The Biggest Game Publisher Threatens To Ditch PS3/PSP

This is bad. The prisoners have grabbed the keys. Activision Blizzard, the world’s largest producer of video games, is publicly threatening to abandon Sony’s PS3 and PSP platforms.

From Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick:

I’m getting concerned about Sony; the PlayStation 3 is losing a bit of momentum and they don’t make it easy for me to support the platform. It’s expensive to develop for the console, and the Wii and the Xbox are just selling better. Games generate a better return on invested capital on the Xbox than on the PlayStation…When we look at 2010 and 2011, we might want to consider if we support [PS3 and PSP].

Kotick wants to see Sony’s licensing fees reduced (Activision paid Sony $US500 million in royalties last year) and a PS3 price cut. He probably wouldn’t mind seeing some incentives like advertising dollars, either (something Microsoft can be pretty generous about).

Oh, and if there’s one publisher that can say these things, it’s the conglomerate makers of Call of Duty, Guitar Hero, Tony Hawk, multiple Dreamworks and Marvel movie titles, World of Warcraft, Starcraft and Diablo—even if those Blizzard games aren’t on consoles at this time.

As of now, Kotick’s words are just corporate smacktalk (bottom line: Activision still makes money on the platform). But what if a company like EA came forward and said the same thing? No good can come of this for Sony. [TimesOnline]