South Africa very important for gaming: Sony

During rAge 2012, general manager of Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) Middle East, Africa, Turkey, and India, Robert Visser, was on hand to offer some insight into the business machinations of one of the world’s gaming powerhouses.

MyGaming: Digital games sales in the Middle East and Africa in 2011 accounted for an estimated US$900 million out of the US$24 billion global market: but that figure is set to rise at a compound annual growth rate of 29% to reach US$3.2 billion in 2016, compared with global growth of 17% for the same period, according to the research firm Ovum.

Is this a fair assessment of the growth potential in the region? And if so, what will drive this growth?

Vissser: “Gaming these days consist of many types of gaming – console, PC, dedicated handheld gaming, and mobile gaming, and we think that the mobile gaming segment is set to grow incrementally. Not necessarily as a substitution for another segment. Those numbers are definitely set to grow.”

MyGaming: Where does SA fit into Sony’s global gaming landscape?

Visser: “South Africa is just as important as any other territory that we manage out of the EMEA territories. I visit South Africa three times a year, and that’s usually more than other regions – so South Africa is very important as a gaming territory.”

MyGaming: Are there any major developments we can look forward to from Sony in 2013?

Visser: “Sony has some new things for next year, just as we do for every year. We have the newly designed PS3 on the horizon, and also Wonderbook, along with the AR technology with it. So, we’re definitely pushing for innovation next year.”

MyGaming: Is AR something Sony is continuing to focus on in the future?

Visser: “Yes, it’ll continue to be an integral part of the business. It’s there on PSP, and there on Vita, which highlights the interactive and social aspects of gaming, and then AR will continue making its way to PS3.”