Is the PlayStation 3 losing development support?

by James Ransom-Wiley { Sep 29th 2005 at 1:00PM }

playstation 3 and controller Rumors are flying high, spreading across a network of Japanese, Dutch, and German websites, that developers are wary of creating content for the PlayStation 3. Unfortunately, the article in question is difficult to decipher, but perhaps someone with knowledge of Japanese can give us the clear scoop. There's also a Dutch article that has a quote in (broken) English: "In the (Japanese) game industry, many people are losing trust in Kutaragi's non-stop pursue of this evolution, people are leaving PS3 at a rate worse than Nintendo's GameCube era" (source unknown).

Several developers, like John Carmack, have publicly announced a preference for the Xbox 360. But could that number be growing? The recent cancellation of Condemned for the PS3 seems to suggest as much…

[Update: full translation from PS3Focus.com awaits after the "read" jump, below.]

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

jc @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

I once heard a rumor that joystiq.com used to cover real stories... and that they wern't always trying to fabricate stories to flame the fanboys into a frenzy (thus creating lots of traffic that increases their ad revinues).

But who am I to spread rumors?

Domino @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

"Build it and they will come"

SickNic @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

Meh, it could be true, but I doubt this will affect anything on the consumer side. So the PS3 is going to have less crap titles, big whoop. Sony's moneymakers are still in check, so no one should be worrying, or flaming joystiq *cough* jc *cough*

BAHAMUTO @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

Translation from Dutch to English:

Developers seem to abandon the PS3, Sony's new
game console. Development-costs seemingly
weight in at a hefty 20 million on average,
which many developers think is over the top.
These developers, called third-parties (DUH),
are said to move on to Xbox360.

In the (Japanese) game industry, many people
are losing trust in Kutaragi's non-stop pursue
of this evolution, people are leaving PS3 at a
rate worse than Nintendo's GameCube era.

Yesterday for instance, news broke of Sega's
Condemned being canceled for PlayStation 3.
At least, that's what the official website
states.
At this point, there have been 103 titles
confirmed in development for PS3 versus over
200 for Xbox360.

Ghazi @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

Bull-FUCKING shit...........

Playstation still has the most strong line up and support of any platform....

John Blanco @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

"PS3" is Japanese for "Sega Saturn"

recklessgemini @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

Condemned... is that the game Sega showed a trailer for the PS3 at E3?
if so, it wasn't very impressive.
But I hope low budgit game's like Katamari Damacy doesn't jump ship, cause that would definitely hurt sony (at least hurt me).

Dralt @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

This site is now clogged with ads, indeed.
Obviously, I ignore them and I would never buy anything because of them, but...

Joystiq has become the Fox News of the gaming world. They'll do anything to have their audience clicking frantically.

Smaug @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

I find this hard to believe. A lot of people are going to buy the PS3 just because it's the successor to the PS2. Game makers would be stupid not to make games for the system.

Dralt @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

I got another rumor for you:

According to unverified sources, Microsoft still does not know how to cool the 360 CPU. They would have failed to come up with a liquid cooling system and they are now considering adding a fan or two.

Justin McElroy @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

Who cares? With whoop-tushie franchises like Syphon Filter, their practically a glorious island of game development independance.

P.S. I've never clicked while watching Fox News. I've clucked, but it was sort of an angry cluck while I was watching Bill O'Reily.

peopleintrees @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

why dont you just buy both consoles? thats what i plan on doing.

Adam Wrigley @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

Seriously, how dare companies try to make money! I am discusted at my abillity to recieve free gaming news with ads every so often! It's flat out terrible, it's horrible... it's unholy!

Dom @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

Funny considering developers don't even have all of the development tools from Sony yet.

Dralt @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

Companies with real business models make money by charging their customers for products and/or services that benefit them.

In this particular case, there is a conflict of interest between pleasing advertisers and giving people who read this blog quality information.

darryl @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

"(source unknown)"

Well huh... That's reliable news, man. Here is another story:

"An unknown source reports that water is wet! Or is it?"

