Wii U a ‘potential risk’ to PlayStation, says Sony

Sony Europe boss Jim Ryan admitted that Nintendo's new Wii U console poses a threat to the PlayStation brand, but remains confident in the quality of content PlayStation offers its 64 million users.

"It's obviously a potential risk but we feel really good about our content," Ryan said of the Wii U. "Obviously, it comes down to content. There are people who buy gadgets for the sake of the gadget, but that's pretty niche. We feel good about our line-up that we showed at E3. We're very excited about publishing it."

At E3 Sony showed off a strong portfolio of PlayStation 3 games which included Naughty Dog's The Last of Us, PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, and Quantic Dream's Beyond: Two Souls, a new IP starring Ellen Page.

A lot of what allows Sony to take risks on new IPs like The Last of Us and Beyond: Two Souls, while other publishers are relying on established franchises and sequels, is PlayStation's large user base.

"It becomes economically easier if you've got an installed base of 64 million," said Ryan of creating new intellectual property six years after the PS3 was first released. "Making that financial commitment to this sort of thing is a lot easier than if you've got 6 million."

But while the PS3 got some love at E3, Sony's recently released handheld system PlayStation Vita was largely ignored during E3 – aside from a few announcements like Assassin's Creed: Liberation and a new Call of Duty title.

"The dating of Call of Duty isn't something I would call a little announcement," Ryan explained. "Yes, there's wasn't any demonstration of the game but having that franchise on the platform before Christmas is a huge bit of news. Obviously Activision is the publisher of the game so what can be shown is down to them but having that, Assassin's Creed, FIFA and LittleBigPlanet, those four blockbuster IPs on the platform ahead of Christmas makes us feel pretty confident," he added.

While Vita has been criticized for a lack of new releases, Ryan insists that the console is poised to deliver the content demanded from early adopters.

"Over the balance of this year we see 60 new titles coming to the platform. There is breadth and depth, so I think anyone who has invested in the platform should feel reassured by that," he reassured Vita owners.

It's going to need the content if Sony plans on reaching its 30 million hardware sales target for this year.

"It's a big number but we've got the tools to go out and deliver that," Ryan added.

[GamesIndustry]