Sony America CEO Jack Tretton shared some choice words with GamesIndustry, touching on the current state of Vita sales and the similarities between the launch of the PS3—which was poorly received at first but now sells steadily—and the Vita, which Sony's doubtless hoping will turn out the same.
Vita and PSP sales this year combined are less than last year's PSP sales alone, but Tretton says Sony isn't worried yet. "I think there's an acceptable number - and [the number] we've sold: That's acceptable," he said. "If it was triple that, I'd be happier. If it was one-third, I'd be disappointed."
"We felt if the tech was there, and the game support was there, then the audience would be there," he added. "I feel much better about it now than I did four months ago."
Tretton also touched on social and free-to-play (in other words, casual) games:
"[Social and free-to-play] is a business I think a lot of companies are learning is difficult to sustain for the long term," he said. "It's an adjunct or it's an add-on, but it's not where gaming is headed. It's an additive diversion. There's a place for social and freemium, but it's not going to replace the business models that are out there."
Phew. Do you have a Vita? Do you think sales will pick up as more great games (Assassin's Creed Liberation, Call of Duty Black Ops: Declassified, LittleBigPlanet, PS All-Stars: Battle Royale) come out? Tell us in the comments or on Twitter.
[via Eurogamer]
