A PS3 ad from European retailer Carrefour.

JUNE 8, 2007 • In a guest editorial for trade magazine MCV, SCEE president and CEO David Reeves reveals that more than1 million PS3s have been sold across all PAL territories in Europe and Australia:

“In terms of breakdown by Euro territories, the U.K. did very well. They are probably up to 25% of business, and we’re particularly pleased with Iberia and France. They are neck and neck. Also this time we launched into our distributor territories, such as the Middle East and Eastern Europe. The Middle East and Russia are quite a lucrative markets, with a lot of wealthy people there. If we include places like San Marino and the Vatican, we’ve got about 107 territories on board in total – that means we’re about 95% of the way there. And we’ve done that in 10 weeks.”

Impact: The big success for the PlayStation brand has been creating a true global business.  SCEE has been particularly strong, getting as much as 80% market charge versus the competition.  A key advantage for the PlayStation 3 is the continued strength of the low cost PS2 and also a portable option with the PSP.  The obvious challenge the platform faces is a high price tag and a focus on high definition technology in markets that may not be ready to go so high-end.