“Don’t hold your breath for a PlayStation Vita successor”, said Shuhei Yoshida, president of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios. During the Q&A portion of an EGX 2015 developers panel.
When asked about a potential Vita 2, Yoshida pointed to the rise of smartphone gaming as the one of the main reasons to not pursue a successor. “People have mobile phones and it’s so easy to play games on smartphones,” Yoshida said. “And many games on smartphones are free, or free to start.”
Yoshida expressed his love the PS Vita and the difference between smartphone gaming and portable console gaming.
“I myself am a huge fan of PlayStation Vita and we worked really hard on designing every aspect. Touch-based games are fun – there are many games with really good design. But having sticks and buttons make things totally different.” Yoshida later explained “the climate is not healthy for now because of the huge dominance of mobile gaming.”
The Playstation Vita originally launched in Japan December 2011, then Europe and North America February 2012. Despite decent sales numbers in Japan, the handheld console has been struggling since launch in most other regions. The Vita has yet to match the PSP’s (it’s predecessor) figures in all regions.
