PS3 smashes through 5m barrier in the UK

EXCLUSIVE:The PlayStation 3 has surpassed 5m consoles sold in the UK, MCV can reveal.

The firm reached the milestone as a new-look 500GB PS3 hit the market on September 28th, causing a 138 per cent jump in sales that week. A 12GB SKU is out today (October 12th).

And the firm’s UK MD Fergal Gara told MCV that the momentum is behind PS3, buoyed by strong showings at Gamescom and E3, plus the formation of a new UK team.

It is fantastic that we passed the 5m mark,” Gara told MCV. But most importantly to me is not the milestone itself, but the fact that there is momentum behind it. And with the new chassis, and the way the market is panning out this year, PlayStation definitely has the momentum.”

SCE UK has undergone a restructure over the past 12 months following the arrival of Gara. These have included the recent appointments of marketing director Murray Pannell from Ubisoft and commercial director Alex Coultate from Universal.

I am pleased with the talent we’ve got on board,” Gara added. You can actually feel the energy going through the business. These guys know that they have a lot to do to make sure the Christmas plans are sharp and focused, and they have come to them relatively late. So they are working at a hell of a pace.

I can already feel a positive buzz that wasn’t there only a few weeks ago.”

You can read more from Gara, Pannell and Coultate in MCV’s exclusive interview on page 22 of this week’s magazine.