While Ready at Dawn has established itself as the premiere PSP development team, it recently sent back all of its devkits back to Sony so that it can move to new projects on other systems.
Joystiq spoke with Ready at Dawn's president, Didier Malenfant, to see why they left Sony's handheld. According to Malenfant, piracy was not a reason. "We sold over 2.3 millions copies of
Daxter and are on track to beat that with
Chains of Olympus so we're pretty happy with our sales," he responded. "Could we sell more games if piracy was non-existent? Maybe. But we don't target the market that could be, we target the market that is."
He adds, "Good games sell. Who would have thought?"
It seems the team is simply looking to do more on another platform, and try something new. They've seemingly pushed the PSP to its limit, and they can work their magic on other platforms. "We feel like we've done everything we wanted to do with the PSP," admitted the exec. "We have new projects on other platforms and we like to focus on one thing at a time."
{ Jun 11th 2008 at 8:15AM } 
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Brodie-san @ Jun 11th 2008 11:53AM
Studies have shown that the vast majority of piracy does not adversely affect bottom line sales. With the advent of torrents and the current culture of "content overkill" the people who are downloading these games never play them and would never have bought them. It's hording for the sake of hording. A "Gotta Catch Em All" attitude.
Most people who want to play these games actually bought these games.
Duff_B @ Jun 11th 2008 9:31AM
I can completely understand them wanting to move on, but all the same, it's such a shame for the PSP...
matt @ Jun 11th 2008 9:58AM
I don't understand why companies are treating the PSP as a "this gen" system. It falls somewhere between a PS1 and PS2. As such, it should be a joke to program for at this point. It bothers me when someone says that "we have pushed the PSP to its limit now we give up". ITS A HANDHELD NOT THE PS3!!!
flux252 @ Jun 11th 2008 10:27AM
@matt
wth are you talking abt?...psp is a latest gen handheld "console"...get ur facts right...sure its not a PS3 but it exceeds the performance (hardware wise especially) of all its rival handhelds...
matt @ Jun 11th 2008 10:52AM
Try reading what I wrote. Show me were I said the PSP was inferior to any handheld. I said that the hardware/software package is equivalent to a PS1/PS2 and it shouldn't be treated as a this gen system (read here PS3/XBOX360) as something who's limits need to be tested. Its limits were already tested and defined back in the PS1/PS2 days.
Otakon @ Jun 11th 2008 11:15AM
jejeje, so you never will have a latest gen handheld then. LOL
Kylock @ Jun 11th 2008 11:51AM
But Matt, hand held systems are always behind the current full blown consoles because of the constraints of size. It isn't like the simply shrunk a PS1/PS2 and make it into a psp, if that were the case it would use the same proprietary technology which it certainly doesn't. Testing the limits of a hand held makes perfect sense because while the PS2's limits may have been defined they PSP's have not because they are not the same system.
Your analogy is false because the comparison is that they have similar graphics therefore they are the same system, by that logic we should stop pushing the PS3 because the 360 has already been pushed so hard even though they have completely different internals.
Thank you for failing at logic.
Neuromancer @ Jun 11th 2008 11:52AM
Classic line in regards to piracy causing games to sell less:
"We don't target the market that could be, we target the market that is."
That being said game pirates are dicks.
Neuromancer @ Jun 11th 2008 11:10AM
I agree with what this guy says but people who pirate games are still dicks.
emirabal @ Jun 11th 2008 11:30AM
This guy makes the most valid point, GOOD GAMES SELL, thats it point blank. Piracy was not the factor and they sold to an existing market, now tell me, why handheld games are priced so high, thats not a reason for games not selling, hmmm, i know there are deal breakers out there but come on, 40-50 bucks for games, 20 -30 is the deal breaker here and its been proven. look at patapon, great game, worth teh 20, see where im going with this, and the psp is an excellent system yet to be untapped fully by developers, ready at dawn saw teh potential.
Now sell your code for GOWCOO to the guys who disgracefully made 300 and remake that game.
andwhyisit @ Jun 11th 2008 7:24PM
They are not getting rid of their code, just their devkits.
