However, as time passes, more and more PS2 owners that have had one for years, will move on to the newer consoles. This will see a drop in PS2 game sales and the game developers will realise that releasing their games on the PS2 just isn't profitable any more. With prices of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 dropping regularly, this transition from the PS2 to the new generation is occurring at a rapid pace, so we can't expect game developers to continue with PS2 releases for much longer; a year at most I would imagine.
The PlayStation India boss though begs to differ. "The PlayStation 2 will continue to see games from both first-party and third-party developers. We have received a lot of support for PS2 games from new game developers in India and abroad. We constantly come across new game developers in Europe, who are starting with the PS2 and looking at India as a potential market to bring in these games. It's too large a customer base to ignore worldwide and in India too. So there will never be a paucity of games; we will never allow that to happen."
Moreover, while there may have been a drop in PS2 game sales in the bigger markets, sales have picked up in newer markets like India, says Bose, ensuring that PS2 game sales remain robust.
In order to reaffirm their commitment towards the PlayStation 2, Sony plans to bring in a new variation of the PS2 to India in the near future. This PS2 will sport a new design with an internal power adapter, while the core technical specifications remain unchanged.
"If we were planning to phase out the PlayStation 2, we wouldn't still be innovating with it; we wouldn't be introducing a new, redesigned PS2. The redesigned PS2 will have an internal power adapter with a sleeker look. So while technically we aren't changing the functioning of the PS2, this investment into a new design shows our continued commitment to the PS2 in the long run. And we want to back that commitment with a steady stream of good games," says Bose.
Photograph: Cate Gillon/Getty Images
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