BKK2 on 22 February 2009
Yeah, PS2 games are now replicated in India, and lots of Indian games are being developed for PS2. PS2 should be around in India for quite some time.
GamingIndians Interview
Atindriya Bose, Country Manager, Sony Computer Entertainment India
...
GI: Five Singstar games have been released in India on the PlayStation 2 (Bollywood, 80s, 90s, Pop, Rock), but Singstar for the PlayStation 3 is still not available in India. Can we expect that soon?
AB: We are debating that. The PlayStation 3 version will no doubt be popular, but the only issue is that the additional features that you get from the PlayStation Store are not yet available in India. We do not want to put out a product and charge an amount when gamers are not getting the most out of it. We would love to roll it out, but it will depend on the PlayStation Store.
GI: The last time we spoke, I had asked you about the price difference in games on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Metal Gear Solid 4 was recently released in India at an MRP of Rs 3,499. Isn’t there any way Sony can limit the pricing of PlayStation 3 games? It’s getting a little out of hand.
AB: We have created our own price structure – Rs 1,799, Rs 2,499 and Rs 2,799. EA is also following a similar structure. Together, this caters to 70 to 80 per cent of the market. The third parties take our advice when appointing distributors and talk to us about market size and pricing strategies. So I can play an advisory role with regards to what volumes they can expect at certain price points. Eventually, it is up to them to bring the product at their price. For the PlayStation 2, we have made a substantial investment and we have local replication for PlayStation 2 games. For anyone who is going to use local replication, we put a ceiling on what the pricing should be.
...
GI: We had spoken about Sony working with Indian game developers. Soon after that, Sony announced a tie-up with 13 Indian developers. How is this progressing?
AB: We had a developers’ conference in India. There were 50 developers present there, out of which, we picked 13. We are in different levels of talks for different projects and many of these developers have been given development kits based on the merit of the project.
GI: Are there any projects from these developers that you can talk about?
AB: Most projects are in very early stages so we can’t talk about them. The one we are definitely talking about is our tie-up with Aurona Technologies for a game based on Hanuman. Once thing to keep in mind is this is not a cartoon-ish kids' game. It will be a serious game with high production values. This will be on the PlayStation 2.
GI: Which platforms will these companies develop games for?
AB: While there is a certain level competence, there isn’t enough competence for end-to-end game development in India. Many Indian games will base their break even points based on the domestic market and the Indian diaspora. So the PlayStation 2 is the best bet. But if we see merit and competence, if they come up with concepts for PlayStation 3, PlayStation Network or PlayStation Portable, we can take it further. The only thing is those projects would need to be evaluated with greater care, because we don’t want anyone to invest and not make money. We’re here for the long haul and so are these developers.
GI: Will these games be sold in India only?
AB: We are targetting the Indian diaspora initially. Sony is open to allowing these developers to approach other publishers, but if Sony is publishing the game, we will have the rights to take it to other regions. And our feeling is that, with time, many Indian games can and will have global appeal.
Atindriya Bose, Country Manager, Sony Computer Entertainment India
...
GI: Five Singstar games have been released in India on the PlayStation 2 (Bollywood, 80s, 90s, Pop, Rock), but Singstar for the PlayStation 3 is still not available in India. Can we expect that soon?
AB: We are debating that. The PlayStation 3 version will no doubt be popular, but the only issue is that the additional features that you get from the PlayStation Store are not yet available in India. We do not want to put out a product and charge an amount when gamers are not getting the most out of it. We would love to roll it out, but it will depend on the PlayStation Store.
GI: The last time we spoke, I had asked you about the price difference in games on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Metal Gear Solid 4 was recently released in India at an MRP of Rs 3,499. Isn’t there any way Sony can limit the pricing of PlayStation 3 games? It’s getting a little out of hand.
AB: We have created our own price structure – Rs 1,799, Rs 2,499 and Rs 2,799. EA is also following a similar structure. Together, this caters to 70 to 80 per cent of the market. The third parties take our advice when appointing distributors and talk to us about market size and pricing strategies. So I can play an advisory role with regards to what volumes they can expect at certain price points. Eventually, it is up to them to bring the product at their price. For the PlayStation 2, we have made a substantial investment and we have local replication for PlayStation 2 games. For anyone who is going to use local replication, we put a ceiling on what the pricing should be.
...
GI: We had spoken about Sony working with Indian game developers. Soon after that, Sony announced a tie-up with 13 Indian developers. How is this progressing?
AB: We had a developers’ conference in India. There were 50 developers present there, out of which, we picked 13. We are in different levels of talks for different projects and many of these developers have been given development kits based on the merit of the project.
GI: Are there any projects from these developers that you can talk about?
AB: Most projects are in very early stages so we can’t talk about them. The one we are definitely talking about is our tie-up with Aurona Technologies for a game based on Hanuman. Once thing to keep in mind is this is not a cartoon-ish kids' game. It will be a serious game with high production values. This will be on the PlayStation 2.
GI: Which platforms will these companies develop games for?
AB: While there is a certain level competence, there isn’t enough competence for end-to-end game development in India. Many Indian games will base their break even points based on the domestic market and the Indian diaspora. So the PlayStation 2 is the best bet. But if we see merit and competence, if they come up with concepts for PlayStation 3, PlayStation Network or PlayStation Portable, we can take it further. The only thing is those projects would need to be evaluated with greater care, because we don’t want anyone to invest and not make money. We’re here for the long haul and so are these developers.
GI: Will these games be sold in India only?
AB: We are targetting the Indian diaspora initially. Sony is open to allowing these developers to approach other publishers, but if Sony is publishing the game, we will have the rights to take it to other regions. And our feeling is that, with time, many Indian games can and will have global appeal.
Full Interview
