PlayStation Store could learn from Amazon, says Putty Squad developer

“The PlayStation Store has got to be the worst store for certain things,” reckons System 3 CEO and avid gamer Mark Cale.

In an exclusive interview with PSU, Cale said it took him over 20 minutes to try and find the Final Fantasy game he wanted on the EU store before he just gave up. As a consumer “that’s not good,” he said.

To put the quote into context, we were chatting about the rise of digital distribution and whether it’s a model that will continue to grow. Cale believes that ‘discoverability’ is the most important factor for any publisher considering moving entirely to digital distribution, and that Sony simply hasn't got it right.

“One of the most frustrating things I had recently was that I wanted to buy one of the latest Final Fantasy’s on the PlayStation Store and I’ve got to say the PlayStation Store has got to be the worst store for certain things”, he said.

“As much as we push Sony they don’t seem to get their searches right since they redesigned the store. It took me over 20 minutes to try and find Final Fantasy. I gave up and bought it on the U.S. store but that still took me 5 minutes.”

Cale believes that Sony and other digital stores could learn a lot from Amazon if they are to help digital distribution really take off. “If you search for something on Amazon it comes up very clearly. Digital stores need to have that system where you can find things easily.”

It’s a problem we too have experienced due to the way items are arranged on the PS store and the abundance of items that are filed under certain search queries. We’ll be hoping just as much as Cale that better search functionality will be available on PS4.

Do you think the PlayStation Store needs an overhaul for PS4, or is it fine how it is? Join in the debate on Twitter.