In an interview with Here New Brunswick, Sony Marketing and Public Relations Manager Mark Levitan has commented at length on the PlayStation 3’s struggle for exclusives.
Levitan said that the breadth of PS3’s software library was integral to its appeal, citing Guitar Hero: World Tour, Grand Theft Auto IV, Singstar, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots and Buzz! as key titles. "It’s important to have a balance and we’ve always done that very effectively."
He admitted, however, that the manufacturer could no longer rely on third party publishers to make its console offering stand out. "As we’ve seen in the last couple of years, you can’t really depend on third party for exclusives anymore. Fallout 3 is an awesome game and it’s going to be awesome on the PS3 but I know it’s on the Xbox 360 as well. So is Call of Duty: World at War and other titles."
"You have to have good internal development teams, " Levitan insisted. "We look at some of the franchises we have now like Gran Turismo, God of War, and Resistance – those are some amazing franchises that are among, in my opinion, the best in the industry. I think we have enough product that we develop ourselves that sets us apart."
But even given extensive overlap between all three platforms’ release schedules, Levitan is confident that the PlayStation 3’s comprehensive feature set will guarantee its success. "There are ton of great games out here like a Prince of Persia or the new Guitar Hero but they are available on all three systems. You have to then decide: is price a factor? I certainly think we’ve come down to a point where, for $399, the PS3 is certainly affordable."
"Functionality is kind of hand in hand with price – you have to say to yourself, if you’ve bought an HDTV, 1080p resolution is important to you so maybe you want a Blu-ray player. If that’s something you’re considering, then obviously you’re going to pick a PS3. You can go to any chain store and pick up a Blu-ray player but for an extra 100 bucks, you can get a PS3."
"You get something that not only plays the best games but you can surf the Internet with it, download all your pictures to it, or listen to music," he concluded. "I think that functionality will separate us from our competition."