Mike @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

@jc

I don't think this really fans the flames of fanboys. I know what you mean but this story doesn't really do it.

I think its interesting to hear this info(can't call it news really). More than likely it will not pan out, Sony will have its usual success with PS3 and this little clip from joystiq will be long forgotten. But if things start to turn south for them for one reason or another, whether it be high development costs, less than projected bluray market penetration, etc, then Joystiq was on the scene first.

Mike

b @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

When I see Midway, EA, Sega, Namco, Capcom, Konami, and Square leave the PS3, specially lacking exclusives, I'll think of that as true.

"Condemned"? Never heard of it before, it must have been a really expected game. The only thing we've heard before is that 360 is easier to program for than the PS3. So is the Gamecube and Xbox easier than PS2, and that never stopped development for PS2.

Also, the only "popular" exclusive Japanese developers are Tecmo and Mistwalkers. Tecmo's games, specifically DOA, are crap. Even Tekken, which sucks a lot, is better. On Mistwalkers we don't know, but what can we say about a man (Hironobu Sakaguchi) that bit the hand that fed him the last 10 years? (Square and Sony). I mean, he's been watching movies the last 3 years or so, what can he deliver to us now?

When I see the majority of PS3 exclusives on 360, i'll consider getting a 360, otherwise i'm still on board for a PS3 (and a Revolution).

Splash @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

It's not a certainty that Sony will reign supreme again. Gamers are notorious for supporting a system one year, than another system the next year. Atari was once number one in the US, then Nintendo, then Sega, then Sony. Life goes on.

It the end, it's too bad the manufacturers don't come out with a UNIFED platform and just develop software instead. The the software developers would only have to write for one system.

Gianni Gotti @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

Don't have time to give full translation but the article compares the console war to the recent election in Japan in whcih support for "Reform" was a key theme.

The article indicates that many developers are losing faith in SCE's vision gaming evolution driven solely by technology. It does not refer to difficulties in programming for the PS3 the main concern listed is the development cost increase & the fact that Kutaragi Sensei has indicated that producing games of the same quality as the PS2 is unacceptable.

The fact that the Xcast 360 will have a lower price point in Japan is also used to point out that Sony risk positioning themselves as a Macintosh in a PC world.

The article points out that Microsoft have been very successful in taking advantage of these concerns to sign major Japanese developers.

Seems like the Sony developer relations people have their work cut out for them in getting real buy-in on the agenda.

Looks like they did a great job with Kojima san who was originally a skeptic. Need to do that *1000

J B Cougar @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

Interesting... rumors about Sony receive the typical "This is crap! Joystiq sucks!" while confirmed stories about XBox and Revolution's controller are greeted with malign and criticism and a hundred different variations on "this thing will never work!" So strange.

Whuh? @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

lol, this article sure attact a lot of criticism from PSboy.

Martez @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

The 360 comes out in about 60 days. The PS3 launch isn't even known yet but assumed to be at least 7-8 months. Of course more games will be announced for the 360 at this point.

I don't, however, doubt that the PS3 is hard and expensive to develop for. But so was the PS2.

Todd @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

It's not like this is really news. Most developers have already said that the PS3 will be the most costly and most difficult to develope for. Sony has even admitted this and have commented on it. Something to the tune of "suck it up developers...we're number 1 and if you want your game on our system you'll just have to work harder". While not an exact quote this does take me back to a time where Nintendo was on top and they had the same attitude. Look what happened to them.

Grizzle @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

goodbye sony *waves* it was nice knowing you...but i think it's time you retired from the gaming industry,that way you can't rip off anymore poor sods with your poorly built consoles..seeya wouldn't wanna beeya!!!

striegs @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

Hilarious. Even the slightest bit of speculation is lure enough to draw the fanboys in droves, armed to the teeth to assault the messenger.

