14 DAY TRIAL // The NPD Group data that arrived about a week ago pointed to a dissatisfactory December for Sony, especially because the PlayStation 3, in the most important month of the year for videogame sales, sold less than half the amount of consoles that the Microsoft made Xbox 360 managed to move.
Sony has tried to put a positive spin on the news, saying that the PlayStation brand is strong and that 2009 would see a lot of exclusive games for the PS3 debut, but analysts believe that results registered in 2008 indicate that 2009 will not be a strong year for the PlayStation 3.
Doug Creutz, who is an analyst of the videogame industry for the Cowen Group, says that the big problem for Sony is the fact that it actually lost ground over 2007, which should not happen with a gaming console in its first years of existence. Meanwhile, the Nintendo Wii is selling very well and matching the results of the PlayStation 2, which indicates a “further share shift towards the Nintendo Wii and away from the Sony PlayStation 3”.
Creutz believes that the Wii is not expected to sell 8 million consoles in 2009, rather around 6 million in 2010, while the PlayStation 3 is now set to only deliver 2.25 million units in 2009.
According to Creutz, “Sony has failed to establish the PS3 as the console of choice among hardcore gamers this cycle.” “Although there appears to be a reasonably robust slate of games for the PlayStation 3 this year, Sony continues to lack a clear 'must-own' title that will drive sales, while its platform continues to be the most expensive in the market in the midst of a consumer slowdown.”
Sony's big next launch is Killzone 2, a title created by Guerrilla Games set to arrive on February 27. It has been hailed as a PlayStation 3 exclusive on the scale of Gears of War 2 for the Xbox 360.