How many games at PS3's launch?

by Ross Miller { May 17th 2006 at 4:25PM }

According to SCEA head honcho Kaz Hirai, Sony will launch its PlayStation 3 with about 15 titles. While no titles were explicitly mentioned, Activision, EA, and Ubisoft all backed Hirai's estimation. However, big-time publishers Sega of America and THQ have openly disagreed with Hirai's assessment. Sega of America's Simon Jeffrey told Bloomberg that many developers have not received development kit hardware from Sony. THQ's Brian Farrell noted that their upcoming Sopranos title would not be shipped on the PS3 because the lack of hardware specifications makes the title's release "too risky."

Regardless of who is right (we won't find out for sure until late October), the initial launch is not indicative of the console's longevity. In a feature from Xbox 360's launch, 1up observed that the PlayStation 2's launch "had more bark than bite ... mediocre PS1 games converted to the new hardware in mid-development, iffy arcade conversions, and lackluster RPGs." Yet, that console has sold over 100 million units since its launch in 2000.

For sake of comparison, the Xbox 360 launched with 18 titles and just over 12 XBLA games.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

JodyAnthony @ May 17th 2006 4:28PM

and the wii is expected to launch with over 20 games.

wii for me, please.

(and before people flame me, why did i bring this up? because I'm a nintendo fanboy, thats why. and proud of it)

Markster @ May 17th 2006 4:30PM

Frankly, a launch with ~10 games should be good enough.

If you look at the 360, there were an awful lot of launch titles that were barely deserving of being on the new platform.

Now, hopefully, there will be come standard of quality linked with the launch title.

Fuzz @ May 17th 2006 4:30PM

" . . .just over 12 XBLA games."

Does that mean 13?

patrick @ May 17th 2006 4:31PM

as long as it comes out with a few good games the number of them is irrelevant.

also remember there are a lot of bumps when you're using a new format (GD-ROM anyone) and hopefully they steer clear of that whole mess.

Ryan @ May 17th 2006 4:32PM

"Yet, that console has sold over 100 million units since its launch in 2000."

And I still have trouble figuring out why.

Jackie Chan @ May 17th 2006 4:38PM

13 launch titles and 5000+ playstation 1 and 2 games. I can deal with that!

ejflex @ May 17th 2006 4:39PM

#1 Wii will launch with at least 27 games actually.

reguy @ May 17th 2006 4:39PM

it has not sold 100 million units, it has shipped 100 million units. for shame joystiq........

aceattorney @ May 17th 2006 4:40PM

Good enough, but the question is, how many people will buy more than 1 game after spending that much for a console + additional controller?

Clint @ May 17th 2006 4:41PM

I probably won't buy but 1 or 2 games the first day anyways! It's still going to play all of the great PS2 games I have...not to mention God of War 2!!!!

DBX00 @ May 17th 2006 4:44PM

Seems like the only console making news these days is the PS3...hmmm

Clint @ May 17th 2006 4:46PM

The Wee will have 20 different Mario games so I guess you can say they only have 7 games then...

Paul P. @ May 17th 2006 4:52PM

#7 that isn't true, that's just the number of things they had playable on the show floor, and many were from the same games. For instance, each wii sport title was a seperate demo that counted as part of the 27, and the TP dungeon and fishing games counted as seperate.

A lot of those games won't be out at launch, and some games that weren't shown will be.

selfconshus @ May 17th 2006 4:54PM

For me, it's not the number of games at launch but the quality. Sure, with the 360(I own one), there might have been 18 games at launch but not a single game offered anything new besides a graphics upgrade. This is why I still say Geometry Wars is the best game on the 360. Even if there's less than 15 games, if Sony delivers, I'll be happy. If not, it'll be PS2 launch all over again. A friggin fireworks game??! ha

XboxGamer @ May 17th 2006 4:55PM

Honestly the Xbox 360 is the best console this generation I think. Out first and is damn fun. At first I thought about waiting for the Wii (aka Revolutino). However after seeing it I cant make the Wii my mainstay. The games are going to simple in design. Which is fine for someone just getting into gaming however the Xbox 360 has meat to its games. Compelling story lines. I look forward to Gears of War and Elder Scrolls is amazing.

