Sony-Computer-Entertainment
Latest
Infamous: Second Son live-action trailer shows a misunderstood artist
While this live-action ad for Infamous: Second Son is pretty cool, we think there may be a secret reveal going on here. Does Delsin have superhuman graffiti skills? How else do you explain spraying up a whole base of SWAT-like guys with armored vehicles? Wake up, America! [Image: Sony]
Uncharted writer Amy Hennig no longer at Naughty Dog
Uncharted writer and creative director Amy Hennig parted ways with Naughty Dog this week, and the circumstances surrounding her departure aren't clear. Following an IGN report claiming Hennig left her post on March 3, Sony confirmed with the site that she's no longer employed at the studio. "We can confirm that Amy Hennig has left Naughty Dog," A Sony representative told IGN. "Amy has made significant contributions to the game industry and we appreciate all she has done for Naughty Dog. The development timeline of Uncharted will not be impacted." Hennig served as the creative director for Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, and Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, and she also penned the script for the three games. She was understood to be reprising her role for the Uncharted PS4 game. Neither Hennig nor Naughty Dog have commented, but IGN sources claim the writer, a Naughty Dog veteran of more than ten years, was "forced out" by The Last of Us directors Neil Druckman and Bruce Straley, and the pair may take over the Uncharted series. Hennig worked with Druckman and Straley on the first two Uncharted games, before the two men switched to developing The Last of Us. [Image: @amy_hennig]
Sony announces PlayStation 4 sales of 6 million and counting
The PlayStation 4's arrival in Japan helped it to go beyond the 6 million mark for total sales worldwide, Sony announced today, with 370,000 consoles sold in the country since launch on February 22. The company chose the day of the PS2's 14th birthday to disclose the new milestone for its youngest system, with the figures as ever estimated by Sony itself as of March 2, and based on figures sold to consumers rather than retailers. Sony chucked a few more numbers into this morning's announcement, including that it's sold more than 13.7 million PS4 games since the console first launched in the West back in November 2013. Also, the PS4 is available in 57 countries across the globe, more than 3.6 million broadcasts have been streamed on the system, and the DualShock 4's Share button has been used to capture content more than 100 million times.
Killzone: Shadow Fall multiplayer goes free for a week on March 3
Sony Computer Entertainment and Guerrilla Games are planning a party, and everyone's invited, Helghast and Vekta alike. To celebrate the release of Killzone: Shadow Fall's first free map update, the two companies have announced that Shadow Fall multiplayer battles will be free to any and all PS4 owners for a week starting March 3. Those wanting to get in on the fray need neither a PlayStation Plus subscription nor a copy of Shadow Fall, as a free client will be available for download. Those who play the free trial will be able to compete on global leaderboards in Capture and Team Deathmatch, and all clans - including those made up of trial players - are eligible to win the Clan Community Challenge. The details and prizes of said Challenge haven't been revealed yet, but you know how these Helghast are - they don't uncloak until they're good and ready. [Image: Sony]
The Order: 1886 dev video shows knights of the revolving chamber
The Order: 1886 may take place in Victorian-era London, but as developer Ready at Dawn reveals in this behind-the-scenes video, its in-game history traces back to the age of King Arthur. The characters in The Order wield lightning-rifles instead of broadswords, but hey, times change. [Image: Sony]
The Last of Us adds new difficulty level in upcoming DLC
The final DLC for The Last of Us' Season Pass will contain a new difficulty mode for the game's single-player mode, as well as new maps, weapons and skills for the game's multiplayer component. Naughty Dog only described the upcoming difficulty mode as "new," not necessarily harder. So who knows, maybe it's Lollipop Difficulty, where the infected have been replaced by fluffy teddy bears and sadness is replaced with rainbows. Naughty Dog wrote that they will provide more information "as in-game elements near completion." Naughty Dog also released a new behind-the-scenes video detailing their journey creating Left Behind, the single-player DLC follow-up for a game with roughly a bajillion awards. We've included it after the break since, like the game's Clicker enemies, spoilers can rip your throat out make you have a very bad day if you get too careless. [Image: Sony]
