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SCEA Update: “Delivering Exceptional Entertainment”

Every now and then, Sony sends out a media bulletin that gives everyone an update on the PlayStation business. In the latest, entitled, "Delivering Exceptional Entertainment in 2009," we spot some interesting points.

First off, they mention Killzone 2 and the fact that, according to the latest NPD numbers, it has topped the 1 million mark worldwide. Second, they talk about the very well-received MLB 09: The Show and use a quote from the New York Times review: "at its heart [MLB® 09 THE Show] is the most organic, rhythmically accurate and natural simulation of any team sport." Up next is the average review scores of PlayStation 3 games; the bulletin refers us to Metacrtic, where 1 in every 3 PS3 titles have average review scores of 80 or higher. Oh, and of course, they couldn't very well ignore the upcoming exclusives: inFamous , Uncharted 2: Among Thieves , MAG , Heavy Rain , God of War III , and Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time . For PS2 news, there's talk of the new $99.99 price point generating renewed interest in the aging system, and for the PSP, they remind us again that the big stuff is on the way . As for the Network, the figures they have now say the service has expanded to over 55 countries, with more great numbers: 20 million registered users, 5 million Home users, 180 downloadable games, 1,700 movies, and 5,700 television episodes.

And finally, we have a quote from Patrick Seybold, Senior Director of Corporate Communications at SCEA:

"March proved an exceptional month for software sales with three major PS3 titles ranking in NPD’s top ten list, including Resident Evil 5 and two of our highly rated PS3 exclusives, MLB'09 The Show and Killzone 2. Based on internal PS3 sales data, MLB’09 The Show saw an increase of more than 45% growth from its 2008 version in North America, and the press accolades continue to roll in. The best part of what PlayStation has to offer this year is a relentless string of AAA games.

We've lined up mass entertainment appeal from the hard core gamer who can’t wait to get their hands on a game like MAG, the industry’s first 256-player shooter, to the casual gamer who wants to take their RockBand skills on the road via the PSP. We’re also seeing exciting preliminary numbers for PlayStation 2 with the recent price cut and we couldn’t be more pleased with the continued entertainment value and gameplay the platform provides even in its ninth year. We’ve got a confident plan ahead and have many cards yet to deal, so consumers can rest assured there’s a lot to look forward to from PlayStation this new fiscal year."

Whew. They jam a whole lot into these releases!

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Hexen
Hexen
14 years ago

KZ2 sells 1 million world wide?In behalf of Sony I would like to thank all of those who did not buy KZ2,you truly love and support you system all the way/sarcasm.Sony and Guerilla made a masterpice for ps3 owners and many of you just went meh to it.Nintendo and micosoft first party games sell like hotcakes no matter how terrible or boring they are(Wii music,Halo wars ect.) but for some reason many Ps3 owners don't give a sh@#.
I miss the ps1/ps2 community so much too bad is mostly gone.

piratedrunk
piratedrunk
14 years ago

So even if people aren't interested in a particular genre they should buy the game? I do love my ps3 but I have very little interest in that game. I gave it a shot and I admit it was an extremely impressive game from a technical standpoint it just didn't feel all that fun to me. But to say ps3 owners don't give a s**t just because one particular game didn't do as well as you expected is a little much.


Last edited by piratedrunk on 4/16/2009 10:02:09 PM

Oyashiro
Oyashiro
14 years ago

Not everyone likes FPS. Many people are burnt out them now.

I didn't buy Killzone 2, I guess I just secretly want Sony to go under. Me bad. 🙁

godsman
godsman
14 years ago

FYI, Halo Wars aren't doing so well. Regardless of having twice the user base in US. They are selling just as much as Killzone 2. I'll pick KZ2 up, but there's too many good games coming out, I'm not gonna spent my 60 bucks on a genre i don't really like that much.

Hexen
Hexen
14 years ago

Buying every single ps3 exclusive would be crazy nuts:) I am saying there is no reason why first party games should sell like crap no just KZ2 and 3 party games sell like crazy.

P.S. I said this before but I hate FPS(except half-life2,KZ2) is a very tire genre.

fatelementality
fatelementality
14 years ago

I fear that us true gamers are a dying breed. This new generation doesn't know what the hell is good anymore. *Resumes hitting side of TV with large stick*

Scarecrow
Scarecrow
14 years ago

Too many FPSs

Sony will surely learn this

During ps1 years Sony was releasing stuff like:

-Legend of Legaia
-Crash Bandicoot
-Gran Turismo
-Spyro
-Cool Boarders
-Rally Cross

^See the vareity, you see, now that's good stuff there.

Not saying that they don't currently have a lot of variety. But man MAG turning into a FPS, having Resistance already, and now Killzone. Too many FPSs.

Tommmm0858
Tommmm0858
14 years ago

K, I don't think you should all be ripping on him. He didn't mean that every single ps3 owner should buy this game just to support Sony. He just means that it seems pretty crazy how it didn't sell well, considering it's an amazing game… For example, if killzone 2 was released on 360, it would've sold 10,000,000 already.

