Sony set to target PSP at women and younger gamers
Get ready for Barbie's Horse Adventures PSP
Just a couple of weeks ago SCEA's senior marketing man John Koller was bigging up PSP's increasingly wide appeal, which has apparently shifted from the 28 - 40 year old professionals the company originally targeted with the console to increasingly younger gamers.
Now Koller has been speaking again - during a tour of US media offices - about Sony's marketing strategy for the coming year. And he has confirmed the company will be putting more effort into attracting female gamers.
That's alongside those younger gamers. As reported by electronics site Twice, Koller says:
"Our audience continues to get younger and younger. Our research shows that young mothers now have the highest propensity to purchase a PSP over the next year for their children."
Sony credits various of its efforts for achieving this, including the PSP's recent US price drop from $199 to $169, the rolling out of different colour options and the console's growing software library, which apparently now comprises over 400 games.
Even while trying to attract more from these new demographics though, Koller says Sony will still be sticking with its original plan for the console, which is to market it as a 'multi-platform' entertainment system in competition as much with Apple's iPod as the Nintendo DS. Which, with the launch of functions such as GPS, Skype and the Go!View video download service, is certainly looking on-track.
Seeing as Sony's two newest US sales incentives are the God of War PSP pack and a Madden sports entertainment bundle with blue PSP (pictured) it seems its usual demographic is taking precedent over attracting the news ones for the time being. But who knows what Sony has tucked up its sleeve for the future?
A widening of appeal for the PSP should mean more publishers bringing their games to the console. Currently the trend seems to be that games for young people get released on DS while PSP gets the more adult offerings. Whether you'd welcome Bratz games to PSP depends on who you are, but it's probably about time Sony backed that pink PSP up with a few suitable games at least.
