Sony's strategy for tackling the rising costs of development in this new console cycle, the report finds, has been to double the size of its internal studios since the launch of its PlayStation 2. The report notes that Sony's Worldwide Studios employ around 2,200 staff in 14 studios, all but one, it notes, are strictly devoted to PlayStation 3 development, a number only rivaled by third party publishers like Ubisoft and Electronic Arts. By comparison, though with a number of large teams under its own wing, Microsoft has instead focused on "aggressively forged relationships" with third parties to create Xbox 360 exclusive titles, which, the report says, is already beginning to find success with games such as Gears of War.