PSP Go allows devs to innovate, says Zoë Mode

The PSP Go’s focus on digital distribution allows developers to be more innovative and daring with their projects.

That was the message given by Ed Daly, General Manager at Brighton-based developer Zoë Mode.

Speaking to Develop, Daly said that “with digital downloads, as we’ve seen on PSN and XBLA, you have the opportunity to innovate with experimental games that may never have seen the light of day at retail.”

He said that digital-only games “allow the possibility of creating new genres that widen and excite the marketplace”.

In 2007 Zoë Mode released the PSP puzzler Crush, which garnered favourable reviews from numerous video game publications. The developer has also made a series of exclusive PlayStation titles, collaborating with Sony‘s London Studio on eight Singstar games.

When asked if Zoë Mode was interested in making new games for this version of the device, Daly replied: “Absolutely! At Zoe mode we’ve been huge fans of the PSP since we developed Crush – we think it’s a fantastic device and are looking forward to how the PSP Go opens up opportunities for more innovative ideas on Sony’s smaller, slicker handheld.”

Speaking of the hardware itself, Daly said that making the PSP “truly pocket-sized” increased its appeal as a handheld device.

“Smaller means more portable,” he said. “The sliding cover is a good solution for keeping the display real estate as large as possible.”

He added that the handheld’s focus on digital titles will allow a better connection with the consumer. “We can leverage the ability to update and innovate quickly in response to player feedback,” he said, “and pricing can be more flexible.”

“Even more interesting to us as developers is that we can really rely on the player’s connectivity,” he added, “which raises a lot of possibility for community and social play.”