Despite being one of the best publishers in the industry, and managing to bring out critical hit after critical hit, Sony has failed to produce huge chart-topping games like Gears of War and Halo. Outside of Gran Turismo, Sony’s IPs have yet to hit the big time, partially due to poor marketing – something that Sony’s Worldwide Studios President has taken notice of.

When questioned by Game Informer why Microsoft were able to sell just one game in 2011, Gears of War 3 (although, to be fair, they did have other games), and it still managed to sell more than all of Sony’s products combined, Shuhei Yoshida admitted that their increased lineup stretched marketing funds and focus (emphasis added):

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He was then asked whether Sony could end up producing less games. After talking about Sony’s love for new IPs he closed with an admission that the company should develop fewer games and support them more (emphasis added):

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With titles like The Last Guardian - which sadly is unlikely to sell well – being stuck in development for years, and games like Resistance 3 failing to pass a million sales, Sony’s plan to release a huge number of quality games doesn’t seem to be working for them. And, when you factor in the fact that Microsoft has managed to top the NPD six months running with the help of a fewer number or far higher marketed products, it’s understandable why the cash-strapped company might want to release fewer games. Unfortunately, while a drop in Sony-produced content might be good for their bank balance, it certainly isn’t good for gamers – titles like Heavy Rain and Flower would never have been funded by a different publisher.

With the PlayStation 4′s release drawing ever closer, it’ll be interesting to see which route Sony decides to adopt – tons of games, little marketing or a few games with tons of marketing. I know which one I’d prefer.