Sony has clarified that PlayStation 3 owners in the U.S. will be get 145 new titles in the near future, not the 380 that were originally dangled in front of them.
The North American market can look forward to 145 new PlayStation 3 releases, comprised of around 40 PlayStation Network releases and over 105 boxed games. The clarification comes on the heels of a statement by Sony Computer Entertainment President Kazuo Hirai which promised 380 new titles, covering retail and online releases, by the end of March 2008.
According to an SCEA representative, Hirai was quoting international figures, which led to the inflated account. Currently, 15 first-party PlayStation 3 releases have been announced for Sony’s fiscal year 2007, including Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction, Little Big Planet and Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune. Third-party titles scheduled for the same release period include Metal Gear Solid 4 and Ninja Gaiden Sigma.
Sony’s PlayStation 3 console has failed to live up to expectations since its release, particularly in comparison to the popular Nintendo Wii console. A combination of high price and meager game selection has been blamed for lagging sales, but Sony is expecting a hefty infusion of new software, as well as expected price cuts in the near future, to result in a significant upsurge in the system’s fortunes.
