Ubisoft urges rescue of "directionless" PSP

By Robert Purchese Published 5 June, 2008

Over-priced and too technical, says UK boss.

Ubisoft has called for immediate action from Sony in order to stop publishers abandoning the PSP.

Speaking exclusively to GamesIndustry.biz, UK big cheese Rob Cooper said the handheld lacks direction, as Sony is confused about how to sell a machine he feels is over-priced and too technical for most of us.

"I think that Sony is disappointed with sales and it's unsure as to which way to take it," Cooper told GamesIndustry.biz in an interview published today.

"Sony needs to show us a bit more about what its plans are to convince the publisher to invest lots more money into it. Especially when you've got the DS selling at such a tremendous pace.

"I suppose it's almost too technical for the casual person, those that are buying the DS at the moment want a few buttons and not a lot more. It's so simple what [Nintendo] has done. That's where I think Sony has gone a little bit too complicated, they've over-specced it, the price is too high and they need to go back to the drawing board and start again," he added.

Cooper doesn't think it's an issue with software pricing, rather Sony hasn't communicated to publishers clearly what direction the machine is going to take in the future.

"I don't think it's a pricing issue," he admitted. "As a publisher I'll always say pricing is not the first point of call. I don't think dropping the price of games is going to sell more product or hardware.

"It's direction, a real strategic decision by Sony as to what it wants to do with that product. It's a great shame that sales are at the level they are, because you've got a hardware system that is absolutely beautiful."

Ubisoft has no games planned for the PSP this year, but Cooper insists the format still has potential, so long as Sony can properly identify its audience and move the system out of "no man's land".

"There are ongoing discussions with Sony about what its decisions and strategies are, how they are going to go forward.

"Certainly, we still see it as a viable format. But we're not developing too many games on it until we get some direction. They've got to decide what they want to do with it, and come out clearly and say, 'this is our strategy, this is our process and this is how publishers can get behind it'."

"At the moment they are in no man's land, they're not sure quite how to tackle the DS competition and who is the PSP consumer. They've got to sort that out first," he said.

Coopers comments come just a month after Sony Europe boss David Reeves admitted that the PSP was suffering from a lack of games.

However, despite support dwindling in Europe and the US, sales of the PSP in Japan continue to rocket. The continued introduction of fresh colours as well as beastly sales of Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G mean the handheld regularly outsells both Wii and DS there.

Pop over to GamesIndustry.biz for the full interview with Ubisoft UK boss Rob Cooper, where he dabbles in all sorts including the problems with Wii owners and why this Christmas is going to be "vicious".

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (41) Latest comment 4 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Canyarion #1 4 years ago

    Wow, in how many ways can you say the same thing over and over again?

  • Xerx3s #2 4 years ago

    Simple market rule, never price yourself above or near the competition that is kicking your arse. If they drop it to a 100 euro, I would buy it - it's the impulse buy range for me.

  • Prodigy_BE #3 4 years ago

    Well Mr Ubisoft, just because porting all your home console titles to the PSP without succes, doesn't mean Sony is directionless

    I admit, I don't play my PSP every week, but with a PS3 and Xbox 360 in place, who does.

    I did, however, have lots of fun with:
    Daxter
    God of War: Chains of Olympus
    LocoRoco
    Patapon
    Ridge Racer
    Wipeout Pure
    Wipeout Pulse
    Lumines
    Final Fantasy Tactics
    Jeanne D'Arc
    Tekken: Dark Ressurection
    Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror
    Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters
    GTA: Vice City Stories
    Virtua Tennis: World Tour
    Midnight Club
    Crush
    Street Fighter Alpha 3 MAX
    Killzone Liberation
    Gradius Collection
    Ultimate Ghosts & Goblins
    Mercury
    SOCOM (the first one, mostly WiFi online)
    Y's: The Ark of Napishtim
    Driver 76


    I alsmost finished all those games (only Lumines was distributed by Ubisoft, by the way), and I'm looking forward to playing that FFVII game, that Kingdom Hearts game, and hopefully one day the original FFVII, downloaded through the PSN store)

    So anyone saying the PSP has missed his markt, just didn't pay much attention.

