14 DAY TRIAL // John Smedley, the boss of Sony Online Entertainment, has suggested that his team might bring the recently launched Planetside 2 to the PlayStation 3 home console while revealing that most of the company’s revenue is derived from the platform.
The executive tells the Official PlayStation Magazine that, “We have two operating free-to-play games on PS3 right now – DC Universe and Free Realms. Actually, 70% of our revenue comes from PS3. So we’re uniquely placed having helped to build the PlayStation Network in the first place.”
Smedley is also very sure that consoles will not disappear anytime soon even if the PC is becoming more important as a gaming platform because many gamers use the two platforms for very different experiences.
Sony and the PlayStation brand are also well positioned to take advantage of the free-to-play trend, despite the fact that many developers have complained about the way consoles handle game updates and micro-payments.
On the issue of a PS3 version of Planetside 2, the developer answered, “SOE has proven that we can bring our games to the PS3, and it’s fair to say that we’ve got some other stuff out there cooking. I can’t tell you what platforms it’s for, but we’re really excited about it.”
This probably means that the complexity level of Planetside 2 makes a move to the PlayStation 3 impossible, but leaves the door open to a port for the next generation of Sony home devices.
Planetside 2 is a MMO that relies on first-person shooter mechanics and allows anyone to jump into the game world, create a character and join the fight without having to pay for anything.
About 10 percent of those who play the game are contributing to its upkeep cost and it seems that more content will be delivered for them in the coming months.