I am really happy with my Xbox 360 and dont see a need for another console. Granted I was one of the lucky ones who got one at launch however now that the console is almost meeting demand with 1 million units shipped each month I really dont see the need for gamers to wait to pick one up. Pick up Next Generation Now.

I use to be a Nintendo Fanboy but overall the Wiimote has done less to enthrall me. I am not saying I wont pick it up however I will take a wait and see approach. But I would much rather have the Xbox 360 instead of the Wii. Hands DOWN!

mercatfat @ May 17th 2006 4:56PM

NEWSFLASH:

EVERY LAUNCH IN RECENT HISTORY HAS BEEN LACKLUSTER.

Seriously, what's it going to take to get this through heads? It makes perfect logical sense, given that developers are still learning as they go and can't focus as hard on good R&D and the like.

Wii may be somewhat of an exception due to its similar nature to the Gamecube, but I wouldn't place bets.

Miles Teg @ May 17th 2006 4:57PM

Well to be honest who is going to be able to afford to buy 15 games with their PS3 at launch, not many I guess. Most poeple only buy 1 or 2 games with their console, & then maybe one or two games a month afterwards.
I wish I had the money to buy a PS3 though & a HDTV to go with but alas i'm not rich enough. So what i'm doing is leaving the PS3 till late next year, & buying a Wii in november - cheap & no HDTV required :)
Thank god for Nintendo!

Edmund @ May 17th 2006 4:58PM

It's all about quality, not quantity. Who cares if a system has 30 launch titles? Are you going to buy all 30? When I buy a system I usually buy around 2 or 3 games. So as long as a system has at least that many good games at launch I'm set.

This past generation I was a huge gamecube fans. People would always argue that it sucked because it had less games. Who cares? It has more games than I'll ever own and more of the games I want.

Anonymous rep @ May 17th 2006 4:59PM

#6 - Jackie Chan - Read the official press release again.

"PS3 is the most advanced computer system that serves as a platform to enjoy next generation computer entertainment contents in the home, realized through the combination of Cell and RSX? processors, in addition to the playability of a vast catalog of PlayStation� and PlayStation�2 software titles."

Two things to note here: First, Sony is NOT pushing this as a game console. They're flat out calling it a computer. Second, they are not saying how MANY of their PS and PS2 games are or will be playable.

At least Microsoft said from the get-go that their intentions are to get as many Xbox games as playable as possible on the 360, but they also realized that there was NOT going to be 100% backwards compatability.

One of my retail people that also runs an online gaming magazine just came back from E3, and he stated, "I was impressed by the Wii, although the name still sucks. It'll sell to the general public. I couldn't tell any graphics difference between the pre-rendered shots for the PS3 and the 360 - HD is HD. The game developers I talked to all love XNA for the 360, and while some of the dev kits for the PS3 have shipped, they aren't that impressed."

Kwipper @ May 17th 2006 5:01PM

Okay. I'm not going to buy the console at launch mostly because of the price alone and the usual lack of polished games that come out at the consoles release. Lets also not forget the initial console-release bugs that EVERY console is plagued with. I have no reason to buy the Playstation 3 right now so I can wait.

JJ @ May 17th 2006 5:06PM

well of course game makers like the XNA... its the same basically as designing on a PC so you have years of experience there, thus its easier, unlike with PS3 where its new technology so of course there's going to be a learning curve, that's just plain and simple general knowledge.
As for the launch games, if they have at least 2 good launche titles they'll do fine. Unfortunately while the 360 had a high number of launch titles, dang near ALL of them were either multiplats that were 10 bucks more expensive for less features (Madden comes to mind) or weren't anything special, heck i bought a 360 the day it came out, 2nd day i had it i retunred PD0 (the only game i picked up) and had to wait until GRAW and Fight night came out for anythingw orth holding on to. So here i am 6 months later with only 2 360 games, so i'm a BIT dissapointed so far, but not so much so to get rid of my system (as a diehard gamer i cant bring myself to sell back any system).
So the way i see as long as Sony can come out with 2 games that AREN'T multiplatform and are good, they'll be alright, but they also need to follow it up with some more good games before the 6 month mark.

isildur21367 @ May 17th 2006 5:23PM

The PS3 is the big loser this cycle. XB360 is as good graphically, with better games (Halo3, Gears), signif better online with XB Live and a $200 lower price....why would anyone except Sony fanboys to buy this??? I mean even GTA4 is no longer an exclusive Sony title. The only thing Sony has is the Final Fantasy series. The launch titles that Sony is working on for the PS3 are uninspiring. The one decent looking game is Resistance Fall of Man but even that pales in comparison to Gears of War.....Again I ask, why buy the PS3 now?

