Sony expects 130 PlayStation VR games this year
80% increase driven by 2 million install base, company says
PlayStation says that the number of PSVR games on the market will increase by 80% in 2018.
There are currently 150 PSVR games on the market, including small standalone projects, experiences and full games. This will rise to 280 by the end of the year, Sony has told Nikkei (and translated by Siliconera).
PlayStation VR's growth has been slow, but its proving to be the most accessible of the VR headsets, and shifted 2 million units in its first 12 months (it has an audience potential of 70.6 million). The device received an uptick in sales over Christmas, with a number of Black Friday discounts and Q4 activity in all major markets.
Sony feels this install base is strong enough to encourage an increase in third-party support. However, the machine is trending below initial market estimates from ahead of its launch in 2016. IHS originally predicted the machine would sell 1.6 million in its first few months (although warned about possible supply issues), while Macquarie Securities estimated it would shift 8 million machines in its first two years. Jesse Schell, another industry analyst, anticipated 4 million unit sales within 12 months.
However, Sony's internal estimates have been more measured.
Key VR products launched last year included Resident Evil VII, Doom VFR, GT Sport, Star Trek: Bridge Crew and Skyrim VR. The line-up for 2018 is currently not quite so high profile, and features a number of new IPs such as The Inpatient and Bravo Team from Supermassive Games, and Moss from Polyarc.