Sony exec says Playstation Move sales should have been better

Fergal Gara, Managing Director of Sony Computer Entertainment UK, has been talking about sales of the Playstation Move periphal, saying, “I’d say we have a solid foothold. Could it, should it, have done more? I think so.”

In an interview with industry magazine MCV, Gara pointed out the importance of having strong software to support sales of the Playstation 3 motion sensing device. “We’ve had a widely different performance from the various Move titles. Sports Champions is by far the most successful, selling a couple of hundred thousand units, which is a healthy performance. But it does vary thereafter.“

Gara was referring to UK sales, but, with the exception of Sports Champions, sales of Playstation Move games have been generally indifferent worldwide. At the time of writing, worldwide sales for the ‘Playstation Move Heroes’ game stand at 102,111 units. Move based game ‘Start the Party’ has worldwide sales of 370,731 and ‘Eyepet and Friends’ has only sold 52,916 units worldwide. Sports Champions is way in front of its rival Move games, with worldwide sales of over 3M, but it must be remembered that this game comes bundled with the Move starter pack in the U.S.

Pondering the future for Playstation Move, Gara said, “We are in the market, we have got a shout. Forthcoming titles are going to be important. We take some encouragement from things we can mention, such as Sorcery which is on the schedule, and other things that we know are bubbling under. It is a focus from a studio point-of-view to bring out stronger titles.”

Sony Computer Entertainment Chief Executive Officer Jim Ryan added, “There are few things that we have got a lot more clear-minded about in terms of targeting the family, social markets, and not being all things to all men with Move.” Ryan remains positive about the future of Move, saying, “Our developers are making a step-change in their ability to do exciting things with Move software. And the fruits of that will be seen in 2012 and beyond.”

Sony has implemented Playstation Move controls in many of its games since the device launched, including core titles such as Killzone 3, SOCOM and MAG. One of 2012’s most anticipated games, Bioshock Infinite, will also be supporting the Playstation Move peripheral.

[Sales figures courtesy of VGChartz]