  • blueheat #4 4 years ago

    I'm still surprised at just how popular the PSP is in Japan though; I see more people playing them than DS's, especially on trains etc.

  • BBIAJ #5 4 years ago

    @ Prodigy_BE:

    Driver 76 is a Ubi published title too :oP

  • Aretak #6 4 years ago

    The PSP is an excellent system, just not a particularly great handheld, thanks to the poor battery life and moving parts. I really only use mine when I'm at home, which kind of defeats the object.

  • ilmaestro #7 4 years ago

    Ubisoft, welcome to the world of actually having to make decent games tailored to an individual platform before anyone cares about what you're doing. It's a scary world here, we know you don't like it.

    Also, obviously the PSP is fatally handicapped by its very nature - that would be why no-one in Japan buys it. Oh wait.

  • Prodigy_BE #8 4 years ago

    @ Aretak

    That's half true, imo.
    PSP is fine when you're 'on the road', if it weren't for the fact that I'm behind the wheel every time I go out. Only on planes do I use mine. (when I'm out of the house, that is)

    So mostly, I play at home.
    But even then, my list of games played is quite long, considering I also have a PS2, 360 and Xbox.

    So Ubi, instead of bad mouthing the PSP, focus more on not turning into the EA we knew 5 years ago.
    The over hyped Assassin's Creed, tons of crap software, their own "directionless" Splinter Cell franshise... I won't be long before that all blows up in there face.
    Edited by 1 at 05/06/08 @ 08:58

  • DanWhitehead #9 4 years ago

    I alsmost finished all those games (only Lumines was distributed by Ubisoft, by the way), and I'm looking forward to playing that FFVII game, that Kingdom Hearts game, and hopefully one day the original FFVII, downloaded through the PSN store)

    So anyone saying the PSP has missed his markt, just didn't pay much attention.

    Your enjoyment of PSP titles isn't really the issue though. The PSP is lacking direction in Europe and America - stuck between being a portable multimedia device, a wireless/GPS communications gadget, a PlayStation 2 you can fit in your pocket, and a casual gaming device for the masses. All he's saying is that Sony needs to pick which of those they want the PSP to be and market it aggressively to the relevant audience. As a publisher, they have no clear idea who the PSP customer is, which makes it hard to plan games for it.

    It's the same problem that affected the PS3 at launch - it was positioned as a high end jack-of-all-trades entertainment device with a price to match, and ultimately found itself in competition with the PS2's longevity. Meanwhile, cheaper and more accessible products have captured the market below that line. The PS3 at least had Blu-ray to fall back on as a way of justifying the investment, but with UMD dead in the water as a film format the PSP is somewhat adrift as far as the mainstream customers are concerned.

    If a game like Patapon had been on the DS, it would have been huge. As it is, it's another quirky cult hit that only die-hard gamers will remember.

    Obligatory disclaimer: I love my PSP and only want it to do better.

  • bad09 #10 4 years ago

    Well it's not much more than the DS, here in the UK it's £129.99 only £30 more and it does so much more than the DS. I like the PSP a lot even more so now I have PS3 (remote play is cool!) shame the DS trounced it but I don't think devs took it too seriously judging by a lot of the dire games that have been made for it. It''s not all bad though it still has some great games on it though. Worth the price just for Tekken and the GTAs!

    Although I hope the price does come down as I 've nicked my girlfriends one until I can replace mine which I broke :(

    It probably is too technical for many though. It only comes into it's own when you release you can convert your own DVDs and make your own video files rather than paying for UMDs (can you still buy them?), and C/F shows you what the machine can really do. It was a joy to be able to dump my UMDs and play from the Mem stick, no more travel cases full of games just a couple of mem sticks. converting your own PS1 games never gets old either :)

    The downside of course is we all know C/F does do something else which may be the real reason no one does games for it.....

  • prolific8 #11 4 years ago

    PSPlol?

  • Steroyd #12 4 years ago

    If a game like Patapon had been on the DS, it would have been huge. As it is, it's another quirky cult hit that only die-hard gamers will remember.

    Why?

    I see this line and i just don't understand it, if it was something like Mario or another established megabazillion selling title and it bombed i would agree with the "if [insert game] was on [insert console] it would have done better" but it's new franchise that would carve a niche on any console.

