Sony: retail remains important for new generation consoles

Physical game sales are important to the success of the next generation of consoles, Sony says. Although the focus is increasingly on online sales, Sony still sees the need for physical sales.

According to Sony, retail sales of games are necessary to make next generations of consoles a success. In the United Kingdom, the number of game stores has fallen sharply in the past year. “The decline after the peak in 2008 has been a major blow to many stakeholders, especially for retail”, thus Fergal Gara, head of Sony in the UK. According to him, however, the decrease was at the same time a necessary adjustment and you can now see more appreciation for the store shelves.

Nevertheless, the focus of game sales is increasingly moving online. For example, Electronic Arts recently announced that it will probably switch completely to online sales and Sony itself bought cloud gaming service Gaikai. Still, Gara hopes that stores will continue to be interested in selling games. “We will of course do our best to give the market a new injection as the new cycle – of the new consoles, ed. – starts.”