Dead Nation: Apocalypse Edition listed for PS4 by SCE Asia
Housemarque is bringing the twin-stick zombie massacre of Dead Nation to the PS4, according to Sony Computer Entertainment Asia. The Hong Kong PlayStation Blog lists the top-down shooter in a new Apocalypse Edition for the PS4, and says it'll be part of March's PlayStation Plus' freebies for the region. Housemarque announced an outsourced Vita port of the PS3 game last year, but this is the first word of it coming to the PS4. Interestingly, Korea's classification board published new Dead Nation ratings today for PS4 and Vita, suggesting the two versions could be released side-by-side. We've reached out to Housemarque to find out what's up. The PS4 launch saw the Finnish studio bring its intense brand of twin-stick action to the new console with Resogun - a PS Plus game itself - but another offering wouldn't hurt. Well, it would hurt the zombies, but they deserve it. Back in 2010, former Joystiq-er Andrew Yoon shelled out a perfect five stars to Dead Nation, lauding its "suffocatingly dense" swarms of undead and its strategically sound local and online co-op. [Image: Sony Computer Entertainment]
Infamous gets a series sale on PSN Europe ahead of Second Son
Infamous: Second Son is one of the first major PS4 exclusives to come to the console since it launched some three months ago, so it's kind of a big deal for Sony. That's why its Euro branch is chucking an Infamous sale at PSN users ahead of the game's launch next month. If you're totally new to Sucker Punch's elemental open-world action series, but you do want in on the whole caboodle, then the Infamous Collection offers the best value. It includes all three Infa-games - that's Infamous, Infamous 2, and the vampiric standalone expansion Festival of Blood - and it's down by just under half to £15.38/18.89 euros/AU$28.05. If you'd prefer, the three games are all on sale individually, and there's a 10 percent discount on all the purchases for PS Plus members. Check out the full list of discounts on the PS Blog. That trilogy of games features electric hero/anti-hero Cole McGrath, but Second Son introduces a new, smokier star in Delsin Rowe. As for whether the game is as smoking as its new protagonist, we'll find out when it hits PS4 in a month's time on March 21. [Image: Sony]
Sony announces PlayStation 4 sales rise to 5.3 million worldwide
PlayStation 4 sales passed the 5 million mark way ahead of Sony's forecasts, according to the latest company estimates. Sony announced the newly launched console has more than 5.3 million sales as of February 8, meaning it's sold around a million since the turn of the year. Again, the figure is specified as "sell-through," so it represents sales to consumers rather than shipments to retailers. The console hit 4.2 million sales on December 28, 2013, so it looked likely to eclipse Sony's aim of 5 million units sold by the end of March 2014. We thought the biggest factor in that would be the system's launch in Japan, and that's still to come on February 22. To contrast and compare, last we heard the Xbox One shipped 3.9 million units by the end of 2013, with sales to consumers beyond the 3 million mark. Meanwhile, the Wii U - which launched a year earlier than the other two systems - shipped 5.86 million in total by the close of 2013, and that figure's expected to rise to 6.2 million in March 2014.
Invizimals PS3, Vita games are ready to capture North America
The Invizimals series is bringing its reality-augmenting critters back to North America, with portable and console entries due this year. Vita game Invizimals: The Alliance and PS3 companion Invizimals: The Lost Kingdom hit Europe last year. Despite not bringing the series' PSP game stateside, Sony Computer Entertainment America stepped in to ferry the duo over this time around. Given the Vita's built-in augmented reality features, Invizimals: The Alliance was always a given. The portable game rekindles the series' Pokemon-like unearthing and capturing of monsters, with players using touch and noise to capture their psuedo-real prey. Meanwhile, PS3 game The Lost Kingdom is the first in the series to shy away from AR, instead dropping players into a colorful 3D action-adventure set in the Invizimals' world. The PS3 game syncs up with its Vita sibling, letting players duke it out in a cross-system battle arena for up to four players, additionally allowing players to transfer items across the two games. Fans of the three PSP games, including Invizimals: The Lost Tribes, which never made it stateside, will be pleased to hear SCEA's Nick Accordino say there's a "nice chance" of them showing up on PSN.
