Sony: Publishers have defected to PS3

Ahead of a year that Sony clearly believes will cement the PS3’s market position ahead of Microsoft’s Xbox 360, the platform holder has claimed that attitudes in the publishing community have changed and that PS3 is now seen as the safe bet for further development.

The $299 price point has resonated and it has a huge impact when you’re sold out in so many locations, but the better news is that it’s translating into software sales,” SCEA’s senior VP of publisher relations Rob Dyer told IndustryGamers.

When I walk into an EA, they’re telling me that for Madden, the one platform they’re seeing year-on-year growth is the PS3, or when I walk into Activision and they tell me the same thing for Guitar Hero. Those are big statements, given what has transpired with those franchises.

It’s good to walk in there right now versus, say a year ago when it wasn’t so easy to win support.”

Dyer also reasserted claims made by Peter Dille last month that PS3 is on track to overtake Xbox 360 in the near future.

They had a year’s head start against us, so we’ve been playing catch-up,” he added. We do better for our publishing community than 360 does. As our installed base starts catching up and gaining on 360, you’re going to see the publisher side much quicker get to par.

That’s only going to get better and better as the installed base continues to grow.

What we have is a global business here. Our global business is bigger than 360’s and will continue to get bigger than 360, and people are seeing that. We passed them in Europe and they don’t even exist in Japan, and we’re going to catch them and pass them here in the US as well.”