Neurotoxiny
Neurotoxiny
14 years ago

I miss the PS1 and PS2 community, because most because most of them have an Xbox or a PS3 because they didn't get a PS3 at launch and couldn't play all of their PS1/PS2 games.

Unfortunately, now they're missing out on Killzone 2, Resistance, Motorstorm, Uncharted, etc.

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
14 years ago

2009 finally the year of the PS3?… *Dodges 360 fanboys with a serpentine maneuver*


Last edited by WorldEndsWithMe on 4/16/2009 10:16:25 PM

Oyashiro
Oyashiro
14 years ago

Que "Quick Time Event"… NOW!

Press "X"!

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
14 years ago

X!…whew that was close.

aaronisbla
aaronisbla
14 years ago

Todome! *i wonder if anyone will catch that reference*

rell
rell
14 years ago

@WorldEndsWithMe wassup dude My internet is down thats why I haven't been on psn. E3 09 will be so badass, "In thee end there will be chaos".

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
14 years ago

No worries, I havent been on much either, been playing PS2 RPG and well trying to get a better net connection for my PS3.

Tha_Joker_186
Tha_Joker_186
14 years ago

Hey guys, how many PS3s in total are sold right now?
Just asking because if it's selling more than 20million consoles or whatever and I'll be realistic here, lets say 6~7 million of those owners don't use there PS3's at all or something like that and we still have 13million PS3s active and only a million of them sold Killzone2? I thought the game would sell at least 1 million, I thought by now they would be selling 2million copies. Once again Sony drops the ball because they don't ADVERTISE and I am getting sick of it, if Killzone2 was their system seller they should have advertised it like Halo3 or Gears2. I want them to succeed and they better get their brains straight and f***ing advertise their games or their games won't even do a freaking million for their exclusive games.

Sorry for the rant here but I was having a bad day already and I just wanted to get this off my chest, they've been disappointing me for quite a bit…Well on the bright side at least great games are coming this year and in 2010.

Hexen
Hexen
14 years ago

you said something similar to what I said but better well put.I'll be darn if uncharted 2 or GOWIII sell like crap.

TheHighlander
TheHighlander
14 years ago

Not to be pedantic or anything, but PS3 had sold more or less 22 million units world wide in January, and since then has done at least another million units.

I should also point out that at very, very, least 10% of Xbox360 units ever sold are now nonfunctional, verses less than 2% of PS3 units that have even experienced a failure.

The argument over numbers of units sold is a particularly muddy one considering that approximately 2 thirds of all Xbox360s ever sold suffer a 33% failure rate and the newer models are typically in the 15-16% failure rate. Even if the majority of failed units are fixed, there is still a monstrous number of unfixed, non-functional units out there – and that's before you apply your assumption of approximately a third of consoles never being used by their owners. If you look at it objectively the number of active PS3 units installed world wide is actually very similar to the number of active 360 units – even though PS3 has been in market a year less.

One thing that you and many others assume with PS3 is that PS3 gamers are the same as 360 gamers. They're not. I wish I had the sales data at hand, but PS3 games do (IIRC) have a far longer tail when it comes to sales. 360 games peak within the first week and then the numbers drop off a cliff as a few weeks pass and humongous numbers of games are traded and repurchased. For PS3, I believe that the numbers show a less steep decline and a much longer tail, so over 12 months the PS3 and 360 version may sell the same number of new copies, but the 360's sales will come predominantly from the first couple of weeks and the PS3's sales distribution will be spread more evenly.

Evaluating the performance of KZ2 so soon is ignoring this and attempting to make premature judgment.

Oyashiro
Oyashiro
14 years ago

Killzone 2 has only been out for how long? A month and a half? 1 million sold is no small feat.

A lot of great games that have been out much longer have sold much, much less.

*looks at Valkyria Chronicles as a small tear drop rolls down cheek*

TheHighlander
TheHighlander
14 years ago

I don't know how well VC has sold in recent month, I know it sold poorly in NA in initial sales – both because it was up against stiff competition and it was poorly promoted. However anecdotal evidence shows that the game continues to sell and continues to be respected, well reviewed and almost universally loved by those that take the time to play it.

I hope that the game has continued to see copies since launch, and that long tail I mentioned above can prove in the long term that PS3 gamers may take time to warm up to a game, but they know a good one when it comes along.

The release of the Valkyria Chronicles DLC this week should help. Which reminds me, I have to make sure I have $15 spare on my PSN and buy those suckers tonight.

Oyashiro
Oyashiro
14 years ago

Yeah, I need to go out and buy a PSN card. We need to support the good DLC.

Gregory Freeman
Gregory Freeman
14 years ago

7400 movies and tv series that aren't accessible anywhere except for the Mighty United States…

pisses me off

shadowpal2
shadowpal2
14 years ago

Oh just think of Japan right now…lol

aaronisbla
aaronisbla
14 years ago

i will tell you guys just like i tell the guys at n4g, don't play the wheel of sales game. Just because a game doesn't sell halo numbers doesn't make it any less enjoyable.

