Sony Computer Entertainment of America (SCEA) CEO Jack Tretton shared his thoughts about the state of Vita sales and the similarities between the launch of PS3, which failed to make a dominant impression at first but now sells steadily. Sony is doubtlessly hoping the fate of Vita to turn out the same.
Vita and PSP sales this year combined (of 1.4 million) are less than PSP sales alone last year (1.8 million). Sony, however, refused to elaborate on exactly how many of these 1.4 million handheld units were Vitas . ”I think there’s an acceptable number – and [the number] we’ve sold: That’s acceptable. If it was triple that, I’d be happier. If it was one-third, I’d be disappointed.” Tretton stated.
He also noted that PS3 also got off to shaky start and while it may still not be the top selling console at the moment, it’s still doing pretty well for itself considering it’s nearing the end of a console cycle.
“Anything with great rewards is going to come with great challenges,” Tretton said. “We felt if the tech was there, and the game support was there, then the audience would be there. … I feel much better about it now than I did four months ago.”
Sony expects to sell 10 million units by the period ending on 31st March 2013 despite Vita’s rough launch. It is optimistic about its holiday lineup featuring titles like Assassin’s Creed 3: Liberation, Call Of Duty: BlackOps Declassified and its own exclusive PlayStation All Stars: Battle Royale, as notable sales boosters. Sony hopes to move more eyes towards Vita with the announcement of White PS Vita bundled with Assassin’s Creed 3: Liberation. The bundle will include: Assassin’s Creed 3: Liberation game, a “Crystal White” PS Vita (WiFi only) and a 4GB memory card.
Jack Tretton also had a few choice words to say about social and casual games:
“[Social and free-to-play] is a business I think a lot of companies are learning is difficult to sustain for the long term. It’s an adjunct or it’s an add-on, but it’s not where gaming is headed. It’s an additive diversion. There’s a place for social and freemium, but it’s not going to replace the business models that are out there.”
Are you a proud owner of Vita? What do you think is stopping the growth of a powerful handheld? Do you believe that sales will do relatively better as more games such as Assassin’s Creed 3: Liberation, Call Of Duty: BlackOps Declassified and more Vita-only exclusives are released? Don’t be shy in sharing your thoughts using the comment box below.
