NEWS
RETAIL INTELLIGENCE Head to
www.mcvuk.com for daily market data and news. This week our Retail Essentials section starts on p35
Sony: We won’t repeat PS3’s
‘Gamers are welcoming us back,’ insists PlayStation UK as it attempts to reclaim market leadership from Microsoft
by Christopher Dring
PLAYSTATION UK insists it will not repeat the mistakes of its troubled PS3. The firm told MCVthat it has already fixed two of the mistakes it made before, by launching PS4 a lower price and closer to the competition. Sony UK says it has spent ‘tens of millions’ on its ‘For the Players’ campaign, which will see PS4 flood TV and cinema screens from now until Christmas.
“The two points that were against PS3 were price and coming out late,” said UK MD Fergal Gara.
“Addressing both of those was the highest priority and that puts us in a dramatically stronger competitive position. “First, we want to deliver for the gamer. And then we have a corporate obligation to our shareholders. But we are competitive guys, so if doing that puts us back into a market leadership position we’ll be immensely proud.” Gara points to the recent PlayStation Memories campaign as a clear sign of gamers being willing to give PlayStation another chance. “There’s a definite sense that gamers are welcoming us back – if you look at the views on the ‘Since 1995’ video, the reaction to the PlayStation Memories campaign, or our pre-orders, there’s a strong sense that we have found our focus.”
UK UNCONCERNED BY PS4 GAME DELAYS
PLAYSTATION has dismissed concerns over its launch line-up. The PS4 slate was hit by delays to DriveCluband Watch
Dogs, leaving Killzone and Knackas the main launch titles. It looks to be a weaker line-up compared to Xbox One, but UK MD Fergal Gara has played down concerns, telling MCVthe delayed titles will give PS4 a boost next year. “DriveClub, Unchartedand Infamousare both post-launch releases. So in terms of the content pipeline we’re in good shape,” he told MCV. “We’d have loved Watch Dogs and DriveClubat launch. However, the launch units are sold out, so it gives us a second wind as the stock situation improves.”
VITA/PS4 ‘ULTIMATE’ BUNDLE IN-BOUND
IT’S NOT all about PS4 this Christmas for Sony, with the firm throwing £2.5m behind Vita, too.
The company is putting together PS4 and Vita into an ‘Ultimate Bundle’, which will launch before Christmas. Gamers that own both consoles can stream their PS4 games to their Vita and play off-screen, which Sony views as a big selling-point for the handheld.
The company is also running a £2.5m TV campaign for Vita. Entitled ‘The Best Way to Play’ the ad will promote both Vita’s connectivity with PS4 and its big Q4 exclusive, Tearaway. “We’re really excited for Vita as we move into Christmas,” said senior product manager Ben Law. “We’ve got a great campaign with key messaging around new releases like Tearaway, the ever-growing game catalogue and the Remote Play service.”
PLAYSTATION WANTS ALL RETAILERS TO SELL PSN DOWNLOAD GAMES
ALL UK retailers are invited to sell our PSN games, says SCE UK.
The PlayStation firm already allows GAME and independent retailers to sell digital PSN cards for individual titles. And it hopes to roll that out to the entire games retail marketplace.
“We’ve been saying all year that we want retail support for our digital business, we want them to play a part in it to take a slice of it,” said UK MD Fergal Gara. “So we’ve got GAME, and then the independent move – which takes us into the rest of the specialist sectors, but our ambitions are broader than that and there are tools for every retailer to take part in that digital business. Not everybody can do that overnight – it is a discussion we have on a regular basis to bring more retailers with us. It’s a work in progress.”
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November 22nd 2013
www.mcvuk.com
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