UK retailers reporting Gfk Entertainment (via MCVUK) figures have revealed that the PlayStation 4 has crossed three million units sold in the UK. The console apparently crossed this particular point in January.

Meanwhile, two major new hires have been revealed for Sony’s UK division. The first is Richard Keen who is marketing director for UK and Ireland and will be replacing Murray Pannell who is now with 2K Europe as VP of publishing.

Nintendo PR head Jo Bartlett is the second hire and she will be joining as head of communications, replacing David Wilson who is now director of communications for PlayStation Europe. Bartlett is credited with handling the Wii U’s launch along with launches for games like Mario Kart 8 and Pokemon X/Y.

What are your thoughts on this new sales milestone for the PlayStation 4, effectively making it the UK’s most popular console? Let us know in the comments below and stay tuned for more information.

Though the Xbox has always been hailed as the shooter fan’s console of choice, thanks to the successes of franchises like Gears of War and Halo, this generation is going a bit different according to PlayStation UK marketing manager Lauren Bradley.

Speaking to MCV, Bradley said that “This generation, the shooter audience is tending to switch over to PS4. So we’ve got high expectations for Star Wars Battlefront around both launch and into next year.”

There aren’t any hard numbers to support that claim really but it’s obvious that Sony is working hard to appeal to shooter fans. Along with exclusive deals pertaining to Star Wars Battlefront (with its limited edition 1 TB PS4 bundle) and Destiny’s one year exclusive extras, it also lays claim to timed exclusivity deals on DLC for Call of Duty: Black Ops 3.

The question is: Will Battlefront really be enough to appeal to shooter fans wanting a PS4? We’ll find out in the coming weeks.

From Software’s Bloodborne proved to be a strong seller for the PS4 despite being a new IP. According to Sony UK managing director Fergal Gara, the publisher had plans to try and surpass the sales of the Souls series. However, Bloodborne achieved that and then some.

Speaking to MCV, Gara said, “It did surprise us. We had expectations to do well. We looked at the Souls series as a frame of reference, and we thought we could do better than that. We did—and then some. Relative to some of our sister territories, we were being quite ambitious, but even that proved to be conservative.”

We know that Bloodborne sold more than 1 million copies since its launch, though more recent sales numbers have to yet to be provided. As it stands, the game’s success was a combination of timing and taking advantage of demand during a relatively slow period in the year.

What are your thoughts on the success of Bloodborne? Let us know in the comments below.

Sony’s Holiday 2015 line-up for the PlayStation 4 is looking a bit worrying, especially with recent news that the Ratchet & Clank remake was delayed to 2016. Nonetheless, UK managing director Fergal Gara told MCV that there’s plenty to look forward to on the console, staring with Tearaway Unfolded and No Man’s Sky.

“I won’t go into any detail now. There is plenty for gamers to get excited about already, such as Tearaway for PS4 and No Man’s Sky. That’s just the start of what is on the table right now. So I don’t have any concerns that we will have a lack of strong software for PS4 this peak.”

It seems that most developers are still trying to get used to the PS4’s hardware. “My sense is that the new platforms have opened up the ambitions of developers and the capabilities of what they can achieve. What has then happened since has been a bit of rushing to market and a couple of not perfect launches. That’s perhaps driven some conservatism to not overly force this and make sure we get it right–there’s been an adjustment of pace.” That could explain the absence of studios like Media Molecule, SCE Bend Studio and Quantic Dream when it comes to PS4-exclusive titles.

“The good news is that the ability to stick to timelines will improve as people get experience of the hardware under their belts. I have been hearing stories from around the industry that give me assurance that developers have got a better grasp on things, so we will be in increasingly good shape.”

It’s not like Sony has to worry about the success of PS4 hardware. The console has sold more than 22 million units worldwide as of April 2015. One can also expect plenty of new game announcements at E3 2015 so stay tuned for Sony’s conference on June 15th.

If you thought the imminent arrival of the PlayStation Vita 2000/Slim in the UK would bring a price cut to the older model, then think again. Sony will be phasing out the old PS Vita, and as such is running out of stock. That leaves very little reason to provide a price drop.

Speaking to VG247, Sony UK MD Fergal Gara addressed the idea of a price drop. “We don’t need to, there’s very little stock in the trade. It’s all but sold out. On this occasion there’s no immediate need to start discounting the old model.”

How long will it remain on the market? “Weeks. In short, if this model wasn’t coming we’d be running out of stock very fast. The timing’s nice in terms of clearing out the old model.”

The PlayStation Vita 2000/Slim releases in the UK on February 7th and will retail for £180. Will you miss the old model? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Sony UK MD Fergal Gara has stated that Ready At Dawn’s The Order: 1886 will be arriving on the PlayStation 4 “later this year. Previous rumours and teases from the studio have indicated that the action adventure exclusive could be out in Autumn 2014.

It was during the announcement of the PS Vita 2000 being available in the UK on February 7th that Gara stated, “Things kick off again in a short few weeks with the launch of infamous Second Son, another great first party title starting to push the boundaries of what PS4 can do. We have Driveclub, again coming from our first party studios, and we have The Order 1886 coming later in the year. So that’s just a flavour of what our own studios are bringing out this year.”

