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It's not the only Konami game to miss the store since the Go's launch. Looking back to November, PES 2010 was another notable no-show. Co-incidence? We contacted Konami for comment and were told:
"Konami does not have a general approach on this, but we decide all products on a case-by-case situation on a European level."
A 'case by case situation'? That doesn't sound good. We'll almost certainly be getting Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker in digital form (the demo's already on the store), but how many other games won't be made available for the Go? Is this the start of a trend where third-party publishers shun the store and therefore PSP Go?
Above: So claimsthe official website.Except it hasn't, has it?
Concerned, we asked Sony about how much it costs publishers to have a game hosted on the store and whether there are any incentives in place to make sure new games can be purchased on PSP Go. Mike Kebby from the PlayStation Store team told us:
"We can't answer [that] as we don't discuss our business model."
However, he was allowed to tell us:
"All 1st party games are published digitally, for other publishers it is their decision if they want to release a digital version."
Why is it their decision? How hard would it be when licensing a game to appear on PSP that it's stipulated by Sony that a digital version must also be provided for download?
The store's inadequacies were understandable when the PSP Go first launched and the vast majority of back catalogue games were unavailable for purchase. Licenses change which prevent them from being published again. And at least most of our favourite old games are now on the store. But for new games to be unavailable? There's no excuse. Sony needs to address this situation fast.
Above: The console itself is a real beauty. Why deny it its life-blood?
Not even the most loyal fans will continue to pay more for less forever. That small existing install base may just uninstall if this trend continues, especially as 16GB memory cards can replicate the Go's biggest selling point in a PSP 3000 at a fraction of the cost. Even though the Go is a beautiful piece of hardware, reverting to the Slim & Lite looks like a mighty attractive proposition from here.
02 Apr, 2010
