PS3 Home has a "huge barrier to entry" for advertisers
Virtual world is too expensive and labour-intensive claims ad exec
Sony's PlayStation 3 virtual space Home has failed to entice advertisers, with alleged six-figure deals making the barrier to entry too high.
That's according to a report by Brand Week, which claims advertisers have abandoned a platform that has failed to gain any momentum since launch in December 2008.
"From moment one, it kind of felt clunky," said John Rafferty, creative director at Denuo. "And once you got through that, there wasn’t much there."
Sony's sales team has gone quiet, according to Rafferty, who said that deals are labour-intensive and too expensive. "There’s just a huge barrier to entry for advertisers," he added.
Other advertisers are more interested in the PlayStation Network than Home, although Dario Raciti, director of Ignition Factory, said that Sony's Home service is beginning to improve and challenge Microsoft's Xbox Live.
"Sony is a little more conservative in embracing their system as an ad platform. They just have less people [than Microsoft]. I think they are starting to go down the path of being more competitive with Xbox Live."
Sony's Jack Buser defended the service, saying it has proven effective with a number of advertisers so far.
"PlayStation Home offers partners a chance to cut through the noise and actively engage directly with a large, targeted, and highly desirable consumer base. Over 30 partners have recognised PlayStation Home as an interactive platform to convey an immersive brand experience."