Seba501 @ Jun 11th 2008 1:17PM
The piracy is killing the PSP
Virtuous @ Jun 11th 2008 1:47PM
These guys are losers for abandoning the PSP.
Daniel @ Jun 11th 2008 1:55PM
http://playstation.joystiq.com/2008/03/09/ridiculous-psp-piracy-numbers/
That was March 9th 2008. With 90k+ pirated downloads for God of Wars. Based on what Brodie-san said about most people just want them, but maybe lets say 50% of the people do play them and want games for free. So 45k people who downloaded 2 weeks after this game came out could have bought the game, but instead pirated, that is close to 2 million dollars they could have made since the game was priced at 39.99. The game has been out for more than 3 months now, how much more money Ready at Dawn 'could ' have made? Yes, pirates are dicks, but you will never see a company like Ready at Dawn say that in an interview!
Saigon @ Jun 11th 2008 3:39PM
I agree. Even if piracy was the sole reason that RaD abandoned psp, they would never say it. Look at pc developers like Epic Games and Crytek, who have said that piracy has hurt their sales. Afterwards, pc gamers got pissed, and basically said FU to them.
For all we know, the few extra mill that RaD lost, could have been the deciding factor for them not to start work on another psp game.
andwhyisit @ Jun 11th 2008 7:17PM
RaD made the decision to leave partway through the development of GoW:CoO. They just want to have a shot at the big consoles, let them.
bryansurvive @ Jun 11th 2008 2:11PM
i no longer agree that piracy is killing the psp
like i said before ps2 is really easy to get around just by having a dvd or cd burner. its obviously that developers arent taking a chance or even looking at psp. ready at dawn only made 2 games outta idk how many tons though and they give up? for what if youv pushed psp to the limit and you know how a system is made to make that perfect psp game why let go. why not make others happy.
resistancia @ Jun 11th 2008 2:39PM
im pretty sure piracy isnt killing the psp (in mexico where i live you can find almost in every corner ps2 wii and xbox 360 games, but its hard to fin psp piracy games, my point its that piracy its for every consoles even ds has piracy), the psp its being by sony (wich its only worry about ps3) and the lack of games that we have, it seems that after the awesome god of war game, we could expect more great games that really could show us what the psp can do i agree with kylock, because god of war show us really great graphics, something you never seen on the psp, for example compare god of war , graphics with wwe smackdown vs raw, or any other game, this its pushing the psp limits.
the psp its not a ps3 (thank god) but raedy at dawn studios show us that it can be a close look to the ps2, i agree that habdheld devices are behind the other consoles, but heres and example take the nhl 07 for the xbox360, yes it has some great graphics and the sound its great, but if you compare it with the psp, version, the psp version its much better, just take a look at the create mode where you can create player and teams and customize them, in the xbox360 version, you cant do that, you only pick some of the players that the sistem gives you, and you cant create players.
i just want to say that ready at dawn was sucha a great psp develover yes it only made 2 games but they were really fun and god of war its a master piece, i cant help but feek sad, we wont have more games from this studio, i love my psp its mu favorite game console ever, i had the ps1 the ps2 and i have the 360 (and ill never buy a ps3 because i think its ps3 fault that psp its dying), im pretty sure psp days are numbered, because if this this lack of games continues, and studios giving up on psp, nobody its going to buy the device and its a shame, because its a great device.
nomad @ Jun 11th 2008 3:34PM
so it sounds like sony has lyed to everyone saying that the pirate dicks have runed the psp sales. well it sounds like and always sounded like bull to me. sony has just been dissing the usa and useing excuses like the pirate crap to do it. sony can just kiss my ass. typical corprate bull. sony eat my poop,lol.
Zippon @ Jun 11th 2008 6:03PM
Yeah, Ready at Dawn is ditching their date and running for the door, while at the same time yelling over their shoulder, "It's not because you're butt-ugly! I just want to see what else is out there! I love youuuuuuu........."
