Is there any chance of a price drop for the PS3?
No. No chance.
Not even if the Xbox 360 gets cheaper?
We’re fairly comfortable with there the PS3 is right now. The hardware is doing well and the games are selling well, so we won’t be taking any drastic measures based on what Microsoft does with the Xbox 360. We actually expected an Xbox 360 price drop to Rs 10,990, and I even asked Jaspreet (Bindra, country manager, Entertainment and Devices Division, Microsoft India) about it. It would be a good price for the Arcade, but the PS3 is in a different domain considering the features we offer. Right now, the PS3 wouldn’t be profitable below Rs 19,990, and Sony doesn’t want to see India as a non-profitable market anymore.
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There’s the slim Xbox 360 coming too, and that is very similar to what the PS3 offers.
If they can bring the 250GB Xbox 360 at Rs 20,000, that’s a good price. That’s what it should be, since the US price is $299. If they can have a continuous supply of Arcades and bundle it with Kinect for, say Rs 22,000, that makes sense too. Otherwise, they are talking about Rs 29,000 for the 250 GB model, whereas we’re offering 250GB with a game for Rs 22,500. So I don’t see an immediate reason for a price drop; certainly not to counter Microsoft.
The PSP has been very quiet internationally. Even at E3 there was nothing exciting as far as the PSP was concerned. It looks like Sony isn’t even trying anymore.
In terms of innovation in hardware, yes, it’s stayed where it is. But the focus for us is now towards games pricing. The PSP essentials range of games is releasing here now. Most publishers will be releasing their games at Rs 699. EA is slight more aggressive, and their games will be at Rs 599. We have 6-7 titles, EA has around 8, Capcom has 3-4, Disney has 3, and THQ has 4-5. Overall, you’ll have 20-25 good titles at a very attractive price point. The PSP colours that we’ve introduced have been doing well, although I don’t know if that’s because of the colours or the two bundled games. So in India, the PSP is at a stage where it’s still growing.
Once PSN comes, will we see the PSPGo releasing here?
Yes, we will bring it.
What would the price be like?
As of now, I can estimate somewhere around Rs 15,000 to Rs 16,000. However, internationally, they’re now preloading the PSPGo with ten games. We’ll be doing the same, and if you put a value to those games, the effective price does come down to around Rs 10,000. So we’ll bring it here; let’s see how the Indian audience receives it.
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Give us an update on the Indian games.
The street cricket game is in the final stages of development. We initially planned for a summer release, but we want to ensure that the game is great, so we pushed it back and it should now be out on PSP and PS2 around Diwali. There are two games scheduled for release towards the end of the year; one is the cart racing game, and the other is based on Chandragupta.
Some PS2 classics are now being remastered and released in HD for the PS3. The Sly Collection was just announced. Are there more such games coming that you can tell us about?
I don’t know, but if someone were to tell me that Shadow of the Colossus and Ico were being re-released in HD, that would be exciting. But there’s nothing immediate that I can confirm.
What is the highest selling Sony first party game in India?
Hanuman: Boy Warrior; the next would be Desi Adda; but that’s including bundles. Hanuman was around 94,000, while Desi Adda is around 80,000 for PS2 and PSP combined. For PS3, we did around 13,000 units on Day 1 for God of War III. And till date, counting bundles, God of War III has done around 22,000 units, and that’s probably the highest selling PS3 game. Zapak is talking about around 7,000 units for International Cricket 2010 on Day 1, which is encouraging. Games like FIFA and Need for Speed do around 6,000 units on Day 1, and by the time FIFA 11 comes, that number will be a lot higher. Even games like Killzone 2 and Uncharted 2 achieved good numbers. Overall, PS3 sales are doing well provided the Rs 2,499 price is maintained. I think Super Street Fighter IV has also done good numbers, but I don’t have the figures. On the PS2, the God of War games are right on top. Each has sold around 10,000 units. Need for Speed games do very well too, and other than that, Hanuman did around 8,000.
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So it’s a God of War market.
Yes. I think it’s all about being recognisable. God of War is popular, so each game from the series does well. The same goes for Need for Speed, and Hanuman too. So in India, it’s very important for a franchise to be recognisable for it to sell well. So if we ever manage to do a Bollywood game, I’d be very surprised if we don’t do 20,000 units.
There has been a fair amount of television advertising for the PS2. Will that continue?
We’re just completing our summer ad campaign. We will resume television advertising around Diwali, and that will focus on PlayStation Move.
So 2010 is very much about PlayStation Move.
It is; with adequate support for the Indian cricket game too.
Besides PlayStation Move, what does Sony have that you see as the highlights for the year?
We’ve actually had quite a few highlights to start the year off. We had God of War III and Heavy Rain. Modnation Racers was a bit slow to pick up, but it’s a very important game for us, thanks to its community aspect. Gran Turismo 5 is a massive game, not only because its one of the biggest game franchises, but also because of its 3D potential. There’s SOCOM 4 as well. But for this calendar year, I think the biggest will be GT5 and the Move games. It’s important for us to convey to consumers that there is enough content for PlayStation Move. The Indian cricket game too is important for us.