  • Meho #13 4 years ago

    "If a game like Patapon had been on the DS, it would have been huge. As it is, it's another quirky cult hit that only die-hard gamers will remember. "

    Smack in the middle as usual. As is this:

    "The PSP is lacking direction in Europe and America - stuck between being a portable multimedia device, a wireless/GPS communications gadget, a PlayStation 2 you can fit in your pocket, and a casual gaming device for the masses. All he's saying is that Sony needs to pick which of those they want the PSP to be and market it aggressively to the relevant audience. "

    Powerful hardware and sexy design are not enough, as it is. I play the hell out of both my PSP and DS but it's pretty obvious which one has better marketing strategy and business model.

    On the other hand, over here (Serbia), PSP kicks all kinds of shit out of DS. It outselss the DS at something like 4 to 1. Just proving the power the Playstation brand has here. The same goes for PS3, it outsells the 360 at probably 5 to 1 right now, despite you being able to buy pre-modded 360s in shops here.

    If Sony understood this n advance, PSP would have been marketed to gamers of all kinds, just as PS2 was. Today we see PS2 as a hardcore console due to its Shin MegaTen and Devil May Cry and Gd of War etc., games but its range of casual games, or at least games aimed at gamers other than what we usually call 'core' is what made it what it is I believe. PSP, on the contrary started out being marketed as a general purpose, hi-end portable device that also plays games which are, for the most part pretty hardcore. Expensive but hardcore. Well, no wonder it's mostly hardcore who seem to have been buying it for three years.

  • mingster #14 4 years ago

    I've had more use out of my PSP than any other console/handheld ive ever owned.
    Use it for watching youtube videos everynight and to play games before i go to sleep.
    I've done over 100hours+ on a multitude of games including Disgaea & poker.
    Its a mucvh better devide than the DS.

  • mingster #15 4 years ago

    I've had more use out of my PSP than any other console/handheld ive ever owned.
    Use it for watching youtube videos everynight and to play games before i go to sleep.
    I've done over 100hours+ on a multitude of games including Disgaea & poker.
    Its a mucvh better devide than the DS.

  • Eighthours #16 4 years ago

    It's lacking direction in terms of games, but surely it's selling better now than it ever has before - particularly in Japan where it's outselling the DS Lite every week now.

  • nickthegun #17 4 years ago

    On the GI.biz interview, the guy makes the schoolboy 'loosing' rather than 'losing' error.

    Has he been spending too much time on the forums?

  • DanWhitehead #18 4 years ago

    I see this line and i just don't understand it, if it was something like Mario or another established megabazillion selling title and it bombed i would agree with the "if [insert game] was on [insert console] it would have done better" but it's new franchise that would carve a niche on any console.

    I probably should have said "could" rather than "would", but I disagree that new franchises can only ever carve a niche regardless of platform. The DS has proven itself to be a more receptive platform for games that are offbeat yet accessible and I think Patapon could easily have become a success on those terms.

  • Prodigy_BE #19 4 years ago

    I understand DanWhiteHead's point (by the way, is your head really white?), but I don't see it that way. PSP has always been a portable console that was able to do lots of other stuff, imo. Just like the PS3 is.

    I don't think consumers are held back by the fact that the PSP and the PS3 are able to do all kinds of stuff. They just started in a higher price category, so their sales curve took some time to get up to speed.

    That, and lets face it, Nintendo was the heavyweight of the handheld market.
    Check out vgcharts, Sony has stolen 1/3rd of their market share on a first try. That's not bad at all, imo.


    Both of them have piracy issues, but the DS, with its R3 and R4 cards, are really bad for non Nintendo devs.
    Believe me, Patapon wouldn't have sold much in DS. Played, yes, but almost all non-casual DS gamers have and use R3 cards.

  • DanWhitehead #20 4 years ago

    I don't think consumers are held back by the fact that the PSP and the PS3 are able to do all kinds of stuff. They just started in a higher price category, so their sales curve took some time to get up to speed.

