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Sony: ‘Developers Almost Quit PSP, Piracy Hurt Software Sales’

The PSP has been a rather unusual piece of hardware for Sony, on one hand, it's selling fairly well, over 50-million PSP's have been sold worldwide since the system first arrived in December of 2004, making it four and a half years that the unit has been on sale. But where the PSP has struggled has been software sales, compare the PlayStation 2 and the amount of million-sellers it had with an install base of 50 million owners, and compare the amount of million sellers the PSP has now…and it's a rather stark difference. But there's a reason for this, explains Sony's Peter Dille in an interview with Gamasutra, who also mentions how developers almost abandoned the PSP as a whole at one point.

"[18 months ago, developers were] just about ready to jump off the cliff and pull support for the platform," Dille states. Pretty shocking words, to be honest. But Sony's solution to this problem was to stop random PSP ports and put more emphasis on building higher quality games that fit and make sense for the platform, games such as Resistance Retribution, Dissidia: Final Fantasy, Assassin's Creed, and Rock Band.

Dille went on to talk about how piracy and other unauthorized upgrades made to the PSP have hurt the system's success in terms of software sales. "I'm convinced and we're convinced that piracy has taken out a big chunk of our software sales on PSP," Dille states. "It's been a problem that the industry has to address together; it's one that I think the industry takes very seriously, but we need to do something to address this because it's criminal what's going on, quite frankly."

"It's not good for us, but it's not good for the development community. We can look at data from BitTorrent sites from the day Resistance: Retribution goes on sale and see how many copies are being downloaded illegally, and it's frankly sickening. We are spending a lot of time talking about how we can deal with that problem."

On the subject of custom firmwares and other loopholes found in the PSP's firmware, Dille states that there is potential for 50 million PSP owners to modify their firmwares and play pirated games off their memory stick. "Those numbers are correct," says Dille. "There's a lot of hardware out there; toothpaste is out of the tube. We're not going to get that hardware back into the toothpaste container."

"I'm not naive, but I do think that most people are inherently honest," he says. "We learned a lot from the music business, and it became so easy and so common to download illegal music — everyone was doing it. It's almost like people lost sight with the fact that, well, "If everyone's doing it, then it can't be that bad."

"But, it actually is bad; it's bad for the platform. Again, I'm not saying that that's a magic wand; I think that we have to make sure from a technological perspective that it's not as easy as it is to do that."

Read the full interview with Peter Dille, Senior Vice President of Marketing SCEA, over at Gamasutra. It's a good read.

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godsman
godsman
15 years ago

Well you have to think. If you DL a compressed movie, the quality is worse than the original. DL an MP3, the quality is worse than a CD. BUT PSP piracy is where you get a better experience than the original. It is so convenient, instead of carrying those huge UMD, and you save so much battery life on a system thats short on battery to start with.

(No intention to advertise for piracy)

Sorry but its true, Im sure if Sony support full DL in their store, people will buy them, because of the PSP battery life issue. Their fans will pay, like ppl do in ITunes & ipods.

PSNclaw18
PSNclaw18
15 years ago

I have created CSO and ISOs of all of my PSP games that I BOUGHT! I do not re-distribute or offer my skills to install custom FW.

It's just uber easier to have my games on a memory stick then it is carrying around a bunch of UMD disc.

LightShow
LightShow
15 years ago

word, although I will flash a buddie's PSP if they need it done.

PSNclaw18
PSNclaw18
15 years ago

I've seen people go on craiglists and offer their flashing services for a price. that's a little much

LightShow
LightShow
15 years ago

they'll give me a few bucks if I flash it, then put emu's and cheat software on there for them, but charging for it is just taking advantage of consumer ignorance. it seriously takes 5 mins to do it if you know what you're doing.

crawdaddy
crawdaddy
15 years ago

@TheHighlander: That is your opinion, but that doesn't make what I said B.S. I have an original release psp, and I have found a lack of games that I want to play for it unless your like 12 or something. Just recently when they started developing games like they develop for the ps3 have I started finding many games that I want to play on it. I also have a ps2, and there have been lots of great games for it, and I have a ps3 and I love the games for it,except that it is broken until I can repair or replace it.

TheHighlander
TheHighlander
15 years ago

You must base your judgement on the shelves of your local Gamestop. They're not known for their massive PSP library.

I have an original fat PSP as well, and have had no issue finding games that I enjoyed.

You repeated the PSP myth of na games and asserted that PSP games looked like cartoons. I still call non-sense (that's the dictionary definition for BS). The no games myth is a myth, and the only games with cartoony graphics I have seen are the ones that are supposed to be that way, such as JRPGs and platformers.

Cavan
Cavan
15 years ago

the funny thing is tho, is that the sony brand was built on hacked systems, every body i know bought ps'1s just because you could play copied games on them. this is why the ps1 sold near 100million units, likewise am sure theres plenty of ppl who only bought psp's just so that they can hack it and play all games for free, because of this the sony brand was born out of piracy.

Personally i think hand held games for what they are, are way to expensive, they are not much less than full price ps3 games, the ds is included in this, and most of them are very cheaply made quick games, good games deserve purchases, but they are few and far between, if games were between 5 – 10 pounds there wud be less piracy, unfortunatley, they price ds games and psp games at near the 30 pound mark, and for what they are, they are not worth the price compared to paying 40 pound for summin like cod4, therefore i do not have a problem with piracy of games, it is not illegal in every country, and to the self riteous ppl that think there better than ppl who do download their games, more fool you, why pay for summing you can get free.

crawdaddy
crawdaddy
15 years ago

@TheHighlander: First of all the phrase I used "lack of games I want to play" is different than "no games", and I am glad you like to play childrens games too, and that is why you find plenty of games to play. My judgement is based on the research that I do for games like checking out all the information I can find on games, and watching game videos, and checking out screenshots. Also on the Playstation website every game ever made for it is on there, complete with information on the games, and I still have found a lack of games I want to play. I do this for all games for all my systems, and the psp is the only system I have that I feel this way about. By the way, I have a college education, and know the meaning of words.

TheHighlander
TheHighlander
15 years ago

That's nice, but honestly the available evidence suggests that you are in fact not a very happy Sony customer, you don;t like PSP, you think it 'lacks games' and have an avatar that talks of a $600 brick.

So when you make comments that essentially restate the standard no-games myth for the PSP, what I'm getting from you is a fair whiff of bias.

BTW I wasn't doubting your education with my comment about the definition of BS. I was simply trying to soften what I was saying, since to me, calling something non-sense is a fair degree softer than calling it BS BS.


Last edited by TheHighlander on 4/24/2009 11:01:48 AM

crawdaddy
crawdaddy
15 years ago

@TheHighlander:Just like everyone here you have your opinions, and I have mine, so there is no need for us to continue this difference of opinions posting. I am not bitter. I am saving to replace my ps3. If I was bitter, then I would buy a xbox 360 or something so Sony would not get anymore of my money, and I do like my psp, and the games I have found for it that I like to play, and when they come out with a new version I may buy one to replace the one I have.