Recline your seat and watch Gran Turismo doc KAZ on YouTube, Vimeo
Gran Turismo enthusiasts: Shift into neutral and kick back for the next 84 minutes or so, because KAZ: Pushing The Virtual Divide is now on YouTube, Vimeo, and Reel House. The behind-the-scenes documentary came to Hulu in January, and now it's available across a number of streaming channels including Amazon Instant Video and Crackle. Director Tamir Moscovici said the film has full English subtitles on Vimeo, with additional languages on the way. Meanwhile, Reel House has some bonus content if you really want your fill of Polyphony's driving sim.
Timey-wimey platformer Ethan: Meteor Hunter is coming to Vita
Ethan: Meteor Hunter is a tricky PS3 and PC platformer with time-stopping mechanics, and it was made by the self-described "bastards" at Seaven Studio. It was only in December the French team was lamenting some woeful sales numbers, so it's good to see it's persevering by bringing the game to Vita sometime "soon," in addition to Steam on February 7. Seaven credits Reddit with getting the game past Greenlight, after users there backed it in the wake of the dispiriting sales. As for the Vita version, one change-up is that players can use Ethan's telekinetic powers to move objects in stasis using the front and rear touchscreens, a feature that Seaven's Olivier Penot said "just made sense." No word on a release date for Vita, but Seaven is nonetheless ramping up the platformer's second coming with plenty of promos. PS3 users can try out a demo this week, with that version on sale at $7, or $5 for PS Plus users - the game will be Cross-Buy, so getting it on PS3 will unlock the Vita version when it arrives. Meanwhile, the Steam version will be 20 percent off at launch, coming in at $8. [Image: Seaven Studio]
The Last of Us scoops Writers Guild of America 2014 award
The Last of Us won this year's Writers Guild of America gong for Outstanding Achievement in Video Game Writing, in case Naughty Dog wasn't happy with its already creaking trophy cabinet. It's the right outcome out of a nominees list with some notable absentees. It's not the first time Naughty Dog has won it, with Uncharted 2 and 3 doing the same in 2010 and 2012. Of course, ND's zombie opera already got the only prize that matters - apart from the OMG Where's That Ladder Award, as previously won by Uncharted 2 and 3. [Image: Sony Computer Entertainment]
'Father of the PlayStation' to receive Lifetime Achievement Award
Ken Kutaragi, lead architect of the original PlayStation and former CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc., will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award on March 19, during the 14th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards. Respawn Entertainment Community Manager Abbie Heppe will host, while PlayStation 4 lead architect Mark Cerny will present Kutaragi his award. Although Kutaragi is arguably best-known for his role and nickname "Father of the PlayStation," his first contribution to gaming was the development of the SPC700, the sound chip used in Nintendo's Super NES console. Kutaragi left Sony in 2007, but continues to be active in the tech and entertainment fields as President and CEO of Cyber AI Entertainment Inc. "The PlayStation has become a household name, representing some of the biggest and best gaming experiences of all time," said Meggan Scavio, General Manager of GDC events, in a press release. "Its success and longevity is a reflection of the insight, craft, technical prowess and hard work of the team led by Kutaragi-san, the father of the PlayStation." "We're honored to have Kutaragi-san present at the event, and heartened to recognize a true visionary that helped bring about an unparalleled era of growth in the industry." [Image: Macara via Wikimedia Commons]
Time to get scared: Outlast next week, says PlayStation Blogcast
Just a quickie here, since it was all but confirmed: The institutionalized scares of Outlast are freaking out the PS4 next week, according to this week's Blogcast. PlayStation Europe already had Red Barrels' horror lined up for next week, but Sony's podcast confirms the same for North America, barring the PS Blog's formalities that "PSN game release dates are subject to change without notice." Cling onto that formality while you still can. Outlast left us wanting to stop playing it over and over when it hit PC last year, with Joystiq's normally unflinching Jess Conditt saying, "Those moments when the stress of running and hiding and worrying about every single little sound become too much, and the paranoia eats away at your sanity until you feel trapped. You want to quit – to escape – but you can't, because you have to get out of the asylum, to see it through to the end." Outlast will be available free to PS Plus subscribers as part of next month's line-up: North America also get Metro: Last Light, Modnation Racers: Road Trip, Street Fighter X Tekken (on Vita), Remember Me, and Payday 2. Europe swaps out those last three for BioShock Infinite and Dynasty Warriors Next.
