Update: Sony has issued a statement clarifying House's comments that the Vita and PlayStation TV are "legacy platforms".
“What Andy mentioned as ‘legacy platform’ was a part of the write-off the PS Vita component for the first generation of PS Vita, which is no longer available in the market,” a Sony spokesperson told GamesBeat. “And he did not directly mean the current PS Vita and PS TV models, which are available in the market. Our portable business will be continued, and many users are now enjoying PS4 remote play features as well as original PS Vita game titles on PS Vita and PS TV.”
Even with this clarification, it seems unlikely the Vita will receive too much attention during Sony's E3 press conference next month and any announcements will likely focus on indie titles rather than first-party games.
Original Story: Sony has admitted that its lineup of first-party titles for 2015 is "a little sparse", during an Investor Relations Day today, GamesIndustry reports.
Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Andrew House began by praising the success of the PlayStation 4, "the fastest selling hardware platform in our history," noting faster growth than Sony anticipated and doubling PlayStation Plus sunscriptions compared to fiscal year 2013.
Hoping to maintain the PS4's current market advantage, House pointed to the Project Morpheus virtual reality headset, efforts to reduce costs, and quality software. Acknowledging that PlayStation's first party lineup is somewhat limited given the delays of Uncharted 4: A Thief's End and the Ratchet & Clank re-imagining, he said the focus was on securing third party content.
"We are working very hard to continue very strong support from third-party pubs and devs," House said. "Our first-party lineup is a little sparse this year, so I think this places even greater emphasis on getting good third-party support."
Sony has been encouraging developers to use exclusive PS4 features such as SharePlay, include additional content in the PS4 version of a game, or offer early access to DLC. While third party exclusives remain an option, it isn't something Sony usually aims for.
"I will admit that these are, in the current publishing landscape, few and far between, but we were able to announce a full exclusive around a franchise like Street Fighter so that Street Fighter 5 is a complete exclusive for PlayStation 4," House continued, adding, "Although given publishing dynamics and development costs, those are increasingly difficult to secure."
House's comments come shortly after PlayStation UK boss Fergal Gara said Sony was not concerned about its 2015 lineup, pointing to games such as No Man's Sky and Tearaway Unfolded.
While the PS4 has been more successful than Sony hoped, the PS3's decline has exceeded their expectations. House noted the still relatively high price of the system and the more connected nature of the PS4 as reasons for the system's sharp sales drop-off.
House went on to discuss Sony's view on handheld systems, declaring that the Japanese market remains "strong and vibrant" but adding that he has lowered his outlook for the current fiscal year in both Europe and the U.S. The executive also described the Vita and its microconsole version PlayStation TV as "legacy platforms".
"I would characterize 2015 as the beginning of a harvest period for the PlayStation 4 platform," House remarked. "The beginning of a harvest period. That being said, we are also undertaking to invest in the future, and 2015 will also be a year of investment."
Sony's investment is aimed at Project Morpheus, original PlayStation entertainment such as the Powers TV show, and the expansion of the PlayStation Vue TV streaming platform. Sony is also reworking PlayStation Network with the aim of improving stability and cutting down on the network's notorious maintenance downtimes.
In April, Sony confirmed that PlayStation 4 sales have topped 22.3 million to date or roughly one system sold every two seconds since launch in November 2013. At the time, the company said it expected to sell an additional 15 million by March 31st, 2016.