"Conflict of interest," Dralt? Oh, that's right, you're talking about those dozens of Joystiq posts blatantly glorifying Texas Instruments. Or maybe you were talking about the Google ads, which are determined randomly by hyperintelligent pigeons.

But I digress. I mean, James was quite obviously way out of line when he made this post. We all know that impartiality has no place in journalism.

Besides, he could have at least TRIED to inform us that this was only a rumor. Yet I don't see the word "rumor" anywhere in the post. Well, unless you count the first damn word in the article, but I'm a console fanboy, I can't be bothered to deal with mere technicalities.

SiN ViCiOuS @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

Dralt and we would know that would be impossible because the 360 has been in production for a while now. Why are Sony fanboys up in arms? Accept it.. IT AINT HAPPENING for you this time around... more isnt always better...

DjHyjak @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

This could happen, Sony does not have the fisrt party powerhouse Nintendo has so it could not survive a mass xodus to the 360. With Nintendo promising to be cheep around ($200 ive heard)This could be bad for them. The PS3 will be expensive to produce, create for ,and buy. No matter how powerful it is and no matter how cool MGS4 looks, if its not seen as a money maker for the third parties then its doomed to be the new SEGA Saturn.

Mang @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

I'm convinced at this point that even God himself hates Ghazi. Well, if I actually believed in such a thing, at least I would be convinced of that. You get the point. He's a clown and a raging fanboy. Get over it man, they didn't say this was a definitive news story. That's what the question mark is for in the title. Jesus flaming Christ these posts always turn into fanboy wars. Grow the hell up.

mike @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

Also, the only "popular" exclusive Japanese developers are Tecmo and Mistwalkers

--

Not sure I read that correctly.. Mistwalker is working for the Xbox 360.. you mean exclusive to MS??

Dralt @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

striegs,

Yes, "conflict of interest".

You know, when you claim to serve group A, but get your money from group B.

Don't tell me Joystiq gives a damn whether DLP is superior to LCD or plasma.

Big Freaking Advertiser: Hey Joystiq, increase your traffic or we will switch our advertising dollars to IGN, GameSport, 1UP, etc.

Joystiq: Please don't do that. We are going to post dirty rumors on a daily basis and excite fanboys to the point of explosion. That will boost our traffic.

Big Freaking Advertiser: There you go guys!

Micro$oft: Hey Joystiq, can we help you pick the rumors?

OTAM @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

Is this really news?

BTW,Condemned: Criminal Origins looks f'ing awesome,you need to check into that game and read some stuff about it.

Dralt @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

#26

Yeah, right. Some people have a tendency to consider as true what they want to believe is true. (WMDs in Iraq...no inflation in the country...outsourcing is good for people...China needs America more than America needs China...the leader of Pakistan is not a dictator...etc.)

Yet, most people also like to own the bigger, better and more powerful gear available...big trucks, SUVs, personal jets, huge this, super-sized that.

In June, Blu-ray players will be in store for $800.

Let's see who buys the PS3.

OffTopic Man @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

PS3 is better.

Rymix @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

What's a 'PS3'?

;)

Todd @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

Good Lord...all of you fanboys for every system just DIE! Go away and never return. I sick of you people. Now we got one that is claiming that this site is bashing Sony for the sole purpose of making money off of ads. Brilliant!!!! If you had a clue you'd realize they don't get money for putting the ads on the site. They get money for people clicking on them. Rumors have always been on this site, it's not like anything has changed. Oh, but good rumors are ok...while negative ones whip these jerks into a mad frenzy. Dude seriously, go smoke a joint or something, you can still go buy your console of choice when it comes out and nobody will care.

b @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

"In June, Blu-ray players will be in store for $800.

Let's see who buys the PS3."

Anyone that wants Blu-ray and is smart enough to want more for less, will buy a PS3, if only for Blu-ray and "extras". At least it's cheaper, right?

