PSP lacks a 'viable' business model

[xtop]

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...business-model

The CEO of Lyon-based developer Smack Down Productions, Laurent Benadiba, has told GamesIndustry.biz that Sony needs to act in order to stimulate the PlayStation Portable market in Europe, echoing comments made by Ubisoft's Rob Cooper last year.

Benadiba, whose company worked on a PSP title that was never published, revealed that he'd had discussions with a publisher to make a "top five" IP racing title for the platform, but that there was no viable business model to even allow the project to break even.

"I worked for two years on the PSP, as one of the only developers then, and I really believed in the platform at the time," he said. "I still believe there's potential, but it's like self-confidence - if you trust yourself, maybe others will trust you. If you don't trust yourself, nobody will trust you.

"I think that's what's happened with the PSP - Sony released the product, but they never put enough of a push behind it. Games, ads, better shelf placement - trying to make an effort. I think it was also released at a time when they were still very focused on the PlayStation 3, trying to get it out of the door, that they slightly forgot about it."

He went on to compare the PSP with the success of the Nintendo DS, and noted particularly the strong line-up of first party titles on the latter machine.

"Look at it - it's so much more powerful that the DS, and it's a beautiful object, it's like an iPhone," he exclaimed. "Amazing, and the technology behind it is great. I think they expected the platform to just work on its own - but if they want to get it back on track... well, it's a tough one.

"First they need games - the Wii has Zelda, or Wii Fit, or Wii Sports, it's got triple A games that bring the platform forward. I think the PSP is lacking this - it's got Grand Theft Auto titles, Daxter, but they need more of those platform-specific ground-breaking games."

As well as a possible lack of investment, Sony also has to contend with the issue of piracy, according to Benadiba.

"The second problem that I have - and this is pretty bad, what I'm going to say - but I think the piracy level is much higher. There's a lot of piracy on the PSP I think. I don't have numbers, but you see people playing on the train, they have empty carts, and this is a big problem.

"If it's pretty easy to crack it down, then people won't buy the games, and if people don't buy the games, publishers won't make them - so it doesn't encourage publishers to make games.

"The other day we were with a publisher, and trying to figure out a business model for a PSP game. It was a big IP, a big license, a top five racing game, and we couldn't work it out, how we could break even. Because there are so few sales on the PSP in Europe now that you have to make a huge title on a small budget just to break even.

"It's discouraging publishers from making PSP games - maybe they could do what Nintendo did, and make lots of first party games? Push the level up..."

[Goodintentions]

sorry but the hackers destroyed the PSP noone bought games because they just emu'ed them and what not .. so lack of games sales .. means lack of game production .... end of story ..

[Marine Mike]

Originally Posted by Goodintentions

sorry but the hackers destroyed the PSP noone bought games because they just emu'ed them and what not .. so lack of games sales .. means lack of game production .... end of story ..

+1

Its sad but true. I really think that the PSP is a really good gaming system, but its just a shame how I can't think of 1 PSP game that I can look forward to right now.

[Gimpenstein]

How about the new "Resistance" game? Looks pretty good to me.

[Shin-Ra]

Resistance Retribution

Dissidia: Final Fantasy
Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep
The 3rd Birthday (Parasite Eve)
Final Fantasy Agito XIII

Ushiro
Cardboard War Machine

Undead Knights

[fsavoie]

I think one of the problem too is the gamer age. DS is for younger people who have a lot more occasion to use a portable gaming machine. PSP have a more mature game librairie. I have a psp but since I've moved from the big city I don't use it because, no more bus or subway... when I'm out, I'm driving (it is not recommended to drive AND play PSP...) and I rarely go somewhere that I have no real "buisness" being there so no time to play... and when I'm home... my PS3 is taking all my gaming time!

[MOONPHASE]

Originally Posted by Marine Mike

+1

Its sad but true. I really think that the PSP is a really good gaming system, but its just a shame how I can't think of 1 PSP game that I can look forward to right now.

i personally think there are way to many PSP games becoming Japanese only.