    This is all conjecture, of course, but I think its notable that the PSP is only flourishing in a tech-savvy market like Japan. Handheld platforms have always sold based on simplicity, and that's not the image the PSP puts across. Any casual buyer looking at the PSP will be faced with talk of movie formats and memory sticks and WiFi doohickies and streaming media and they'll just assume that this device is way too much for what they need. All of Sony's recent additions to the PSP range seem to reinforced this - GPS trackers, communications add-ons, it's very daunting for the mass market, where people are still only just getting to grips with things like Bluetooth and SatNav.

    The DS has WiFi, but it's incredibly simple and pretty much looks after itself. It's about how intuitive the technology seems, and the PSP is far from reassuring in that respect.

    Both of them have piracy issues, but the DS, with its R3 and R4 cards, are really bad for non Nintendo devs.
    Believe me, Patapon wouldn't have sold much in DS. Played, yes, but almost all non-casual DS gamers have and use R3 cards.

    Aah, but it's not the non-casual gamers that Mr Ubi is talking about. Nobody doubts that the technically minded hardcore gamer can appreciate just how much Sony has packed into the PSP. The audience he's talking about - the audience a handheld needs to capture - would probably still struggle with the idea of transferring data on a memory stick.

    At the moment the PSP is trying to be a pick-up-and-play gadget for playing games on the bus and a swanky multimedia GPS-enabled wireless device for the Nathan Barley's of this world. Those contradictory goals are sending out a very mixed message, and UbiMan is simply asking that Sony clarify the direction the PSP is going to take in the market so they can decide which games are best suited.

  • Meho #21 4 years ago

    "There's also the issue of Piracy.

    Modding a PSP takes seconds, and requires no physical modifications to the console."

    Actually... not so true. Modding a PSP is a pretty complex thing for an average person. Even today with pandora batteries and time machine hacks. But, even if you're skilled so you can actually do it in a few seconds without a risk of bricking your PSP and all, you're still going to have to do it again at least once a year because of the new firmware versions. On the other hand, with DS you merely buy a R4 or similar card ONCE and that's basically it. You may have to download the new firmware for the card from time to time but it's merely an issue of drag and dropping it onto the micro SD card. No risks of bricking, no complicated procedures. From where I am standing, DS is much more prone to piracy than PSP.

    "What's worse is that running a game from memory stick is far better for battery life than using original UMD media... "

    True, and this is the reason I run all my games from a stick, rather than UMDs. When hackers give you convenience the original manufacturer shoud have given you, you know something's wrong with the world.

  • Moz #22 4 years ago

    Really not sure what he's getting at, yes the PSP isn't doing as well as the DS but that's because it's aimed at a different market, the PSP is aimed at the slightly older more "techy" market, and with an install base of nearly 35 million you can hardly say it's doing badly. Just the DS is doing better.

    I just don't understand why he feels the need to come out bad mouthing the PSP makes him sound like a childish fanboy.

  • Meho #23 4 years ago

    Back to topic and to reinforce DW's points, DS is simply proving that the mass market wants easy to understand, convenient to use devices that do things you expect from them in a convenient way. PSP does more things, perhaps even better but it's much more difficult to handle and it's not obvious what is its forte. Graphics? Media streaming? MP3 playback? GPS?

  • Arnold__ #24 4 years ago

    I actually think it is underpowered at this point in time, add a bigger screen that flips open, 2nd analogue stick and more poweful processor(s). And where are those fuel cell batteries we were promised 5 years ago that was supposed to take care of battery problems?

    No need to dumb the console down like everything else in life these days just so the kiddies can play nintendogs and cooking mama.

  • Meho #25 4 years ago

    Actually, Arnold, this is not about its functionality in relation to games, it's about it having so many other roles where it's functional and the marketing efforts not focused on either of the functionalities but generally saying 'our console is powerfu!'.

  • IneptPercy #26 4 years ago

    I do believe they are very different consoles, with that out of the 2 I own a DS.

    If I want all the graphics etc then I but my PS2 or 360 on, if I want portable fun then the DS is there.

    The problem with the PSP is its a miniature PS2, I have a PS2 so don't need it, where the DS is its own console and really love what the touch screen microphone can add to games.

    Its the same as the Wii vs 360/PS3 really.

  • callum9999 #27 4 years ago

    I don't think two analogue sticks are practical on a hand hold though. You will have to hold the actual console steady while moving the two analogue sticks and pressing the buttons etc.

