Developer talks about failing business model for PSP dev

Laurent Benadiba, CEO of Smack Down Productions, is no stranger to the PSP scene. In an interview with GI.biz, Benadiba makes it clear that the PSP is not a viable platform for developers. According to the interview, his studio was attempting to make a PSP racing game that was based on a "big IP, a big license." However, the studio was never able to get the project running because the company couldn't figure how it would "break even" with PSP development. Software sales have been too low to justify work on the PSP: "There are so few sales on the PSP in Europe now that you have to make a huge title on a small budget just to break even."

Benadiba, like many others, blames two things. Firstly, Sony for its lackluster efforts in supporting the device. "Sony released the product, but they never put enough of a push behind it. Games, ads, better shelf placement - trying to make an effort. I think it was also released at a time when they were still very focused on the PlayStation 3."

And the other reason? "There's a lot of piracy on the PSP."