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Asian markets could benefit from downloadable PS3 games - Sony executive

SCE Asia's Tetsuhiko Yasuda believes downloadable games might help to cure Asia of its widespread piracy issues, although suggestions that his comments are a reflection of Sony strategy may be wide of the mark.

Sony Computer Entertainment Asia's Tetsuhiko Yasuda has suggested that certain Asian markets would benefit from seeing PlayStation 3 games released simultaneously at retail and through downloadable channels - and that such a move would have the potential to help curb rampant piracy in the region.

Speaking to Japanese website Impress Game Watch during the Taipei Game Show, Yasuda said that he felt users who were currently buying cheap pirated games in certain Asian markets would consider buying legitimate products if they were downloadable, and reasonably priced.

Yasuda speculated that "copy stores" - those manufacturing and selling pirated games - along with second hand stores would be forced to shut down if games were available online at the same time - perhaps "offered for half price" as an alternative to retail options.

Confusion over the translation of the source article has led some to take Yasuda's comments as Sony's stated intent, but other translators suggest that the Sony executive was offering his opinion on the situation as part of a discussion which focused on market conditions and included several outspoken attacks on piracy.

Yasuda went on to suggest that such a move following the launch of PlayStation 3 would dramatically change the flow of profits into illicit channels, and could have an effect on goods bought over the counter in Japan, too, although his comments focused on Asia as a whole.

Sony has yet to announce PlayStation 3 launch details and pricing, and earlier this week denied claims that it would miss its "spring" launch, although the widespread expectation is that we'll see a launch later in the year in Japan first, with other regions to follow. Sony is expected to make announcements soon, including that of an online service to try and rival Microsoft's Xbox Live, which is far more user friendly and popular with those using it than PS2 Online - despite Sony's protests that more gamers play PS2 games online than on any other console worldwide.

Meanwhile, the shift to a mixture of content download services and retail options is already beginning in the West, where Valve's Steam service has proved hugely popular in distributing games like Half-Life 2, and EA is planning to release Battlefield 2 "Booster Packs" exclusively to buy through its Downloader service. On the console front, Microsoft Xbox 360 features pay-for arcade games and premium content, which could be seen as a precursor to fully downloadable games.

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Tom Bramwell

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Tom worked at Eurogamer from early 2000 to late 2014, including seven years as Editor-in-Chief.