Sony courts developers by dropping PlayStation Mobile membership fees

In a bid to bring more gaming titles to the PlayStation Vita and PlayStation-certified devices, Sony has dropped publisher license fees worldwide, allowing developers to launch titles on its PlayStation Mobile platform at no cost. Game makers were previously required to pay a $99 annual fee to publish titles, but with interest in the platform dwindling and a lack of available games, Sony hopes the new initiative can breathe new life into its mobile store.

Last year, HTC became the first third-party PlayStation Mobile partner and was soon joined by Fujitsu and Sharp. Along with Sony — which offers the same games via a separate store on the PS Vita — the smartphone makers preload a dedicated PlayStation Mobile app on selected devices. However, developers have to contend with the fact that their games are relegated to a separate section of the virtual store with little visibility or promotion. That isn’t to say that things aren’t changing: Sony has hinted that more integration with the rest of the PlayStation Network may be coming at some point in the future, teasing that “there’s a lot to come.”