Expectations seem to be high for the game – Sony is already rumoured to be internally calling it the first “Naughty Dog game” for PS4 (which is a good thing).

Though it’s sold 4.2 million units worldwide, Sony UK MD Fergal Gara has stated that the company is finding it hard to meet demand in the UK. Stock levels apparently aren’t as high as Gara would have liked.

“We are still not satisfied, we are still not in stock fully at retail.”

Gara also stated that the global figure of 4.2 million units is a “suppressed figure” and that with the console set to launch in Japan and being under-supplied in other retail markets, it’s highly likely the overall number will increase ever further going forward.

“Of course we haven’t launched in Japan and we’re still not fully meeting demand in other major territories. That [4.2 million] is a suppressed number and one that will grow considerably from here. The UK is a big chunky part of that. I’m very proud we got our fair share of stock, but it’s still not enough. We want more, we need more. Retail is still not stocked fully.”

Much criticism has been heaped on Nintendo for the vastly underwhelming success of the Wii U. From blaming Nintendo’s marketing to admonishing the lack of exclusives, the Wii U has seemingly been doing everything wrong. And according to former Sony UK developer Kenny Linder [Bigbig Studios], it’s not the fault of the retail chains.

In response to a comment on NeoGAF about retail chains not doing anything to help the Wii U, Linder stated that, “I…I don’t know what to say about comments like this. They stocked it, they had adverts in there and adverts on their websites, Tesco even had a country-wide leaflet campaign showing the system off before Christmas. Game, HMV, Argos and Amazon and more all had pricing promotions.

“It’s not really their job to promote the console, it’s Nintendo who have failed to understand the demands of a western consumer and done an absolutely shit job of advertising it. Shops can’t sell something that nobody wants. Next you’ll be saying that if a band’s new album fails you have to blame iTunes and HMV.”

Linder also commented on the success of the Wii, calling it a 100 million unit fad which probably won’t be repeated any time soon. He states that price cuts can only go so far to help Nintendo. “Price cuts might help but anyone who thinks about it for a minute knows that the pricing isn’t the issue. Some examples (UK): Apple products sell well here, Xbox One is doing great, House prices and sales are up, New car sales are at a record high including companies like BMW and Audi (leased or otherwise).

“My point is people in the UK are happy to spend money – lots in some cases – and that perhaps cost is a factor as a Wii U would be a secondary console for many, but ultimately nobody is interested in a Nintendo home system. They just aren’t.

“Wii was a 100m fad which will probably never be repeated.”

Do you agree with this view? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

It’s no secret that the PlayStation Vita hasn’t been the success that Sony wanted. From being branded as a portable PS3 to being an overpriced, gimmicky handheld to playing host to PS4 Remote Play, sales for the device have paled in comparison to the PSP and regularly come in under the Nintendo 3DS. According to Sony UK managing director Fergal Gara in conversation with VG247, the environment that the Vita entered in was fairly complicated.

“In all honesty, higher sales would have been what we had hoped for. The market Vita entered was more complicated than it was when the console was originally thought about and designed. Games on tablets and phones have changed the marketplace and people can’t carry too many things around at one time.

“The truth is that the number of people that want the core experience [that Vita offers] is not as big as the number that simply want any sort of game available on the move and, because the likes of a tablet and smartphone are so multi-functional in their use, they will always be very appealing. Really, I think the reason it hasn’t sold more is that it comes down to people thinking: ‘Do I need it as well as these other things that are taking my money?’”

Gara admitted that compared to before, “the truth is that the two [PS3 and Vita] are completely different architectures, we knew that it could be much better and it was reasonable to expect we could do it much better.”

With the PS4 now available and more exclusives on the way for the Vita, will it experience an upswing any time soon? The key, as always, is to wait and watch.

The PlayStation 4 has seen a phenomenal amount of success since releasing on November 15th in North America, eventually releasing on November 29th in Europe and becoming the fastest selling console in UK history. It also managed to sell more than 2.1 million units since launch, which is not bad at all.

Sony UK’s Andrew House in fact believes that the console will sell more than the PS3 in its life span. “It has an opportunity to significantly exceed what we’ve been able to achieve with PS3 and there’s a couple of reasons for that,” he stated to MCV.

“We start off with a price point that is much more consumer friendly than was there for the PS3. Also, one of the success stories for the business as a whole has been our ability to open up new geographies for video games over the last five years. You are seeing opportunities for new markets that we haven’t tapped into.

“The other point is that we took several years to take PS3 from being a dual function device to a multi-functional entertainment device. PS4 arrives with a full suite of those non-game entertainment services right from day one.

“And that’s important because there will be someone who wants this as a games device, but the fact it is a great place to view BBC iPlayer, for example, gives other family members reason to use it. That is crucial in broadening what the console’s reach could be.”

Will it reach the heights attained by the PS3, which has sold 80 million consoles till date and is still very much active? We’ll find out over the next few years.