LADYDRAGON.COM - PlayStation's Holiday Event plus interview with Ian Jackson

Monday October 21, 2002

PlayStation's Holiday Event plus interview with Ian Jackson

On Friday October 18, Sony Computer Entertainment Canada organized an holiday event at the Guvernment where key Media and Retail partners where invited to play the latest PlayStation 2 games and upcoming Titles to come out before Christmas.

The Event began with Ian Jackson the Director of Sony Computer Entertainment Canada who gave us the latest update on how Sony was doing in the video game industry. Then we had a change to play play games like Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus, NFL Game Day 2003, SOCOM: US Navy Seals, NBA Shootout 2003, Twisted Metal Black Online and upcoming releases like NHL FaceOff 2003, Ratchet and Clank, Jet2X0 and Wild Arms 3. Plus at night to continue the event we were invited to a live concert perform by the band Reel Big Fish.

Here are the latest official numbers concerning the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation

---- PlayStation 2 were shipped as of May 5, 2002 in:

- North America (11.25 mil)

- Japan/Asia (9.99 mil)

- Europe/PAL (8.78 mil)

- Worldwide (30.02 mil)

---- PlayStation 2 units were sold as of May 13, 2002

- North America (9.5 mil)

--- PlayStation 2 software was shipped as of March 31, 2002

- North America (69.9 mil)

- Japan/Asia (47.4 mil)

- Europe/PAL (42.8 mil)

- Worldwide (160.1 mil)

---- PlayStation 2 software titles there were as of March 31, 2002

- North America (268)

- Japan/Asia (501)

- Europe/PAL (245)

- Worldwide (1,014)

---- PlayStations were shipped as of March 31, 2002

- North America (34.32 mil)

- Japan/Asia (19.2 mil)

- Europe/PAL (36.11 mil)

- Worldwide (89.63 mil)

--- PlayStation units were sold as of May 13, 2002

- North America (32.4 mil)

---- PlayStation software was shipped as of March 31, 2002

- North America (323 mil)

- Japan/Asia (274 mil)

- Europe/PAL (259 mil)

- Worldwide (856 mil)

---- PlayStation software titles there were as of March 31, 2002

- North America (1210)

- Japan/Asia (4075)

- Europe/PAL (1302)

- Worldwide (6587)

According to the NPD Group, the Videogame industry generated $9.4 billion in 2001, well above the total US movie box office receipts for the same year. This year, the videogame industry is expected to increase sales by more than 25%.

Unfortunately Harry Butch Freedhoff passed away early this year and Ian Jackson is now the Director of Sony Computer Entertainment Canada. For those who are familiar with Ian Jackson, he was the Canadian sales manager for the company and in 1999, he was awarded the Sales Manager of the Year.

LadyDragon: You must be please on how fast the Network Adaptor is selling since it went on sell on August 27?

Ian Jackson: Yes, we are very please with how well the selling of the adaptor is going.

LadyDragon: Since it is sold out in Montreal and in Toronto and in many other cities are you planning to increase your production of the Network Adaptor?

Ian Jackson: Well right now there is no shortage of the Network Adaptor, the situation is that every week we are shipping to retailers and every week it gets sold out but if the need be yes we will increase our Production of the Network Adaptor.

LadyDragon: Are you aware of some of the problems that we encountered on the Network like being disconnected for no reasons and the fact that we have no control over our game when we host it?

Ian Jackson: Yes, we are aware of those situations and since it is a new there are always aspects of it to be improved and that is why Sony is working constantly to improve the Online service.

LadyDragon: Are you going to announced the New PlayStation 3 at the E3 2003 next year?

Ian Jackson: Well Sony have not made any official announcement of any sort concerning the PlayStation 3.