Activision Threatens to Halt PlayStation 3 and PSP Development

[Shawn Zipay]

In speaking with The Times, Activision's CEO Bobby Kotick, proclaimed that unless sales of the PlayStation 3 and PSP pick up the company may have to stop supporting the platforms. Activision is urging Sony to cut the cost of the PlayStation 3 in order to attract new owners.

"I'm getting concerned about Sony; the PlayStation 3 is losing a bit of momentum and they don't make it easy for me to support the platform. It's expensive to develop for the console, and the Wii and the Xbox are just selling better. Games generate a better return on invested capital on the Xbox than on the PlayStation," he says.

"They have to cut the price, because if they don't, the attach rates [the number of games each console owner buys] are likely to slow. If we are being realistic, we might have to stop supporting Sony." Ask when and he says: "When we look at 2010 and 2011, we might want to consider if we support the console - and the PSP [portable] too."

This will certainly be an interesting chain of events if the threats of Activision actually lead to a price reduction for the PS3. Gamers will just have to wait and see as to how this will pan out over the upcoming months.

[Linux]

Re: Activision Threatens to Halt PlayStation 3 and PSP Development

I totally agree that Sony is just overall a crappy company in the fact of the console. People have always argued with me about how its so much better and when I owned one for a day, yes 1 day I took it back to next day because it broke and didn't work and the support sucked... I wasn't thrilled compared to my Xbox 360 and Wii. The only thing I like about the PS3 is that it has Blu-Ray player, but I'm not going to drop $600 dollars just to buy a blu-ray player from a PS3.... Plus their games need to not cost upwards to 70ish dollars...
Sony needs to get with the times and the market or just go to hell and die... I never have liked Sony and I have major grudge about them also.

[Shawn Zipay]

Re: Activision Threatens to Halt PlayStation 3 and PSP Development

Comparing the 360 to the PS3, the 360 wins out by a long shot when it comes to defective hardware.

I'm not for or against any console. I own or have access to all three of them on a regular basis right now. Sony's hardware excels except in the video memory department. That was just a horrible mistake on their part given how the other components are more than adequate.

With my 360, I had to pick up a $90 wireless adapter for my Premium bundle (pre-60GB model, pre-price drop), which alone put it at the same price point of many of the PS3's out there and it still didn't have a HD media player or free online.

I'm not saying that I'd prefer Sony's free online over anything, but sometimes free is good and you honestly get what you pay for with each of the services. The big games have been slow in coming for the PS3, but it looks like a solid lineup has finally started to arrive on the PS3 and even without a price drop they look like they can be quite competitive in the next year.

[nemes1s3000]

Re: Activision Threatens to Halt PlayStation 3 and PSP Development

Both companies need each other to survive, more so for Activision actually. This is a very dumb move to make for the company, threatening to sieze all productive operations with Sony? Really? That's your best idea for a threat? The only thing good they have going for themselves is the Guitar Hero franchise, and maybe Modern Warfare 1 and 2, and once that dies down, we all know Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen isn't going to be a huge hit from the getgo.

Let's just hope Sony doesn't cave in to bogus threats, if they did, it would set Activision up to completely destroy the gaming industry.

I'm not a Sony fanboy, or any kind of company fanboy really, but of course Sony isn't innocent in this situation either, it has its shares of dumb ass decisions.

[Ev!L ErN!E]

Re: Activision Threatens to Halt PlayStation 3 and PSP Development

Comparing the 360 to the PS3, the 360 wins out by a long shot when it comes to defective hardware.

I'm not for or against any console. I own or have access to all three of them on a regular basis right now. Sony's hardware excels except in the video memory department. That was just a horrible mistake on their part given how the other components are more than adequate.

With my 360, I had to pick up a $90 wireless adapter for my Premium bundle (pre-60GB model, pre-price drop), which alone put it at the same price point of many of the PS3's out there and it still didn't have a HD media player or free online.

I'm not saying that I'd prefer Sony's free online over anything, but sometimes free is good and you honestly get what you pay for with each of the services. The big games have been slow in coming for the PS3, but it looks like a solid lineup has finally started to arrive on the PS3 and even without a price drop they look like they can be quite competitive in the next year.

agree'd

I've owned all 3 consoles... and find that my PS3 held up better then my Xbox.

Microsoft needs to put out a better quality product, something thats gonna actually work when you want it to, and Sony needs to stop messing with the damn PSP Go thingy they announced at E3 and worry more about how to lower the production costs of making the PS3 so they can drop the price... if the PS3 was in the $300 range it would be alot better for everybody.

[Linux]

Re: Activision Threatens to Halt PlayStation 3 and PSP Development

My 360 held up for 4 and half years till I had to order a repair on it. I understand where your all coming from again I'm extremely bias against Sony due to personal reasons\stuff. I agree 360 needs to kinda setup to the line in hardware in certain areas, but again I'm wait for the price to drop a bit on Sony's PS3 before I attempt to be it again.