PS4 European Market Share Jim Ryan

In the United States, Sony's PlayStation 4 has enjoyed a healthy sales lead over Microsoft's Xbox One, having beaten the rival console several times in the monthly NPD statistics. Meanwhile, in Sony's home country of Japan, the PS4 has been a runaway success, with Microsoft struggling in the country historically and Sony brokering deals such as Destiny's exclusivity in the region.

But what about Europe? PlayStation has strong brand recognition in Europe (in both the UK and on the continent) but the Xbox 360 also performed quite well in the region, with games like Halo 3 and the Gears of War franchise making it a 'must-have' console. So has Microsoft managed to to continue that form with the Xbox One? And is Europe the one region where the Xbox One reigns supreme?

According to Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) President Jim Ryan, it's the PS4 that's leading the European market. In an interview with VG24/7, Ryan reveals that:

"We have a very significant market leadership. Well, we have market leadership in every country in Europe, and have very significant market leadership in continental Europe. Extremely significant. I don’t think market-share’s any less than 70%, and frequently greater than 90% in continental Europe.

Particularly in Europe… our momentum is still very considerable. We’re happy with the price and we’re happy with the value proposition. Consumers, equally and more importantly, appear to he happy with the price and the value proposition. We’ll leave it where it is for now.”

But can that momentum continue in future? One criticism of Sony's E3 2015 press conference was the fact that many of the games that the company showcased – including Horizon: Zero Dawn, The Last Guardian, and delayed blockbuster Uncharted 4: A Thief's End – won't be released until 2016.

 

In the interview, Ryan does note that games like Star Wars Battlefront and Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 (which has PlayStation exclusive content) will be on PS4 this Christmas, but many would argue that those games won't have the same pull as PS4-only titles.

It's also worth noting that although Ryan seemed to rule out a PS4 price cut in Europe, the interview was conducted one day after Sony's E3 press conference, which was before the announcement of the 1TB PS4 console. So there is still the possibility that the 500GB model will get a slight discount to ensure that consumers remain "happy with the price" that they are paying.

As for Microsoft, the options for the company are clear. Microsoft's recent attempts to improve the Xbox One's sales have been very US-centric, as the company has both cut the console's price and has launched free game promotions, but these offers have been exclusive to the United States. It is true that the Xbox One's price has been cut in the UK (a standalone unit is now £300, equivalent to $470) but this still makes it massively more expensive than the United States' price and this discount hasn't been offered to consumers on the European continent either.

Can the PS4's lead in Europe continue? What do you think Microsoft needs to do to boost Xbox One sales? Leave a comment and let us know.

Source: VG24/7