DUBAI, 28 August 2003 - In a major announcement that is indicative of the growing uptake of gaming in the Middle East, global consumer electronics major and the leading player in the global and regional computer gaming industry, Sony, has said that it had crossed the coveted 3-million mark in unit sales of its gaming consoles — PS One and PlayStation 2 (PS2) — in the Middle East, in the beginning of 2003.
A senior spokesperson of Sony Gulf further said that the PS2, which was launched in the region in 2001, already enjoys an installed base of 300,000 a figure which is expected to double by the end of 2003.
Sony Gulf FZE Managing Director, Yasuhide Yokota, said “Currently we have an installed base of over 3 million PlayStation units in the Middle East, which, is currently the fastest growing gaming market in the world.
Going by the continuing growth surge in the regional computer gaming market, which has been fueled by rising Internet penetration levels, and the introduction of’ superior gaming concepts like EyeToy, we are confident of maintaining high growth levels in the next few years.” PS One, the company’s path-breaking gaming console, that took computer-based gaming to new heights, was launched in the Middle East in 2000, while its successor PlayStation 2 (PS2) was introduced in the region in the following year.
PS2 has also gained he distinction of being one of the greatest success stories in the history of the gaming industry, with global sales reaching 50 million units at the beginning of 2003.