We have been presuming since the announcement of the PSPGo at E3  that the new “download-only” games would have to be a bit smaller, a bit simpler and possibly a bit more imaginative. Sony seemingly confirmed this in an interview with Develop behind closed doors at E3.

It is unusual for a platform holder to speak so freely about their development strategy and Sony are traditionally quite reclusive about their behind-the-scenes efforts so this news is both unexpected and welcome. We knew from the E3 press conference that Sony were cutting the cost of the PSP dev kit by 80% but apparently that is all part of an over-arching strategy to court new developers. Over fifty development teams are already working on new games and applications for the seperately-branded PSPGo side of the PlayStation Store.

Those involved include Creat who already have a number of games on the PSN (Magic Ball, Cuboid, etc.) and Subatomic Studios who are responsible for one of the iPhone’s best “bite-sized” games: Fieldrunners (which is what they’re bringing to the PSP).

So with Sony making a move toward the massive popularity of Apple’s distribution strategy whilst simultaneously nipping at the heels of the Nintendo DS’s market will we see the so-called “hardcore” titles disappear from Sony’s handheld marvel? With games like Gran Turismo, Assassin’s Creed and LittleBigPlanet on the near horizon we think that the PSP has the chance to become all things to all people here. Catering to both the casual all-ages market that the DS has cornered and the bite-size impulse consumers that Apple has brought to the gaming world without losing the core that the PSP has been courting since its release will be a tricky proposition. Whatever the outcome we look forward to the next year of effort they’ll be putting into the PSP and hope to be reporting its successes at every stage.

Source: Develop Thanks, Tuffcub