Are some developers and publishers missing out on a fast buck by ignoring trophies?

They may have seemed an eternity in arriving, but Playstation 3 is finally the generous provider of trophies to the masses. Why Sony took so long to catch up with Microsoft’s achievements is anyone’s guess; perhaps they didn’t believe that people really cared that much, or maybe the delay was a knock-on effect of the tortuous wait for Home. Regardless, now that they are here and gamers are contentedly chasing those elusive Golds and Platinums, is this an opportunity for revenue that few companies are capitalising on?

The allure of trophies cannot be underestimated. One wonders whether Microsoft predicted achievements would become so popular, but they proved to be a masterstroke. For many their Gamerscore is a matter of pride, almost an obsession, and as we have come to see some will go to the point of hacking, purchasing games with easy achievements and paying others to collect them when inconveniences such as a day job intrude. It is a reflection of human nature, both in a competitive sense and also the simple desire to collect everything to satisfy the completist within; after all, why do so many of us feed Nintendo’s claim that you ‘gotta catch ‘em all’?

When considering this, it is surprising that there are currently so few Playstation 3 games that support trophies. Admittedly they are not long released, but some companies have stated that they will not be patching their games to add them, and notification must have been received from Sony some time in advance of implementation. It was fascinating to read internet forums when the upgrade was released, with many gamers stating that this was the reason they needed to buy Super Stardust HD, and the Friends Lists of many were teeming with people playing that very game. Similarly, it would be extremely interesting to examine the sales of Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune on the back of its recent patch. It has recently been released on Platinum, of course, but for many on the forums it was the additions of trophies that got them out of the door and down to the shop, rather than the lower price. On the part of Naughty Dog and Sony, it was a masterstroke in maximising revenue.

There remains the question of cost, with patching requiring the allocation of manpower to a game that may have gone gold some time ago. This is probably the reason for Insomniac’s assertion that Resistance and Ratchet would not be receiving trophies, with the new instalments being frantically polished instead. But would many consider visiting the world of Resistance for the first time if the original were showered with trophies, and would this have a knock-on effect to the sales of the imminent sequel?

Such thoughts are speculation of course, and perhaps overestimate the effect that trophies may have on the sales of ageing Playstation 3 games. It is a surprise, however, that currently only four games support trophies. After all, publishers are rarely found wanting when racing to the bank; in this case, will being slow off the line cost them a healthy injection to the balance?