I would wait at least a year and hope for big price drop.....unfortunately Sony has some big financial committments that the new CEO Howard Stringer has made to Wall Street. Sony is in a bind. They can't really cut the price and take a bigger bath on the hardware because the box is overengineered and too expensive (cough, cough Blu Ray).

Sony is facing a really difficult future in my opinion.

Belcho @ May 17th 2006 5:26PM

Has anyone thought about how much the games are going to cost on the PS3? OK, games on the 360, produced on cheap ol DVD9's that you can get for what, about a $1 disc nowadays, even less if you buy in bulk are $60. Anyone seen how much blank Blu-Ray discs cost? Circuit City is selling a SINGLE blank for $20!!! ( http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/TDK-Blu-ray-25GB-Recording-Disc-BDR25AC-/sem/rpsm/oid/149808/catOid/-12895/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do ) So, the reason for the increase in game prices on the 360 was because of developmental costs right? So, how much will a PS3 game cost if there's increased developmental costs AND increased cost of manufactoring the actual disc? So how much are you willing to pay for a non-collectors edition PS3 game? $70? $80? How much is too much?

patrick @ May 17th 2006 5:31PM

60$ is about 1/6 the cost of the xbox 360.
using the same math, 90$ is about the cost of the ps3.
so i'd say 90$+ is too much, but considering the people that buy one when it comes out are rich and cooler than everyone else anyway, i doubt it will be an issue.

patrick @ May 17th 2006 5:33PM

90$ is about 1/6 the cost of a ps3*

the math isnt exact, i know, but you get the idea.

Snap @ May 17th 2006 5:33PM

#7. #1 Wii will launch with at least 27 games actually.

I'll believe it when I see it. Twilight Princess was due out... erm... nevermind.

Pedro @ May 17th 2006 5:34PM

15 good games not 18 crap games with more than half of them current gen ports. Motorstorm,Tony Hawk project8,
Killzone 2, Heavenly sword, Tekken 6 and a lot more great next gen games. What more could you ask at launch?
These games will keep me busy for a long time, while I wait for Naughty Dog project and 8 days. Can't wait for November 17.

PS3 TRUE NEXT GEN

Robotic House Plant @ May 17th 2006 5:42PM

The dev kit is still not in some developers hands yet? But the final dev kit, has been released, right? Is it a manufacturing issue? Is it the blu-ray drive? What's the hold up? The console launch is what-- five or so months away?

Goobers @ May 17th 2006 5:44PM

i didn't buy the psOne until FF9 came out...
i didn't buy the PS2 until FF10 came out.
i bought the XBox because of Steel Battalion, and at that, i only bought it WHEN the expansion, LoC came out, though i didn't buy LoC.

so yeah, i don't much care how many games are out at launch, unless i like them, they can have a million launch titles.

Rare Hare @ May 17th 2006 5:45PM

by Fuzz:(#3)" ' . . .just over 12 XBLA games.'

Does that mean 13?"

LMAO.

Snap @ May 17th 2006 5:45PM

"PS3 TRUE NEXT GEN"

ROFL. Ya, that awesome Killzone 2 game that they showed at E3 this year... erm... wait a minute. They showed a CGI movie developed by a contracted company for E3 200.....5!

Killzone 2... the next generation... in CGI designed "according to specs."

ROFL.

Pretty Obvious @ May 17th 2006 5:49PM

Every new console that launches usually has a horrible line-up of games. There will be no exception on the PS3. And if your that dissapointed with the 360's launch lineup (which had the best launch lineup in console history next to the Dreamcast) then dont even bother with the PS3. Some devs have not even gotten final kits yet, and this things suppossed to be out Nov. Lol.