I don't believe much of anything that I read anymore. Nobody tells the truth because the dumb internet mob will overreact.
I'm happy to hear that GoW sold over 2mil. But it obviously wasn't enough, was it?
True, pirates are gluttons and hoarders that don't play every game they buy. But if their supply was cut off tomorrow, you can bet your life they would be out buying at least SOME games to get their fix.
andwhyisit @ Jun 11th 2008 7:12PM
The dumb internet mob has already overreacted.
andwhyisit @ Jun 11th 2008 7:10PM
Piracy didn't make RaD leave PSP development, they announced that they were going to leave PSP development even before GoW:CoO was even released.
This article:
http://playstation.joystiq.com/2007/12/12/god-of-war-may-be-the-last-psp-game-from-ready-at-dawn/
came long before this article:
http://playstation.joystiq.com/2008/02/11/ready-at-dawn-staff-gets-wasted-as-god-of-war-goes-gold/
I swear no-one looks at the facts anymore.
They are telling the truth, piracy was not the reason they left.
Jeremy @ Jun 11th 2008 8:04PM
Well, at any rate, something has killed the PSP. I was looking for World Championship Cards today, only to find the PSP section in Best Buy is the size of a refrigerator.
bryansurvive @ Jun 11th 2008 8:22PM
yea but the articule states they deny it was. which im sure it wasn't because god of war 2 sold over 2 mill copies which im sure CoO will beat.
Kade Storm @ Jun 12th 2008 12:11PM
To Zippon:
. . .and you can bet YOUR life that those few games would mean shit on the market scale. A pirate in the third-world will never 'buy' games on that scale anyway? Wanna'know why? Money in that volume doesn't exist. To you, thirty-something dollars is a little around two nights out to the pub. To a -local- with twice your qualifications and a solid job and pay--relative to the economy of Thailand--that's almost 1/3rd of his monthly sallary.
Pirates aren't ONLY bovine 'dicks' abusing the luxuries of a good life with an ever inflating economy.
Sheesh.
And why wouldn't they blame piracy? What? Will that be unPC! You guys are a bloody joke for attributing such a statement to PR. There is no piracy sympathising camp, or the f****** Respect for Piracy Association that will slam these companies for slamming an act that is literally digital theft. Sometimes, just sometimes, they just state the truth. And if we are to dispute everything that is written, then I am sure we can dispute and cry 'false'to everything each of you write because lets face it, a comment-drone on an internet-blog is only spreading what he/she has been reading on other websites.
bryansurvive @ Jun 12th 2008 1:50PM
so kade storm
does this mean your just spreading what you read somewhere else?
come to think about it. the only other gaming site i go on is that g4 site which is rare.
noc @ Jun 13th 2008 12:56PM
Why do some of you still deny piracy as being a factor of the PSP's current state? Is it really not obvious enough that devs don't want to pitch in the time, money and effort for a system who's software is so easily pirated? And no, don't start bringing up dreamcast because it's not even alive at this point. It may be true that games that are on the bottom of the line sales are not affected as much by piracy, since ppl probably weren't going to buy them anyway. But look at the top of the line games being pirated like crazy. There's no "testing out" GoW:CoO, the game had a load of high ratings. People weren't testing it to try it to see if they would like it and then buy it later, they simply weren't going to buy it. Especially since it was short enough to finish in 1 day. Would you want to work your ass off to bring out a high quality game to find out you were cheated because you didn't make it on another system?
Sure, it wasn't RaD's main reason to leave the PSP as they've decided a while ago that they were moving on... but that doesn't necessarily mean they didn't have piracy in mind. They probably figured, hey, maybe there's more in the 360 or ps3 market to target. Let our next goal be to push for another system's limit AND know that it'll be worth it in the long run. Cuz that will be /win.
RaD did their job and they did it well, and I hope other devs will try to carry the torch. Too bad we have a drought coming, PSP just needs a steady lineup with faithful developers, unlike Ubisoft, to put out games that will up the PSP's reputation. Really, they need to start trying.