I think its selling well, considering the fact that ps3 users have quite a few choices for games and a wide variety of genres to choose from. Not everyone plays fps games. Even if sony had better advertising, this game wouldn't move halo numbers unfortunately, even if it is better in every way

Tha_Joker_186
Tha_Joker_186
14 years ago

What I was trying to say was that I think the Killzone Devs and Sony deserved much better than a million copies sold, they worked their hard-a**es off and they get outsold by a freaking RTS game with just Halo written on it, I think it's just unfair for the Killzone2 Dev mostly that worked so hard on the game….

raztad
raztad
14 years ago

I have the little suspicion that many people that didnt buy KZ2 will be standing in line for a copy of yet another shooter, Modern Warfare 2. That will be real shame. GG delivered big time with KZ2 but Sony failed at advertising the game, big error IMO cause Killzone is essentially a new IP.

Tha_Joker_186
Tha_Joker_186
14 years ago

@raztad

I definitely agree with you, and I think that Modern Warfare 2 will be exact same as Cod 4 but with a little tweaks here and there. What GG did was amazing, they turned the mediocre first part of the trilogy into an amazing sequel and I give them huge respect for that, so I think they deserve better, I'm not saying Halo numbers but I think 1 million is a disappointment for me, and also for GG. Also, yes Sony should have advertised the game more.

Hexen
Hexen
14 years ago

That's what gets me down no one gives GG any props at all.All they get is complaints about lag,controller issues and co-op.Underrated game in my opinion.

Tha_Joker_186
Tha_Joker_186
14 years ago

@JuanDHexen

Exactly, they deserve more, and I think that game is still amazing without all those "issues" that they had. I'm sorry but not having co-op isn't even an issue, and I experienced minimal lag during the game, and you can change the controls so there should be no problems there. I'll say it again, GG deserve much better than all the b****ing they're going through right now.

TheHighlander
TheHighlander
14 years ago

I think KZ2 is a prime example of just how much Internet Hype can screw things up. They were unfairly handed a bad reputation thanks to the controversy over the KZ2 video years ago at E3. For months, and months, and months people said that KZ2 was a hoax, or a con, and would never deliver. Sony and GG always said it would, and then as the release approached they showed that they had indeed come **real** close to matching the CG in that video. It should have shuyt up the critics, but it didn't, and then predictably when the game did launch there were complaints about the control scheme. All of this under the hype magnification system we call the Internet.

The result has been a HUGE amount of Fear Uncertainty and Doubt (FUD) seeded in the minds of potential buyers. I personally believe that this is the single most negative and destructive thing about this generation of video games. The paid for exclusives and Microsoft's involvement in that have been bad enough, but there has be an unprecedented environment of angry negativity aimed squarely at Sony. Not just fanboys on the Net, but reviewers, gaming 'journalists' and commentators, industry luminaries, all have actively tried to seed FUD in the minds of people looking at Sony gaming products and games. If you look up astro-turfing with regard to Internet blogs and comments you will see what I am getting at. Only I see this happening in the gaming press and not just in the blogs and comments. Lair suffered horribly from this. KZ2 was actually so damn good that it made it hard for those that try to seed the FUD in people's minds. But still months and years of sniping with negative comments to create an impression in readers minds.

Where in the past you might have said your system was better than the competition because of X, Y and Z, or you might have talked up your games and their exclusivity. Now it's almost as if it's more to trash talk the opposition's games and system. Sony isn't immune from this, they do it as well. That said, Microsoft has done this kind of FUD mongering for years in all the markets they enter, it's not really a surprise that they are doing it in the video game market. What is surprising is just how blatant it has become.

Ves
Ves
14 years ago

Just do it, don't say it, SCE.

rell
rell
14 years ago

I happy as long sony and gg are happy with sales. Ain't like I got stocks invested in them. Kz2 rocks. Call me a fanboy all u want Im a proud to be a ps3 fanboy.

bamf
bamf
14 years ago

Killzone needs to do better as this is Sony's flagship game on PS3, especially needs to do well consdering the production values.

But when you get asked by a mate if KZ 2 is out yet, goes to show that SOny has done a poor job on marketing. There are more Sony Ericsson TV commercials than any Playstation related TV commercials. Those Sony executives need to be told.

So while you have Mario Kart Wii TV ads and sales of that game hang around 15 mill. In the Sony camp they're scratching their heads in confusion wondering why a game like Resistance 2 hasn't done 2 million yet

crawdaddy
crawdaddy
14 years ago

Sony is stuck in the first person shooter mode, and that sucks. Just too many of them! I think a lot of people are just burnt out on them, and that is why they are not selling as much as you think they should. Come on Sony do something different, and ADVERTISE. That is what your marketing department is for. MARKETING!

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