And sure the Wii will have 20 something games at launch, the systems basically a souped up Gamecube. Developers are already used to the environment. But with quantity youll get crappy looking games compared to the 360 and PS3. I want true next gen, not some retarded controller. And no, that controller does not make the Wii next gen. It just makes it a Gamecube and 1/2.

Pedro @ May 17th 2006 5:51PM

what's the name of that company? Stop talking out of your ass

Staticneuron @ May 17th 2006 6:00PM

"EA Worldwide Studios boss Paul Lee said that the firm is "happy" with the dev kits sent out so far, while Activision CEO Robert Kotick told Bloomberg that although their systems are not "final, final hardware", "we know what the processors' capacity is - we have active development underway."

Kotick added that he doesn't expect that the first titles launched for the PS3 will take advantage of more than a fifth of the capacity of the machine, however, stating that "this is the most sophisticated piece of consumer hardware ever."

Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot agreed with Kotick's sentiments, but compared the situation at this point to the same point six months out from the launch of the Xbox 360 last year. "We won't be able to take advantage of all the components of the [PlayStation 3]," he commented, "but it was the same last year."

Wait wait.... so these games that look comparable as of now between the 360 and the PS3, are going to be using only a 5th of the systems power when they are released? Does that mean these Comparable games are only taking up a 5th of the 360's extremly streamlined hardware as well?

Cage @ May 17th 2006 6:00PM

Without having even a demo for any non-ported game I wouldnt keep my hopes up for must of those titles you just listed Pedro. And without game creators even getting dev-kits, I doubt there will be a full launch Nov 17. Hmm...lets see. Xbox came out a yr after the PS2 and 360 comes a yr earlier. All Sony could come up with is a copied controller and a forced HD player? What a joke...

riffgod @ May 17th 2006 6:00PM

That all sounds about right. I remeber one big selling point of the PS2 was backwards compatibility. It was unheard of. So they marketed their launch titles as the entire PS1 library plus a few other games. The xbox 360 I thought had a pretty weak launch line up. There were a few games that some people would get excited about, but not enought for it to be a must-have system. However I do see some good prospects on the horizon as to future xbox 360 games. Which follows suit with what happens at every launch.

At any rate, Sony's PS3 launch line-up even with 15 games is weak in today's market. Systems in the past have launched with 1/5 of that, but I don't see that fairing well to today's gamers. Especially if the PS3 has no casual games like xbla does.

SuicideNinja @ May 17th 2006 6:02PM

""Yet, that console has sold over 100 million units since its launch in 2000."

And I still have trouble figuring out why."

I'm sure a lot of those are rebuys from Disc Read Error problems. You'd figure, since version 13 seems to be the first reliable PS2. Will the PS3 be the same way?

I'm going to hold out for a price drop on the PS3 unless FFXIII totally kicks ass.

jay @ May 17th 2006 6:07PM

I'd rather get a Wii. More launch titles= more choice on day 1.

Miles Teg @ May 17th 2006 6:11PM

"...Has anyone thought about how much the games are going to cost on the PS3?..."

Hmmm thats something I had not considered to be honest. What you say about blank Blu-Ray discs being $20 each is concerning if true. Well I just hope the price of Blu-ray discs & PS3 games are reasonable when I buy one in late 2007. If not then it will have to be 2008. Until then I will be content with the Wii & my PC that I built a year ago.

Darth Pixel @ May 17th 2006 6:16PM

I am pretty sure you can make 3 Wii games during the time it takes to make 1 AAA PlayStation 3 games.

Now, it's also possible 3 times as many people will prefer the AAA PlayStation 3 title over any of the 3 Wii games.

I thought Nintendo would target a more mature audience with their next-generation console, yet, after E3, it is clear they are still targeting kids and non-gamers.

As far as PlayStation 3 launch titles are concerned, I don't see how a publisher can talk about the number of games their competitors have in store. I don't think it's the kind of information publishers share with each other.
Also, I believe this number only includes Western titles. You can bet a dozen of Japanese titles could be added to that number. Since PlayStation 3 is going to be zone-free, those extra games will count.

jon @ May 17th 2006 6:20PM

A couple of things to think about:

Why was there no showning at all of KillZone this year at E3??? There wasn't even a peep out of Sony on this title???

