The boss of Sony Entertainment has suggested that significant PS4 sales are being made to those that never owned a PS3 or Xbox 360, for whom the reissuing of older games could represent a goldmine for the brand. Sony has revealed that one of the most important target audience groups for the PlayStation 4 is […]
The boss of Sony Entertainment has suggested that significant PS4 sales are being made to those that never owned a PS3 or Xbox 360, for whom the reissuing of older games could represent a goldmine for the brand.
Sony has revealed that one of the most important target audience groups for the PlayStation 4 is that of gamers that didn’t buy an Xbox 360 or a PS3, but opted for a Nintendo Wii instead.
When the PS4 first hit the shelves late last year, it broke nearly every record in the book and for the most part wiped the floor with the Xbox One. It’s well on-course to outperforming its predecessors in terms of the long-term sales and still continues to lead Microsoft’s combatant in most key markets.
However, while it’s fair to say that the overall power and prowess of the PS4 make it an attractive proposition to pretty much anyone, Sony insists it’s of particular appeal to the Wii crowd – specifically those that didn’t buy a PS3 or an Xbox 360.
“Our big opportunity is to welcome back an audience much earlier in the lifecycle that possibly bought into the Wii previously,” said Andrew House, boss of Sony Computer Entertainment.
“Whether it’s based on this is a really good all-round entertainment device for a family in addition to having great games, our consumer data suggests some of those people are already coming in now and that’s what’s contributing to the really great sales we’ve had.”
Unsurprisingly therefore, House sees huge potential for reissued or reworked versions of the most successful games from the history of the PS3, which could be brought back to life for the sake of the millions that have yet to experience them.
“I hesitate to say this because I know committed gamers may roll their eyes about it, but there’s an opportunity with some of the remastering or re-imagining from PS3 franchises that will potentially find an audience that hasn’t played them in the previous generation because they skipped that generation,” he added.
“We’re starting to see signs of that.
“That bodes well for us as a platform, but it bodes well for developers and publishers as well. I’ve always looked with envy at the movie industry about what a great job they’re able to do with taking content and making it work. Disney is the best example of this, right, of taking classic content and reintroducing it to audiences over time,”
“We as an industry haven’t done that historically. We’re only just getting into our stride with people who now have been playing for 10, 20 years, who have a nostalgia factor, who want to see those franchises come back and be reinvented”
“That is a whole other area of exploration I would like to see PS4 to lead the charge on.”
