Hero, Call Of Duty and World Of Warcraft.
Original posted at news.com
