ALKHOBAR, 13 March 2007 — According to Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) and Modern Electronics Company (MEC), the PlayStation 3 (PS3) will be launched in Saudi Arabia on March 22 at a recommended retail price of SR2,499. An expected one million PS3 units will be made available during the initial launch period across the PAL territories of the Middle East, Europe, Africa and Australasia. Initially only the 60GB model will be available at launch in the Kingdom — SCEE claims that this is so that consumers can receive the full PS3 experience straight out of the box.

“Following the hugely successful launches in Japan and North America, we are delighted to be bringing PlayStation 3 to Saudi Arabia,” said Mohamad Al-Segaih, MD, MEC. “There has been huge demand for the system from Middle East consumers. We can guarantee the wait will have been worthwhile.”

Consumers in Saudi Arabia will be able to register for the launch promotion, whereby the purchasers of the PS3 who register on the PlayStation Network will receive a Blu-ray disc movie of Casino Royale, starring James Bond newcomer Daniel Craig, free of charge. Casino Royale has already grossed more than $560 million at the box office worldwide, and has established itself as the most successful Bond film of all time. The movie will showcase the exceptional video quality of full 1080P high definition movies on Blu-ray discs.

“The PlayStation Network is a great reward for PlayStation 3 owners,” commented Tim Stokes, sales and marketing director, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE). “It is a user-friendly service that provides gamers with the opportunity to go online and play against other gamers worldwide.”

According to Stokes, Sony plans to ship about 5,000 PS3 consoles to the Kingdom for Day 1 sales. He said that while SCEE cannot give the exact split, the key retailers that will be stocking the PS3 are Modern Electronics showrooms, Toys R Us, Tokyo Games, Computer House, Extra, Electro, E-Max and Best.

At launch in Saudi Arabia, Sony is also planning to have available a strong line-up of over 28 game titles for the PS3 including titles published by SCEE such as “Resistance: Fall of Man,” “MotorStorm,” “Genji: Days of the Blade,” “Formula One Championship Edition” and “Ridge Racer 7.” Sony Gulf confirmed that these five SCEE titles will retail for SR229. Concurrent with the launch in Saudi Arabia, a new system update to further enhance the entertainment potential of the PS3 will be issued.

PS3 Titles from third party publishers available at launch will include: “Call of Duty 3” (Activision); “Marvel: Ultimate Alliance” (Activision); “Tony Hawk’s Project 8” (Activision); “Full Auto 2: Battle Lines” (Sega Europe); “Sonic the Hedgehog” (Sega Europe); “Virtua Fighter 5” (Sega Europe); “Virtua Tennis 3” (Sega Europe); “World Snooker Championship 2007” (Sega Europe); “NBA 2K7” (Take 2 International); “NHL 2K7” (Take 2 International); “Blazing Angels Squadrons of WWII” (Ubisoft Entertainment); “Enchanted Arms” (Ubisoft Entertainment); “Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Double Agent” (Ubisoft Entertainment); “The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion” (Ubisoft Entertainment); “Def Jam: Icon” (Electronic Arts-EA); “Fight Night Round 3” (EA); “NBA Street 4 Homecourt 2007” (EA); “Need for Speed Carbon” (EA); “The Godfather: The Don’s Edition” (EA); “Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2007” (EA); “Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom” (EA) and “F.E.A.R” (Vivendi Universal Games).

MEC’s Product Manager for PlayStation Maher Mouminah said that all Sony World showrooms will be decorated with the PS3 theme for the launch date.

“The slogan for PlayStation 3 is ‘This is living.’ The PS3 will really make you feel that you are getting the best out of your gaming, making it a real live experience,” said Mouminah. “We will be having some demonstrations on and explanations about the PS3 in Sony World showrooms. Customers will be able to try the real high definition experience. The PS3 has been available in the Kingdom on the gray market, but it was sold for extremely high prices and there wasn’t much explanation to consumers about the power of this console. Our big job will be explaining to the customers the capability of this machine and encouraging them to try it.”

Mouminah advised that MEC is also planning to bring a good selection of Blu-ray movies to their showrooms, so that consumers can purchase both the console, its accessories, games, films and HD televisions all from one location. He believes that Saudi consumers will be enthusiastic about the PS3 once they see the experience it can offer. There will be limited availability for pre-ordering of the consoles.

“Since the release time of PS3 in not in a season such as the vacation time or Eid, we don’t expect a lot of kids to come and buy the PS3 on the launch day,” said Mouminah. “We actually expect more adults to buy it in the first day. We believe that there will be enough channels handling the PS3 that there are not going to be long queues at those retail shops. However, for those consumers who want to pre-order, all Sony World showrooms and Toys R Us will be taking advance orders that must be paid for and collected on the launch date.”

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