Sony announced their release plans for the PlayStation 4 during their Gamescom 2013 press conference today, revealing that the next-gen console will launch in North America on November 15th for $399, and across Europe on November 29th for €399 / £349.
In total, Sony is expecting to launch the system in 32 countries before the end of the holiday 2013 season. A full list of the markets where the PlayStation 4 will be released this year has not yet been announced, but the plan is certainly far more ambitious than Microsoft’s current Xbox One launch schedule — which was recently scaled back to just 13 markets.
The company also revealed that worldwide pre-orders for the PlayStation 4 have reached one million units. Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Andrew House commented on the early success during the press conference, before taking another jab at Microsoft.
“The response that we have received has been nothing short of incredible… While others have shifted their message, and changed their story, we were consistent in maintaining policies and a model that is fair and in tune with consumer desires.”
In an effort to move current PlayStation 3 owners over into the next-gen console, Andrew House also announced that players will be able to upgrade select titles to the digital PlayStation 4 version for a “significantly discounted price.” Exact details of the offer were not revealed, but Sony did confirm that Ubisoft, EA, and Warner Bros. will support the “limited time” program on the following titles; Call of Duty: Ghosts, Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag, Watch Dogs and Battlefield 4.
We will update this post with more details on Sony’s launch plans for the PlayStation 4 as they are announced.
[Update 1] The PlayStation Blog has confirmed that the PS4 will launch with 33 titles, including; NBA 2K14, Call of Duty: Ghosts, Skylanders Swap Force, Need for Speed: Rivals, Battlefield 4, Madden 25, FIFA 14, NBA Live, Killzone: Shadow Fall, Drive Club, Knack, Assassins Creed IV: Black Flag, Watch Dogs, Just Dance 2014 and Lego Marvel Super Heroes. [Update 2] Sony has provided the following list of 32 countries that the PS4 is scheduled to launch in this year; United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Ireland, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Panama, and Peru.
