Playing the waiting game

Jim Ryan, the CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, isn’t too concerned about the PlayStation Vita’s fragile state. In fact, according to CVG, he’s pretty relaxed.

Speaking with the website, the executive explained that content will be key to improving the Vita's fortunes in all of its key territories — including Japan.

He said:

We're not at the stage of thinking about price cuts. In Europe we're three months in - in Japan a little bit longer. I think that all history in the Japanese market indicates that it's real killer content that provides the stimulus to hardware sales - and that continues to be the case. There's a lot going on - a lot of very Japanese specific content that wouldn't really resonate with the Western world. We're very relaxed and confident about the prospects for Vita this year and beyond.

However, in the West, Ryan expects the release of new entries in first-party and third-party franchises to improve adoption.

He continued:

We obviously launched Vita with a very strong launch line-up, easily the strongest of any other platform that I've been involved with - and that's all of them. As you say though, there's still a lot of content to come. We have LittleBigPlanet to come, and then on the third party side FIFA, BioShock, Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified and Assassin's Creed III: Liberation. So, in my mind it's a line-up of real quality - and a good balance across various genres.

Ryan added that it was “fantastic” that Call of Duty was set to release in time for Christmas, and that it would provide a “huge stimulus” for the platform going into the busiest time of the year.

Sony reiterated yesterday that it expects to sell 10 million Vitas over the next 12 months. As of March 2012, it had managed to shift just 1.8 million units.

[source computerandvideogames.com]