Bombs away! PS4's Basement Crawl out in EU next week, NA 'soon'
PS4 trap-em-up Basement Crawl plans to blow up in Europe on January 29, and in North America "soon." This is our first look at the gameplay of Bloober Games' maze-based action title, and the Spy vs. Spy and Bomberman inspirations aren't hard to spot. That said, we doubt the Dyna Blaster ever got a M-17 rating in his time. While Basement Crawl does have single-player campaigns with bot support, the real fun looks to be its local four-player and online eight-player arenas. If you're stoked for some mazy melee, the admission fee is £8/€10 in Europe, and $10 in North America.
Gran Turismo documentary 'KAZ: Pushing The Virtual Divide' hits Hulu next week
Come January 22, Hulu subscribers will be given a behind the scenes look at Polyphony Digital's fan-favorite racing simulation franchise, Gran Turismo, with the release of KAZ: Pushing The Virtual Divide. Partially named for Polyphony CEO Kazunori Yamauchi, the documentary "reveals historical footage and never been told stories shared by some of the most influential people in the automotive and gaming industries," according to Sony's official description.
.jpg.cf.jpg)
Driveclub won't make PS4 launch in Japan
Driveclub is no longer part of the PS4 launch line-up in Japan, meaning it's been unpinned from a February 22 release date over there. It's perhaps not the most surprising news, given the racer's western window is still a vague "early 2014." According to Siliconera and GAME Watch, its new scheduling in the country is to be determined. It's not the first last-minute delay for Driveclub; the Evolution Studios sim was a PS4 launch title in the West before stalling a month ahead of the checkered flag. Back then, Sony Worldwide Studios chief Shuhei Yoshida said, "We understand that the delay is disappointing news, but can assure you that the reason we have made this decision is to ensure that when Driveclub launches, it will realize the next-gen racing vision." There's not been much word on the game since, and today's news doesn't shed light on things beyond making a western launch next month look unlikelier. Whenever it arrives, Driveclub is coming as a full, paid-for game and as a free download for PS Plus members, the latter "missing a few assets, such as cars and tracks" according to Evolution Studios.
PS Europe closes Christmas sale with The Last of Us, Persona 4 Golden
PlayStation Europe saved the best til The Last of Us, ending its 12 Deals of Christmas sale with Naughty Dog's PS3 apoco-sim and the Vita delight that is Persona 4 Golden. The enhanced Atlus JRPG goes down to £15 (€20/AU$25), while Joel and Ellie's feel-good adventure for the holidays is just £20 (€30/AU$40). If you want, you can go all in on The Last of Us by chucking in the season pass; the game and pass bundled together are priced £30 (€37.49/AU$55.47). The pass grants access to three major DLC packs, including the already released Abandoned Territories map pack for multiplayer, and the Left Behind single-player prequel episode which is due in 2014. Two things to add: Firstly, there's an extra holiday bonus for PS Plus subscribers, 'cos they get a further 10 percent off all those prices. Second, the deals are active for 48 hours, so you have until the end of tomorrow to ensure you're a happy camper come Christmas Day.
PS4 expands to 48 markets
Sony confirmed it's launched the PlayStation 4 in 15 more countries today, taking the total number of markets it's now available in to 48. As of today, there are new PS4 owners in the Czech Republic, Greece, Slovakia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, South Africa, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela, all of them trying to work out where the hell the power button is. Sony will be crossing fingers and toes that those 15 extra markets help boost the PS4 to its end-of-year target of 3 million sales. The PS4 surpassed the 2.1 million mark on December 1, with 1 million sold on its first day of availability in North America, and 700,000 across the launch weekends in Europe and Australasia.
