Kazuo Hirai, President of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI), has said that his company is hoping the PlayStation 3 will exceed sales of its predecessor, PlayStation 2, which has sold through 140 million units in nine years.
Speaking with the Financial Times, Hirai commented, “It’s not fun for me replicating the PS2 numbers. I’ve seen that movie already.”
“I want to try to see if we can exceed the PS2 numbers after nine years, otherwise why are we in this business?”
The PS3 launched in November 2006, and has so far sold through 12.81 million units globally, with Sony hoping to shift a further 10 million in its current fiscal year.
NPD sales for the month of June 2008 saw a boost in the number of PS3 hardware sold, which has largely been attributed to the release of Konami’s Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots.