PSP piracy down, but so are major releases

by Randy Nelson { Nov 25th 2008 at 7:15PM }

Speaking to MTV Multiplayer, SCEA hardware marketing boss John Koller admitted that piracy of PSP software is still very much a concern to the company, but that it's been less severe in recent weeks. "It's trending down right now, we've seen the piracy not be as prevalent in the last month to two months," Koller told the site, adding, "But it has been a problem for us."

SCEA president Jack Tretton pointed to piracy as a chief factor in weak PSP software sales during E3. Looking at the past two months' worth of releases for the handheld, though, one would have to imagine that the decline in piracy can be attributed to the fact that there have been no recent, major PSP titles to, well, pirate. In fact, the holiday season will be devoid of a single new, triple-A year-end title for PSP ... something that has to be worrying Sony more than pirates right about now.

Tags: piracy, pirates, psp-brite, psp-piracy

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

offday @ Nov 25th 2008 7:19PM

Kind of off topic, but when did MTV become the news source for gaming information? Recently it seems like everyone talks to MTV Multiplayer for everything.

Ridgecity @ Nov 25th 2008 7:36PM

when big media start getting interested in something, they make it big and turn into a big source since they have big levers, I'm more surprised when gaming blogs quote Variety Magazine.If things continue this trend , in a year or two, CNN will get a gaming news ticker.

Mr Khan @ Nov 25th 2008 7:48PM

MTV Multiplayer has been quite good overall lately, though i have found their Nintendo coverage to be particularly refreshing compared to many outlets these days

They could beat the hell outta G4 if they started building some programming on it

sk8monroe81 @ Nov 25th 2008 7:50PM

MTV is a media magnet. viacom inc.
they also make games- harmonix.
MTV is seen as a marketing tool also for various companies.

Wiinterfang @ Nov 25th 2008 8:21PM

Too bad they forgot about music.

aj @ Nov 25th 2008 11:28PM

MTV still has music. It's just that it's marketed toward 13 year olds so you probably don't even notice it. Kind of like how humans can't hear dog whistles, people older than 12 just don't see the music on MTV. Be glad.

Shagittarius @ Nov 25th 2008 7:20PM

Yarrrrr, Easy game and pirated women!

Ridgecity @ Nov 25th 2008 7:32PM

The best way to put pirates out of business? Don't release new stuff they can copy. Works every time.

Vegeta (aka Ska Oreo) @ Nov 25th 2008 9:22PM

BRILLIANT!!!

Hickeroar @ Nov 25th 2008 7:35PM

Seriously....i haven't played anything on my PSP in about a year. There's seriously nothing good that's come out for it in ages.

required @ Nov 25th 2008 7:54PM

looking at http://www.metacritic.com/games/psp/scores/

I see for '08 the following games with a rating above 75:

God of War: Chains of Olympus
Patapon
FIFA Soccer 09
Space Invaders Extreme
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
MLB 08: The Show
WipEout Pulse
Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2
Pro Evolution Soccer 2008
Echochrome
NBA 09: The Inside
Midnight Club: LA Remix
N+
Star Ocean: First Departure
Downstream Panic!
LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures

There are a lot more rated below 75.

All in all a lot of games for 2008 to date.

Snowblind @ Nov 25th 2008 8:06PM

A good chunk of those are sports/racing games or gimped versions of console games. For example, why play Lego Indy on the PSP when you could play it on *any* of the consoles, especially as multiplayer is the only way to go with those games.

You can try and spin it any way you want, but that's not a particularly impressive list..

required @ Nov 25th 2008 8:12PM

Snowblind, show me a list that bests it.

Snowblind @ Nov 25th 2008 8:26PM

I'm not going to scour through release lists just to respond to your post, especially if you want to count each and every decent spors title and multiplatform release.. but the 360, PS3 and DS have all had vastly superior games released this year.

I'm not trying to claim the PSP's had nothing, but it's major releases have been few and far between, and I don't want to play watered down console ports.

pwnetheus @ Nov 25th 2008 10:09PM

I love the argument that since most psp games are just watered down console ports, it's better to play the orginal console game. Fantastic, now show me a way to play these original console games on the train. I guess all I have to do is pack myself a tv and console and I'm set. Need a power source as well!!!

The main reason I have a psp is so I can play these "watered down console ports" on the go. Although I will admit it pisses me off when it's obvious the developers made no effort when porting the game.

Blah, enough ranting.

Snowblind @ Nov 26th 2008 7:02AM

Surley that's the reason that Sony doesn't want developers releasing anymore of these watered down console ports, they're always half assed jobs, and almost none of them are worth playing - again, something like Lego Indy is not something I'd want to play on the train.

TMGE_rock @ Nov 25th 2008 7:36PM

So... No new games is the result of piracy, or is it their answer to piracy??

Alien Lord @ Nov 25th 2008 7:57PM

They said a while back they only wanted new titles no more ports so it's probably their answer to piracy because no ones going to make original IPs, let alone original games for the PSP.

BigD145 @ Nov 25th 2008 8:25PM

You treasure and your women aren't up to my standards. I'll look elsewhere.

Tiptup300 @ Nov 25th 2008 8:36PM

BOLTH!

Wiinterfang @ Nov 25th 2008 7:38PM

They still make games for PSP?

required @ Nov 25th 2008 7:56PM

yes in fact more critically acclaimed games than the DS, see: http://www.metacritic.com/games/psp/scores/

Wiinterfang @ Nov 25th 2008 7:59PM

Those games are old O_O.

required @ Nov 25th 2008 8:08PM

tmacairjordan87 @ Nov 25th 2008 8:15PM

Damn you're like the Foetoid of PSP, rehashing the same comment over and over

Wiinterfang @ Nov 25th 2008 8:17PM

Jesus Christ that list sucks.

Ridgecity @ Nov 25th 2008 8:19PM

@required:

posting that list twice makes it seem as double the awesome games!

required @ Nov 25th 2008 8:24PM

tmacairjordan87, rehashing the same comment over and over? I see it more as responding to the same comment. Seriously, read.

Mr Khan @ Nov 25th 2008 8:31PM

It's a respectable list, imo. The only problem is that a lot of those games can be had in better forms on the consoles, the prime problem plaguing PSP development from the start

that alliteration was purely unintentional

required @ Nov 25th 2008 8:53PM

Mr Khan, I agree it is a respectable list. Also note that a lot of those games can not be had anywhere but the PSP. In fact there are more unique titles on the system at large than there are ports and even titles that can be deemed ports via namesake are in fact unique to the system.

Gurbinder @ Nov 27th 2008 6:18PM

They ranked wipEout pulse @ 33? What gives. Seriously.

sk8monroe81 @ Nov 25th 2008 7:49PM

god IMO sony always explains things in such a way that really means nothing important...

how can you even talk about low pirate rates when your not selling games??

the figures and ways sony explains things is weird.

required @ Nov 25th 2008 8:00PM

as posted above there has been a lot of games released this year

also, Sony made the store accessible via the PSP where you can directly download a lot of games

el serpiente @ Nov 25th 2008 11:40PM

YOU WANNA SEE GAMES? I'LL SHOW YA GAMES!

God of War: Chains of Olympus
Patapon
FIFA Soccer 09
Space Invaders Extreme
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
MLB 08: The Show
WipEout Pulse
Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2
Pro Evolution Soccer 2008
Echochrome
NBA 09: The Inside
Midnight Club: LA Remix
N+
Star Ocean: First Departure
Downstream Panic!
LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures

KeenCommander @ Nov 25th 2008 7:52PM

Give me something to buy, and I'll bloody buy it!

The only things I play on my PSP anymore are old SNES and GBA games. I have no problem buying games for it, but other than the four I already have - there's nothing worth my time.

required @ Nov 25th 2008 8:20PM

According to metacritic, the PSP has more good games to play than the DS and in general has as many if not more titles. It also has better integration with the PS3 than the DS does the Wii. And better media capabilities and better add-ons.

The store is now accessible via the PSP as well. There you can buy and download both games that initially were only available on UMD and PS1 titles among other things.

Wiinterfang @ Nov 25th 2008 8:58PM

Required you sound like a broken record.

Alien Lord @ Nov 25th 2008 7:54PM

Sony should open a spin firm, they can't seem to do anything else right so why not open a spin firm.

Premature ejaculation man @ Nov 25th 2008 8:00PM

I think that'd be the most successful part of Sony.
"Bullshitters - err spinners for hire"

aj @ Nov 25th 2008 11:35PM

They can't be that good at spin, what with all the pointing and laughing Sony is getting.

.....Sony kind of reminds me of my crazy grandfather. Yeah, he fought in World War 2 and was this really buff, awesome Marine, but that was a while ago, and lately all he does is poop himself and be racist.

Nugent @ Nov 25th 2008 7:59PM

This also roughly corresponds with the release of the PSP-3000, which was unhacked until recently. That might be affecting their numbers too.

HighFiveJesus @ Nov 25th 2008 8:20PM

God of War: Chains of Olympus
Patapon
FIFA Soccer 09
Space Invaders Extreme
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
MLB 08: The Show
WipEout Pulse
Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2
Pro Evolution Soccer 2008
Echochrome
NBA 09: The Inside
Midnight Club: LA Remix
N+
Star Ocean: First Departure
Downstream Panic!
LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures

All in all a lot of games for 2008 to date.

:)

tmacairjordan87 @ Nov 25th 2008 8:22PM

What the hell is going on here? Seeing that list 3 times doesn't make it any less crappy :P

BigD145 @ Nov 25th 2008 8:28PM

One game a month? That's it? The DS puts out 3-4 times that. Every month there's a bunch of people that see 3 good games released on top of each other and nobody can figure out what to play first. I have not heard of this happening with the PSP.

required @ Nov 25th 2008 8:30PM

tmacairjordan87, you are seeing that list multiple times in response to the same dumb comment.

In the future you should try complaining about the redundancy of the stupid "no games" comment.

required @ Nov 25th 2008 8:36PM

BigD145, how the heck did you arrive at one game a month? That list is of games with a metacritic rating above 75, there were a lot more games released as can be seen at: http://www.metacritic.com/games/psp/alpha/

also there are freebies such as: http://www.psponme.com/list_psp.asp?cat=Arcade