PS3 and PSP hit UK sales milestones

While the firm is enjoying its first UK number one for two years, MCV can reveal that Sony’s PSP and PS3 formats have passed key sales milestones in the territory as well.

The PlayStation 3 has now sold over two million units in the country with PSP now at three million units sold, the format holder has told us this week in an exclusive interview with UK MD Ray Maguire.

And after having trumped Halo Wars in the UK charts this week, Maguire said Killzone 2’s success proves the franchise and the two Sony formats have an assured future.

This is a series with a lot more stories to tell,” he said of Killzone as a franchise going forward.

"Everyone is reporting really good sales of Killzone 2," Maguire said. "We’ve seen not just a really good day one – but also for the game to be a good solid seller all the way through We’ve got good bundles out there with hardware and software and that has picked up nicely according to our early numbers.

"It certainly has helped drive hardware I think there were a lot of people out there who wanted something which really showed the power of PlayStation 3 – and now they can see it it’s a reason for them to get on board."

On the sales of the PS3, he added: "Obviously PS3 is a premium product with a premium price tag. Interestingly, because it has sold two million at a higher price, it suggests more longevity of the PS3 because we have chipped away at the top end of the triangle."

As for PSP, Maguire cited ‘renewed vigour’ on the part of consumers as to the platform’s success – it has also passed a 50m globally landmark – and said that now publishers are turning their attentions back to the Sony handheld.

He said: "There was a renewed vigour from consumers once we had the Slim ‘n’ Lite out there as it emphasised the portability of the device.

"if you look at the evolution of the PSP to a value-added proposition in terms of online content – which gives a new business model for third parties – then you see that it’s an areas publishers should invest in. And they have woken up to that over the last nine months to a year."

More from Maguire can be found in this week’s issue of MCV, which is sent to subscribers today.

The same issue of MCV contains exclusive interviews with the bosses at all three format-holders – Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony.