Sony admits that Vita is struggling – Video Games Update
Sony has revealed today that it is having a hard time convincing third party developers to start developing for the PlayStation Vita.
In an interview with the Official PlayStation Magazine, (OPM) Shuhei Yoshida, who is the president of Sony Worldwide Studios, has stated that the company is in fact having a hard time getting third party developers to put games out for the PlayStation Vita.
“We're having a more difficult time than we had anticipated in terms of getting support from third-party publishers, but that's our job. We will continue to talk to development communities and publishing partners and tell them why Vita can provide a great
experience for the IPs they have,” stated Yoshida as he reassures the readers that Sony will continue to support the PlayStation Vita.
Yoshida also mentioned the upcoming exclusive Assassins' Creed spin-off, titled Assassins Creed: Liberation, which looks amazing for the handheld. Sony is hoping that the release of Liberation will drive PlayStation Vita sales.
The one thing that Sony has going for it is that many developers have stated that the PlayStation Vita is considerably easy to develop for when compared to other Sony gaming devices. This just leads to the conclusion that the only reason why the majority
of the developers are avoiding the PlayStation Vita development is due to the currently small install base of the handheld.
The PlayStation Vita has moved just over 2.6 million units since launch. The numbers seem weak when compared with those of the Nintendo 3DS, which has managed to gain almost 88 percent market share of the handheld market with over 19 million units sold.
The PlayStation Vita is being outsold even by its predecessor, the PlayStation Portable (PSP). This just spells trouble for Sony as decreasing sales each month only discourage developers from considering the Vita as a viable platform for releasing their
games. Because of the decrease in demand for the PlayStation Vita, Sony has changed its yearly sales forecast for the handheld from 16 million units to 12 million.
The solution to Sony’s Vita troubles is simple. A blockbuster game bundled with a price drop for the handheld is required to drive the sales and increase the install base. This in turn will encourage more developers to switch over to the PlayStation Vita.
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