Rumor: Japanese studios leaving Vita for 3DS?

Posted February 20, 2012 by Luke Stratford in Industry News, News.

News: Never far from trouble, Sony’s Vita may now be losing developers to Nintendo’s 3DS.

Beset with sliding sales figures and region-locking measures that had consumers up in arms, the Playstation Vita may now be haemmoraging developers eager to work with the more solid foundations that the 3DS provides. Quoting an ‘anonymous industry source’, Kiyoshi Shin, former head of the Japanese division of the International Game Developers Association, stated in a report that;

‘Major Japanese companies are canceling all projects intended for the Vita and are changing development to the 3DS.’

A brash statement to make, especially given the current weakness of the Vita as a platform, sinking behind the PSP sales. When a next-gen handheld platform is being outsold by the item it was supposed to replace, you can begin to see where the source may be drawing conclusions from. Granted, Shin has made similar claims before surrounding developers flocking to the Wii, but in this instancce there may be a grain of truth in it.

Attempting to assuage fears, Scott Rodhe, Sony’s Senior VP of Worldwide Studios, dismissed the report as ‘largely exaggerated’, going on to say that ‘I did not see that quote, but you see extremist quotes like that all the time.’

‘I mean, obviously, there is no way anyone could stand in front of a camera and say that all developers are changing focus from one platform to another, no matter what it is,’ he explained to Gamasutra, ‘I know many, many, many third party developers and publishers are feverishly working on Vita titles, not just for now, but for the foreseeable future.’

Despite this, no solid reports of developer reaction to the Vita’s poor sales have been forthcoming. As Sony have not outright denied any truth to the rumour, however, it my be the indication that some studios are opting out for a more reliable alternative in the 3DS.

Tagged as 3DS, Developers, Games Industry, Japan, Nintendo, PlayStation Vita, Rumour, Sony, Vita