Despite the hype and excellent publicity the PlayStation 4 has been receiving since initially being revealed, with a reported 1 million pre-orders, Sony has an uphill battle to fight when it releases its next gen console in November. Speaking to Eurogamer about a turn-around, Sony UK head Fergal Gara talked about how, “This format war, if you want to call it that, is a marathon, not a sprint.
“We’re coming out of the blocks in a strong position, but we’re conscious that is no-where close to job done, and we have to continually improve the proposition, proving what PS4 represents.
“We’ve got a bit of history of doing that. To have a 16 month disadvantage and actually get any market share in the current generation, which is a very connected generation where friends get friends, took a lot of hard graft. Winning Europe and winning Japan despite that big disadvantage… globally we might even be ahead. They’re both big numbers with different regional polarisations, but you’re right, we are behind in the UK and that is not acceptable.
“You’ve got to start good and keep on your toes. PS4 is a platform that can and will evolve. It will be great on day one but it will be far better in year two and year three as expectations rise and ideas are generated and these new tools are executed. That’s the way to win. And obviously the gameplay and the core experiences are hugely pivotal to that. They are going to start really strong, but they have to continue to grow and continue to improve.”
The PlayStation 4 launches on November 15th in North America and November 29th in Europe.
