[Update] Shuhei Yoshida has clarified his Famitsu quote on his Twitter account, saying, “PS Vita-PS3 Cross Buy price promo is coming to both Europe and North America. My quote by Famitsu was meant as “not decided for Japan yet”.
Original article below.
Speaking to Famitsu, Sony Worldwide Studios boss Shuhei Yoshida revealed that the Cross Buy program, which gives PS3 software buyers a free PlayStation Vita copy of the same game, is not scheduled for Japan or North America but is “at present, just for Europe”.
At the company’s Gamescom press conference Sony announced Cross Buy for three titles; PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, Sly Cooper: Thieves In Time, and Ratchet & Clank: Qforce. At no time did the company mention the European-only restriction on the program.
Yoshida’s statement also doesn’t square with a report on the US PlayStation Blog, which specifically states that US gamers who buy Sly Cooper on the PS3 will get the Vita version for free. Interestingly, the report never mentions Cross Buy by name and the other two titles did not get similar announcements on the blog.
Cross Buy is without a doubt the best idea that Sony has had to spur struggling Vita sales. Assuming the program is done with download voucher codes, it would be relatively cheap to implement and would give PS3 owners strong incentive to take the plunge and purchase the handheld.
Hopefully this is just a case of Sony wanting to make a separate Cross Buy announcement for each country, and not one of those classic good ideas that the company fails to execute properly.
We will keep an eye out for further news on the program, and let you know as soon as something official is said.