There has been a lot of talk lately about offended retailers refusing to stock the all-digital PSPgo. Feeling burned by the lack of ability to sell games for the new system, a few large stores in Europe have boycotted the handheld, and it looks like Australia’s largest retailer, EB Games, could be joining them.
The PSPgo isn’t listed anywhere on EB’s Web site, despite the fact that the machine has a worldwide release date of October 1, a little under two weeks away. Furthermore, employees of the firm have added that there are no listings for the new PSP in their system. By all accounts, the PSPgo doesn’t exist to EB Games.
Sony wouldn’t be drawn on the issue when asked by Kotaku, choosing bluster over explanation: “In relation to our business and the launch of PSPgo, we are already experiencing solid support for launch day on October 1 in Australia … As with any new product, there will be continued discussions with retail partners to continue to expand reach over time in line with growth of the entire PSP platform.”
This could be the largest retailer yet to shun the PSPgo, and could definitely impact the sales of the system in Australia. While Sony is clearly doing fine with regards to the most important retailers, it’s clear that bad blood is brewing and that the PSPgo will not get the kind of support it perhaps needs. We’ll have to see how it does at launch and whether these boycotts will indeed have an effect.