J B Cougar @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

Here comes the Waaaaggghhmbulance to take away those 24-hour gamers who see one word in a 100 word Blog post that disses their hearthrob system and immediately find their Lunchable stained fingers reaching for the "Post comment button" so they can add grammatical gems that make even the blind cringe in embarassment.

Does anyone have any archived articles on the Saturn or Dreamcast, or 3DO or Neo Geo for that matter? It would be interesting to see what was said about those systems so we could shut up some of the more mindless threadbots around here.

Joe @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

mmmmm, interesting, well let's see, what does each console have to offer for this next round?

XBox360: XBox Live, great graphics, easy development, coming out first, tons of games(so it seems), ok price.

Revolution: wi-fi, online, easiest development, classic games, new controller(new experience), gaining support, probably the cheapest to buy.

PS3:.....UH,mmmm, well there's uh, mmmm, hard to develop for, expensive, boomerang controller, extreme graphics?!

If I were Sony, I would be really worried, anybody agree?

Tony @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

"If I were Sony, I would be really worried, anybody agree?"

I agree. With a lame comment like that one I'd be worried about buying another Sony product, if Sony was you.

Tony @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

"If I were Sony, I would be really worried, anybody agree?"

I agree. With a lame comment like that one I'd be worried about buying another Sony product, if Sony was you.

jc @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

Joe, I don't think anyone really has to be 'worried'. We are talking about a +$40 billion industry, with only 4 major players (sony, nintendo, ms and pc).

The only place these companies might be worried if they lose market share... then their investors and shareholders get cranky.

I still haven't decided what system I want to buy... believe it or not, I see positives and negatives in the Rev, PS3 and X360.

What it comes down to is this: they are all just companies that want our money. If you have enough money for all systems, or have enough information to make your choice... congrats!

Joe, with your "if I was sony" statement... you sounds more like Microsoft and their marketing department.

Ice Raider @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

Oh nooo!!! all we will be left with is

Metal Ken Kutaragi Sold 4: Xbox360 Eater
Grand Kutaragimo 4
Ken Bash Xbox360 Kutaragi with Arrogant comments: Deluxe
Ken KutarZone 2: Death to Halo

:-)

Maby those guys over at Sony HQ better get back to work instead of taking a break, it looks like designers are starting to lose some interest in your product. 2 TFLOPS means nothing if none ones is going to design for it ah but it probably all a hoax and we should have nothing to fear.

kagai @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

I'm tired of looking at that guy's tidy-whities! Can't we get a "underweared" girl jumping up and down instead?

Oh, and to be on topic, this is a bunch of drek. When Sony sells 10's of millions of consoles, we'll see how long this "exodus" lasts (if it's really true, or concerns anyone with any real talent.)

yoshizuki @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

I agree, but you know what... PS3 the most expensive, to some ppl, it's the only reason to get that console and to say it's the best, since it's costs the most. It'll be considered like the console of the rich ppl.

Giddieon @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

I agree with poster 1 JC...

This is a horriable peice of work... Why would you even post a weak piece of news If you want to call it that...

I personaly will stop coming if this is going to be a rumor site...

What are you using for confermation Miss Cleo's Hot line???

Come off it get your act togather or people are going to push on to a better site that does not use the force...

Rhine @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

god i love reading these flame wars at least no one has really bashed nintendo yet so im happy

Flame On!

Dralt @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

#40

And rich people are those who buy the most games...

SunnyEren @ Dec 18th 2005 10:00PM

Well if history serves me right, when the PS2 was given to developers there were alot of complaints amoung them for the lack of developer tools for the unit. It didn't take long until other companies came out with them, I suspect the same will happen on the PS3, the first year or so alot of developers will complain about the lack of tools to help make games on the PS3. As for the Xbox360, I was in Japanese for the first little while when it came out, alot of people complained that the unit was damaging DVD's or the units were bad, but microsoft ignore the complaints and that turned off alot of gamers. I think unless microsoft can poach game developers like Sony did off of nintendo when the PlayStation original came out, few people would ever consider buying a Xbox 360 in Japan