Microsoft said they would have 24 titles ready and last minute a few developers pulled back so they were left with 18. If Sony is only planning 14 titles...they will only be getting like 10. Half of those will be EA titles that are already on the 360. Sony has not said any of its AAA titles will be out during launch? So what the hell is the purpose of purchasing a PS3 anytime soon???

3 words: Gears of War
This is going to be the title that gets best of E3 awards and will be the blockbuster of this Christmas. Only on the 360.

and whatever tool that was that said there are only 2 good games on the 360??? Are you living under a rock?

What about:
Fight Night
GR:AW
Need For Speed
Kameo
Far Cry
Oblivion
Perfect Dark
Tomb Raider
Top Spin
Xmen
Dead Or Alive 4
Project Gotham Racing 3
BurnOut Revenge
Condemned
GUN
The Outfit

Surely there are more than two good games for the 360.

Fafalo @ May 17th 2006 6:43PM

Who cares how many titles are available at launch date, at the price the ps3 is i wont have enough money left for games :(

Dave @ May 17th 2006 7:08PM

Hello, I'm the Dreamcast. I had the greatest launch lineup ever, and then failed.

bladestar @ May 17th 2006 7:15PM

I honestly can't can?t wait after all this mess is gone. I can't wait till PS3 and wii its getting stupid already. Dont you think there is a reason why sony didn?t want to tell a price for the console, now they are not telling us how much we will pay per game. damn! I just cant believe how Nintendo manage to brain wash so many people; they convinced the masses that console with state of the art cpu + graphic cards + hd is bad and that innovation can only be accomplished with inferior hardware and cheap plastic! LOL. I mean I know the wiimote is cool but lets not pretend that if Nintendo would match the xbox 360's power with the innovation of the wiimote you wouldn?t be happier! and don't say money is the issue if so many people are willing to buy a 360 for $400 and a PS3 for $600 you would buy the wii for $400... heck most of you would buy the wii for $400 if nintendo would to price it that way. A fanboy is always a fanboy. I cant wait for the wiimote fever to be gone. you will be stuck with a PS1 with a stick. Here is something to think about:

which one is better for FPS games: wiimote or a light gun that vibrates when you shoot. (though so)

for a dance games: wiimote or dance pad? lol

for fighting games: wiimote or arcade joystick.

for racing games: wiimote or a racing wheel with vibration feedback technology.

I can go on for ever! I can see the wii bringing an innovative/never attempted, but this does not mean realistic. the wiimote will never make you feel like you are actually driving a car, or kicking someone's ass, or shooting something. so, don't think the wiimote is the answer to everything just because you can swing it.

Hitoriga @ May 17th 2006 7:24PM

I was skeptical to buy a ps3 too; however, I was at pixar's private conference with square-enix where square-enix discussed animation techniques and showed some of their final fantasy videos. I sat there and watched the final fantasy xii and xiii in high-defintion (1080p, widescreen) with 7.1 surround sound. It was just amazing. The complete immersion and clarity of visuals was just amazing. I will definitely get the ps3 for its media capabilities. The PS3 is basically a blu-ray player that happens to play games also. I want my cheap blu-ray player. Games are a bonus for me. PS3 does not have to have to have great games at launch. We have plenty of great PS2 games coming out at around the sametime. PS3 is a transition. I doubt it will win at first, but give it time, and it will surprise you and boggle others as to how it keeps doing what it does.

Jeff @ May 17th 2006 8:51PM

Big applause for Dave.

It's a marathon, not a sprint. Launch titles mean nothing.

The reality is there only need to be enough launch titles to sell out the first round of consoles. Is Sony going to sell fewer PS3's because there are 10 or whatever titles instead of 20? No, they're going to sell the exact same number, which just happens to be the exact number of units they produce.

Economically speaking, it is better for everyone involved to have the fewest launch titles necessary to sell out the first production run. More money for everyone. People buy the same number of games and systems; that money just gets split fewer ways.

It may not make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside from the consumer end, but there it is.

Most successful console launches have had pretty spare launch lineups by today's standards. And the system I think we all pretty much measure launches against today (whether we know it or not) - the Dreamcast - failed miserably. Prior to that launch, nobody really cared much how many games were available provided at least one of them was good. (How many PS1, Saturn, SNES or Genesis launch games can you name? Most likely you will remember that one big one and that's it.) Post-Dreamcast, every system is expected to have like 25 launch games with at least 5 AAA titles. It's just not realistic, nor is it really helpful to the industry.

