Why Valkyria Chronicles 2 is a PSP but Not Playstation 3 Exclusive

Valkyria Chronicles is one of the best exclusive games on the Playstation 3. While initial sales were low, publisher and developer Sega kept promoting their overlooked title by dropping the price and releasing a television animated show for it. Many hoped that the strong support for the original title results in a sequel on the Playstation 3. Unfortunately for them, Valkyria Chronicles 2 is heading exclusively for the PSP instead. So why did Sega chose the PSP over Playstation 3 for Valkyria Chronicles 2? Let's take a look at a couple of influential factors.

Bigger User Base
Partly because of its earlier start, the PSP has a user base advantage over the Playstation 3. Since first launching in late 2004, the PSP has accumulated over 50 million units sold worldwide. This is twice as much as the Playstation 3, which launched in late 2006. As a result, Valkyria Chronicles 2 will be able to reach a much bigger audience on the PSP than on the Playstation 3.

Japan Influence
A majority of the hardware sales for the PSP came from Japan. Thanks to games like Monster Hunter and Dissidia: Final Fantasy, the PSP has become a mainstay on the Japanese market, even beating the record-breaking Nintendo Wii in hardware sales.

More and more Japanese developers are choosing to skip the declining home console market in favor of the growing handheld segment of the video game industry. Some of the biggest video game brands in gaming are therefore landing on the PSP exclusively. So, because of Japan's influence on the changing markets, Valkyria Chronicles 2 will be released on the PSP instead of the Playstation 3.

Cheaper Production
Like most high-definition video games today, Valkyria Chronicles took a ton of money to be created. Originally developed for the Xbox 360, the game was cancelled only to be brought back later on the Playstation 3. Not to mention that Valkyria Chronicles features many new and innovative ideas that took years to come to fruition.

Because of the modest sales from the first game, Valkyria Chronicles 2 is heading to the PSP, which is a cheaper system to develop for especially with the recent lowered licensing fees. Even if the sequel end up selling around the same amount as the first game, the return would be much greater for Sega.

Possible Ports
Finally, developing Valkyria Chronicles 2 for the PSP opens the door for possible ports to the Nintendo Wii and Playstation 2, two of the most popular home consoles right now. On the other hand, a Playstation 3 version can only be ported to the Xbox 360 without much effort. Therefore, the potential user base for Valkyria Chronicles 2 is for bigger on the PSP than on the Playstation 3.