[Marine Mike]

Originally Posted by Shin-Ra

Resistance Retribution

Dissidia: Final Fantasy
Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep
The 3rd Birthday (Parasite Eve)
Final Fantasy Agito XIII

Ushiro
Cardboard War Machine

Undead Knights

Touche! But in my defense we've been waiting such a long time for those and we have hardly seen any releases since.

Maybe my expectations for the PSP are way too high. I just expect to have atleast 1 title per month that I would like to purchase for my PSP.

[bandit29]

The PSP started out promising but piracy really killed it. Why Sony did nothing to stop it is beyond me.

Poor battery life, terrible MP3 quality, limited internet and expensive memory cards didn't help either. I remember when I bought a PSP at launch a 1/2 gig card was 80.00..

[Shin-Ra]

Originally Posted by bandit29

terrible MP3 quality

Don't use low quality MP3's, use better head/earphones?

Never heard the PSP's audio output described as awful before.

[Hedchekr]

I like all the functionality in the PSP. I just wish there were more games and they weren't so few and far between. But pretty much like has been stated before piracy killed the PSP. But there is still hope.

[bandit29]

Originally Posted by Shin-Ra

Don't use low quality MP3's, use better head/earphones?

Never heard the PSP's audio output described as awful before.

most of my MP3s or AACs are at 256 or 320 and I didn't use the PSPs crappy headphones either.

I sold off my PSP. While the music player wasn't a big deal for me, there weren't enough good games. The lack of games being released also was a factor. Games from Squeenix and lame card battle games don't interest me.

I had most fun with Tekken 5 DR, GOW COO and the Guilty Gear series. Of course I sold it right when the Macross game came out...

[CHA1N5]

I have thoroughly enjoyed every PSP game I've played, but that is a small number. The quality of the system is very high. Also, it provides (for my needs) a very useful MP3 player, especially for podcasting. I just leave the thing in my car overnight, set to download my podcasts each day, and every morning there are new ones there for my pleasure: it's much simpler than an ipod in that way.

I REALLY hope that Sony invests in future generations of the PSP. If they made a PSP phone I would be all over that. Add in a second analogue stick, possibly a touch screen, a better browser and support for a good cell provider (Verizon) and you'd have a MONSTER device that I would be on 24/7!

[AranhaHunter]

Originally Posted by Shin-Ra

Resistance Retribution

Dissidia: Final Fantasy
Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep
The 3rd Birthday (Parasite Eve)
Final Fantasy Agito XIII

Ushiro
Cardboard War Machine

Undead Knights

Plus the PS1 games, Suikoden looks really good on it. Sony and SE would be smart to release PE1 and 2 about a month or 2 prior to PE3

[Shin-Ra]

Just the stuff I'm watching closely, not much to go on with Undead Knights and Cardboard War Machine doesn't exactly fit the style I'm into.

[blu-rayfan101]

Aren't they releasing every game for the PSP on PSN now?

[Shin-Ra]

Just SCEJ I think. Not 100% sure if they committed to that or if it was just all the games they had lined up at the time.

[Septimus Prime]

Originally Posted by fsavoie

I think one of the problem too is the gamer age. DS is for younger people who have a lot more occasion to use a portable gaming machine. PSP have a more mature game librairie. I have a psp but since I've moved from the big city I don't use it because, no more bus or subway... when I'm out, I'm driving (it is not recommended to drive AND play PSP...) and I rarely go somewhere that I have no real "buisness" being there so no time to play... and when I'm home... my PS3 is taking all my gaming time!

I probably almost killed myself driving around while looking for hotspots for Portable Ops recruits.

Nowadays, I use my PSP mainly as my car MP3 player, so I use it everyday, and I love it.

[Maximus]

Originally Posted by AranhaHunter

Plus the PS1 games, Suikoden looks really good on it. Sony and SE would be smart to release PE1 and 2 about a month or 2 prior to PE3

Oxymoron alert!

[AranhaHunter]

Originally Posted by Maxpower1987

Oxymoron alert!