Sony Admits Getting Developers Interested in PS Vita Is Hard

Sony has admitted, through the voice of its Worldwide Studios president, Shuhei Yoshida, that it’s quite hard to convince third-party developers to make games for its recently launched PlayStation Vita handheld console.

The PS Vita came out at the beginning of the year and was supported by a solid lineup of impressive games, ranging from first-party releases like Uncharted: Golden Abyss or Wipeout 2048, to third-party experiences, like Ubisoft’s Rayman Origins or Lumines: Electronic Symphony.

After a few months, however, releases for the PlayStation Vita have gotten rarer and rarer, as third-party developers are avoiding the console while blockbuster titles, like Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed 3: Liberation or Activision’s Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified, are still a few months away.

The boss of Sony’s internal studios, Shuhei Yoshida, has admitted that getting more developers interested in the PS Vita is a tough thing, as not a lot of third-party companies can see the value of getting a game on the handheld platform.

"We're having a more difficult time than we had anticipated in terms of getting support from third-party publishers, but that's our job. We will continue to talk to development communities and publishing partners and tell them why Vita can provide a great experience for the IPs they have," Yoshida told PlayStation The Official Magazine, via CVG.

Yoshida quickly added that big upcoming games, like Assassin’s Creed 3: Liberation, will prove to other developers the appeal of the PS Vita through its quality, which was already showcased in an impressive gameplay video.

While Yoshida is trying to convince developers of the Vita’s value, sales of the handheld console haven’t been that great, so it’s getting tougher and tougher to make out the PS Vita as a successful product.

Hopefully, the portable device will experience a new wave of popularity this holiday season thanks to Assassin’s Creed, Call of Duty, and other franchises.