Sony Computer Entertainment President Kaz Hirai recently conceded that it’s hard for publishers to commit to exclusives, given production costs.
“If it makes sense for them to go exclusive, that’s a business decision that they need to make. But generally speaking, because of the investments that publishers need to make in this round of hardware, it’s going to be more difficult for publishers to make that decision,” Hirai said in an interview with unofficial PlayStation blog ThreeSpeech.
Hirai also said the PlayStation 3 still needed to properly fill out its role as a gaming platform: “If we’re saying it’s first and foremost a video games console, we’ve got to back it up with some big games.”
Hirai’s statements stand in contrast to Sony’s earlier marketing message, which sought to justify the PS3’s initially high price as reflective of the console’s status as a media and entertainment center.
The remarks also appear to reflect a realization that, despite either Sony or Microsoft’s desires, most big-name games are being produced for both the Xbox 360 and the PS3, as well as for the PC, and often simultaneously.
Source: ThreeSpeech, via Gamespot.com