Sony backs UMD with â??best line-up everâ??

Despite Sony’s recent thrust into the digital distribution business, the firm remains confident that the PSP’s UMD format can deliver.

Speaking to Develop in an exclusive interview, Sony Europe’s Zeno Colaco stated that the company has “probably the best UMD line-up ever on PSP this year.”

Games set to be released on UMD this year include Tekken 6, LittleBigPlanet, Gran Turismo, Motorstorm: Arctic Edge and GTA Chinatown Wars. All of these games will be released on UMD, though most will be available as digital downloads.

“I think the key thing is that we’re not moving away from UMD just because we’re making strides in digital distribution,” added Colaco. “From the beginning we’ve said we’re sticking to a two-SKU program that will sustain PSP and PSPgo.

“Most of our projected sales for this year are via UMD,” he said.

“We’ve already got strong support on the UMD-side, so it’s time we expanded further.”

Colaco also claimed that the upcoming PSP Minis games may end up as UMD bundles. More on that here.

Full interview can be found here.