Activision consider dropping PS3/PSP support

News - Kotick fires a warning shots Sony's way

In a stark and somewhat surprising statement, Activision boss Bobby Kotick has warned that unless Sony drop the price of the PlayStation 3 console, then his publisher may have to consider dropping support for the firm's formats entirely.

"They have to cut the price, because if they don't, the attach rates are likely to slow. If we are being realistic, we might have to stop supporting Sony," the CEO lamented.

"When we look at 2010 and 2011, we might want to consider if we support the console - and the PSP too," Kotick continued, when pressed on the time-frames involved.

He revealed that Xbox releases are simply much more profitable for Activision at present, stating that the publisher has paid over 500 million USD to Sony in royalties in the last year - a figure Kotick believes represents "400 percent of the profit they made."

In response to this dramatic threat, Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter has said that Kotick is basically 'bluffing', while Sony Computer Entertainment Europe have also responded, stating that they respect third-party views but won't be commenting on this.

This from SCEA, meanwhile: "We enjoy healthy business relationships with and greatly value our publishing partners and are working closely with them to deliver the best entertainment experience."

PS3 price cut soon, surely?