  • Murbal #28 4 years ago

    Don't understand the 'too expensive' argument. It's only £20 more than the DS, and personally I feel you get more for your money too. Plus should we compare to the DS - the only thing they have in common is that they're handheld consoles. They're as different as chalk and cheese.

  • Pulsar_t #29 4 years ago

    To be honest I'm not playing my DS as much as I used to, but if I wanted to look for another gadget I'd consider something like the iPod touch. The PSP is a step-backwards for me, everything has touch nowadays and good battery lifetimes, whilst the PSP has neither. Why bother? Speaking of the iPod, Apple could munch in on Ninty's supremacy if they play it right. It's certainly possible old Steve is considering this prospect market.

  • HermitArcader #30 4 years ago

    Post deleted at 09:17:39 22-12-2011

  • Tiny_Tim #31 4 years ago

    I agree with dan whitehead, DS's marketing seems to show happy sociable fun and says, you like this don't you, see how games fit into it? - whereas sony's marketing says PSP: if you don't already know what it does fuck off.

  • Feanor #32 4 years ago

    Maybe I'm naive, but I'm always surprised at how common people on EG say piracy is for the PSP and DS.

    I don't make tons of money, but I have more than enough to buy as many games as I have time to play for my PSP and DS. I've only ever bought Oendan and Ouendan 2 for the DS cause they're the only DS games that interest me, but I've bought 7 or 8 for the PSP.
    Edited by 2 at 05/06/08 @ 18:07

  • HermitArcader #33 4 years ago

    Post deleted at 09:17:39 22-12-2011

  • drumbaby #34 4 years ago

    [link url=http://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/ 05/ubisoft-to-develop-games-for-iphone-ipod-touch/
    ]http://ww w.joystiq.com/2008/06/05/ubisof...[/link]

    Is this why Ubisoft are being such fuckwits?

  • Pulsar_t #35 4 years ago

    ^ Why not if it makes money for them?! There's a whole untapped market there.

  • Les #36 4 years ago

    "Simple market rule, never price yourself above or near the competition that is kicking your arse."

    And a wrong one. There are plenty of examples in which a higher price point leads to more sales because it makes consumers think it's better quality than the cheap stuff.

    PSP's problem isn't the price, it's the direction. Positioning the handheld as a PS2 equivalent and stuffing it the first year or two with home console games wasn't very smart. The PSP is no fun DS and it's not as beautiful as an iPod. It needs more character and real handheld games.

  • Tweakmonkey #37 4 years ago

    The PSP is fantastic device. The WiFi RSS stuff is nearly worth the price alone, never mind everything else that it can do! Admittedly I've only bought 2 games for it and I don't pirate either but if the game publishers put out more interesting games I'd buy them. Ultimately I don't see what Sony can do better apart from maybe stick GT on it.
    Edited by 1 at 05/06/08 @ 22:21

  • Feanor #38 4 years ago

    I loved this comment from the article drumbaby linked to:

    "Develop is such a big word for what Ubisoft intends to do... Shovel would be more appropriate."

  • darc #39 4 years ago

    I can't say this often enough... Sony needs to get rid of the line they've drawn between the homebrew scene and the "official firmware" scene. The people who *want* a powerful, technical, capable platform are basically left with paperweights if they make the mistake of upgrading firmware, which is really absurd. Give me back the &$*# hardware I PAYED FOR.

    Also, Sony, PSP + YouTube = no brainer. Make it work, out of the *&#$@ box. In the meantime, my DS gets far more use.

  • darc #40 4 years ago

    "Modding a PSP takes seconds, and requires no physical modifications to the console. Its a procedure barely more complex than "unlocking" a mobile phone - and just as doable as a 'service'. "

    Please elaborate. Pretend I'm an idiot; it's not a big stretch.

  • darc #41 4 years ago

    I know I always jump on these comment threads a little late... but I'll still take the silence as confirmation of what I've turned up thus far: prepping a PSP for homebrew is a considerable hassle unless a) it's presently got very old f/w installed, or b) you have a friend/friends with homebrew PSPs, experience, and spare parts (specific battery backs or whatever nonsense) on hand. Intelligent battery packs! Now that is over-engineering.