Using the recent platform exclusive God of War III (GOW III) release as a lens, Nielsen explored the motivating factors for purchasing a Playstation 3. GOW III was greeted with extensive media coverage, midnight launch parties at video game retailers and excellent critical reviews. Certainly Sony and the gaming industry at large expect that GOW III will achieve blockbuster sales figures and stoke interest in the PS3. But how important are specific games titles, even those that are destined to be platinum sellers, in motivating potential hardware buyers considering the many entertainment capabilities of present-gen consoles?

Over a three week period prior to, during and after GOW III was released, Nielsen interviewed more than 700 active gamers ages 7-54 who do not currently own a PS3 but are definitely or probably interested in acquiring the system in the next six months to better understand the factors behind their purchase intent.

Among those gamers motivated to acquire a PS3 because they are looking forward to buying a specific game, GOW III was the clear winner. However, overall results indicate that specific game titles rank as the least frequently cited reason for being interested in purchasing a PS3.

When asked to rank the five most important reasons (out of 10 possible, with a rank of 1 indicating the most important reason) for being interested in buying a PS3, gamers included “I am looking forward to buying a specific game” 12% of the time, lagging behind all the other potential motivators by a substantial margin.

While Blu-ray capability and the PS3 price reduction are included most often overall, there is evidence that suggests that software and gaming strongly motivate these potential buyers, with the library of games cited by 62%. In addition, the desire to connect and play games with friends who already own a PS3 and the ability to play multiplayer games on the PlayStation Network that speak to the appeal of PS3 as a gaming platform are also included by many gamers, indicating that these respondents are motivated to purchase the system in part for its gaming capabilities. A specific game as the motivator is included by only one in every eight gamers (12%) intending to buy the system

Despite the fact that buying a specific game does not rank high on the list of reasons for acquiring a PS3, GOW III was the most popular game among those who mentioned that a particular title is a Top 5 motivator of their console purchase. Across a list of 20 PS3 titles including Heavy Rain, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Little Big Planet and Gran Turismo 5, one-third (33%) of gamers indicate GOW III as their first choice. With no other game garnering more than 13% of the first choice vote (Final Fantasy XIII comes in as a distant runner-up) and most titles falling at 3% or below, the strong appeal of GOW III is readily apparent.

Not to be overlooked is that nearly half (49%) cited interest in the console for its multimedia capabilities. This is especially interesting because the tagline for Sony’s recent marketing campaign, “It only does everything,” touts the entertainment versatility of the PS3 even as it features specific high-profile games, including GOW III, in select ads. Considering the data, it appears as though this marketing strategy complements consumer sentiment. While many potential PS3 buyers will see GOW III as an important asset, more often the game will be considered one of many reasons to acquire the console rather than the sole motivator.

The table below shows total positive purchase interest (definitely or probably interested in buying the title) for games that garnered at least 30 percent on this metric and will be released at least a month from now.  For most of these twelve titles, either a trailer was released or gameplay was demoed in some form at E3. But interestingly, there were not massive spikes in consumer interest in purchasing these titles from pre- to post-E3. Most moved up or down 1-2 percent at most, which is well within the margin of error. In other words, games that already tugged at gamers’ hearts held on.