B Money @ May 17th 2006 9:07PM

I feel sorry for all of those people that believe Blu-ray is going to be the "next gen" DVD. HD DVD has all of the right components to beat out the competition. HD DVD players are far cheaper: Toshiba has them for 799.99 and 499.99 compared to Sony's at 1000.00. The physical media for HD DVD is cheaper to manufacture. Not a lot of funding needed to change the manufacturing process as well. Toshiba's HD DVD players have already been in the market. Ethernet input for firmware upgrade, Sony's player doesn't have that. The name "HD DVD" is consumer friendly. Triple layer HD DVD can hold 45GB. HD DVD is accepted by the DVD Forum. Several companies claiming blu-ray exclusivness have switched to both camps.

All of these factors lead me to forsee HD DVD as the winner. REMEBER VHS VS SONY BETA-MAX?

dsub @ May 17th 2006 9:08PM

Pedro:

"15 good games not 18 crap games with more than half of them current gen ports. Motorstorm,Tony Hawk project8,
Killzone 2, Heavenly sword, Tekken 6 and a lot more great next gen games. What more could you ask at launch?"

You can thank the 360 for that. If the PS3 had launched first you could say the same thing about it. Companies aren't going to spend millions of extra dollars to rebuild a cross platform game from the ground up just for one new system. Give me a break. That's just how it goes, and that's what happens when you launch first.

I also wanted to ask you...how many of those 15 "good" games have you played? I mean, you say that they are good, so you must have played them right? Only one of the games you mentioned was playable at E3...that's heavenly sword. It hasn't been confirmed for launch. Killzone 2 wasn't even present at E3, you'd think that after a year of development on that CG trailer err...I mean "realtime footage" that they'd have some playable stuff for us right? Whatever.

I beg you, tell me...what is your proof that these 15 titles are so great? You have nothing beyond a few screenshots and target videos to backup your statement. Sorry man, but that's far from proof, or even demo gameplay for that matter. You want to know what your only proof is? Blatant pointless fanboyism, that is backed up by what? Oh yea that's right...nothing.

??? @ May 17th 2006 9:56PM

I'm certainly planning on a PS3 [have a 360 already] I'm sure the games will turn out great; but unless I've missed something, I wish they would come out and explain exactly how this new motion controller is supposed to work [like can you click it on and off,etc.yadda yadda] instead of enlightening us on who has the latest tattoo or what days of the week Kaz sends his laundry out, etc., c'mon Sony give us the real stuff!

JJ @ May 17th 2006 10:38PM

So i'm a tool cuz there's only 2 games out of that line up i bought? ok lets look at this list of yours.
--------

and whatever tool that was that said there are only 2 good games on the 360??? Are you living under a rock?

What about:
Fight Night - Got it
GR:AW- Got it

Need For Speed- Dont like the need for speed series anymore

Kameo- This game wasnt that good

Far Cry- Another game that i've HAD on the PC, so didn't feel like spending 60 bucks on the console version, personal tastes

Oblivion- Once again, got it for the PC as i have a decent set up, i prefer games like Oblivion on my Comp for whatever reason

Perfect Dark- The game i returned the day after i bought the 360 cuz i didnt like it

Tomb Raider - Never liked tomb raider

Top Spin- Dont like tennis games

Xmen- the official game movie? ya serious? that JUST came out this week. Still waiting to see some reviews, but probably wont get this anyway as i have Legends and Legends II

Dead Or Alive 4- I had it for about a week, didnt like it amazingly, yet i still have DOA3..

Project Gotham Racing 3- Never was a big PGR fan, i mean i have PGR2..but oddly enough its still in the wrapper.

BurnOut Revenge- have it for the xbox, so no need to rebuy it just for prettier graphics.

Condemned- Too short, beat it in one rental

GUN- why pay 60 bucks for a game that doesnt look better than the last gen multiplatform versions? and another game that was alright, but i didnt feel like buying.

The Outfit- another game that failed expectations for me
-----

So yeah i'm a tool because out of that whole list I only have 2 of the games on 360? Great reasoning there Don.