Rumor: Japanese Vita devs jumping ship, Sony responds
The PlayStation Vita isn't even fully available worldwide yet, and Japan's Nikkei newspaper is already reporting its demise. Specifically, an anonymous source from the Japanese game industry told the paper that Japanese companies are abandoning their Vita projects in favor of developing for the 3DS. It's true that the 3DS has been routinely outselling the Vita in Japan (as has the aging PSP), but Sony's VP of Worldwide Studios Scott Rohde isn't buying into the panic.
Rohde told Gamasutra that "extremist quotes like that" aren't uncommon with a new product. Rohde believes the Nikkei story is exaggerated, noting that "there is no way anyone could stand in front of a camera and say that all developers are changing focus from one platform to another, no matter what it is." Indeed, it wasn't too long ago that many were writing eulogies for the 3DS, which has since gone on to sell 15 million units (although it wasn't able to prevent losses for Nintendo).
We're inclined to agree with Rohde, as it only makes sense that publishers would probably wait to judge the worldwide impact of the Vita before abandoning it entirely.
