How Sony Can Further Their PS4 Sales

In the Far East you can find one of the most exciting technological countries in the world. We are of course talking about Japan.

How do you explain that a country with so few natural resources can occupy such a lofty position? Japan is third in the international GDP tables. They sit behind America and China, respectively. The answer is a simple one. It is due to their technology companies. And we are going to focus on one company in particular. That is Sony.

It has been a little bit of a mixed bag for Sony in the past year. The PS4 is beating the Xbox One hands down. The console reached 18.5 million sales in its first year, beating the record of the PS2, which is the bestselling console of all time with 155 million units sold worldwide.

However, at the same time, the film arm of Sony has suffered profusely these past 12 months. The biggest talking point regarding the studio was their handling of The Interview. The Seth Rogen and James Franco movie depicted North Korea leader Kim Jong-un in a derogatory manner, nearly causing an international crisis in the process. A piece of news that has not got as much coverage as it should be is the unknown position the studio currently holds with Spider Man, who they have agreed to allow to become part of the proper Marvel cinematic universe.

Sony are very much looking in a weak position in the film industry, but in the game industry their stock has not been this high since the generation before last. It is with the latter that we are to focus some more on.

You cannot deny that so far Sony are doing a stellar job with the PS4. But, like all things, there is understandably room for improvement. Below are just some ideas that could forever tip the balance in Sony’s favour.

Bring Japanese games to market

Only the select few Japanese games ever make it across to the West. The well-known ones that have phenomenal sales usually make the switch. But how many sales does it take before developers and distributors are willing to look further afield? There must be a plethora of games that sit on the periphery of the international market, all because they have not quite broken the extremely high glass ceiling. By bringing more Japanese games to market, Sony can not only potentially drive up sales for Japanese-based developers but at the same time divert more eyes their way as they are the ones with these new and untested game titles.

Games like Winning Post World 8 could find a mass market in Europe and North America. The horse racing game is a clear example of the risks that the Japanese developers are willing to take. In North America, the heartland of game developing, you would never find a developer willing to touch a game which could be interpreted as too niche, which is a shame as it would be great to be hurdling round the track and hoping to live up to the billing of Cheltenham Festival favourite, for example. Horse racing is a hugely popular sport, not just as a spectator but also as a gambler. The betting market for the likes of Cheltenham makes big money for both the bookmakers and the punters. So, it could also be lucrative for game developers. By bringing Japanese games over, Sony can make their product almost niche.

Exclusive Titles

If you have the best games, then you will attract the most gamers. This is the core principal of gaming but unfortunately the best exclusive titles are to be found on Xbox, not PlayStation. Later in the year, we will see Halo released on Xbox One. You can expect the game, which also has a Steven Spielberg-directed TV show tie-in, to be an absolute cash cow for Xbox. It will also remind a lot of people of what they are missing whilst on a PlayStation, causing many to consider switching back.

In reality it is just simple business logic. Offer the customers a product that your competitor cannot and you are onto a winner. They could even achieve this by doing the above point. That would clearly differentiate the two consoles.

Dealing with Oculus

Whoever out of Microsoft or Sony first gets the Oculus Rift compatible with the console will surely win this technological arms race. The virtual reality head-mounted display will change the gaming experience completely when it is fully available to the market.

The immersive feel one could get on games like Call of Duty or Grand Theft Auto would be sensational and a unique selling point. When it comes to gaming innovation, you would have to say that it is usually Microsoft who breaks ground. However, if Sony can pull the rug out from underneath their feet and make the PS4 format fit with the Rift, then they may as well start printing their own money.