Industry expects PlayStation 3 to bounce back in 2010

Renewed interest in Sony hardware, but support for Nintendo drops significantly in annual GamesIndustry.biz survey

News by Matt Martin Contributor

Published on Jan. 13, 2010

Sony's PlayStation 3 is set to bounce back in 2010, with expectations that it will be more successful in the next 12 months than rival consoles from Nintendo and Microsoft.

Results from the latest GamesIndustry.biz Network survey show that 34 per cent of industry professionals are backing Sony's home console, in a year that will see major software such as Gran Turismo 5, Heavy Rain and God of War III released, along with a brand new motion control peripheral for the system.

The support is almost double that of last year, when only 16.4 per cent of those surveyed saw a positive 2009 for the PlayStation 3, at a time when it was still hampered by a high price point at retail and a number of different SKUs.

Not far behind Sony in the survey is Microsoft and the Xbox 360 with 29.9% of votes, a console that has already sold 39 million units worldwide and with the positive buzz surrounding Project Natal is on track to enjoy another strong year.

The biggest upset in the poll is that while last year Nintendo lead the market, the survey suggests that Apple's iPhone is likely to have a better year than the Wii in 2010.

Support for Nintendo's home console was only 9.3 per cent compared to the massive 54.4 per cent a year earlier. Although still strong, growth has stalled for the console in contrast to Apple's handheld, which is still relatively new to the market.

Looking at publishers expected to be the most successful this year, and once again Activision Blizzard comes out on top with a massive 43.7 per cent of votes, up from the 30.6 per cent last year, as it prepares to release new IP such as Blur and Singularity as well as new updates to its Call of Duty and Hero franchises. Meanwhile Blizzard is set to release StarCraft II, and possible Diablo III and World of Warcraft: Cataclysm.

Electronic Arts receives around the same percentage of votes as last year, as it gets off to a busy first quarter with Army of Two: The 40th Day, Mass Effect 2 and Battlefield Bad Company 2.

Nintendo sees a significant drop off again, down from the support of over 20.7 per cent of those surveyed for 2009 to just 9.4 per cent for 2010.

The GamesIndustry.biz Network consists of over 10,200 members working in all areas of the games business, from publishing and development to retail and education. Readers interested in signing up can do so here.

The full results follow:

Platform expected to be the most successful in 2010