Foster City, Calif. –
Sony Computer
Entertainment America (SCEA)
said it will launch the redesigned
Thursday in the U.S. and Canada through the
PlayStation®Network for the PlayStation3 video game system.
Sony said the redesign will include a new core experience with
genre-based districts as well as a wide variety of exclusive games that cater
to each player’s interests and preferences.
It said the offering will include a number of free-to-play game
titles, based upon a “freemium business model,” that will include: Bootleggers ’29, a first-person shooter found
in the Action District that is based on the underbelly of the Roaring Tweneties;
PlayStation Home Hold ‘Em, a series of
backroom poker tables found in the new Sportswalk District where online
players can square off in a battle of bluffs; PlayStation Home Sports Trivia,
also found in the Sports District that tests a players sports knowledge against
the PlayStation Home community; RC Rally, a customized remote-controlled racing
game found in the Pier Park section;
and Cogs, a 3D version of Lazy 8 Studios Steampunk puzzle game. Users
can also unlock exclusive PlayStation Home rewards in this puzzler.
“Home’s community is made
up of some of the most passionate gamers on PS3, and we’ve listened to their
feedback since Home launched in 2008, finally transforming Home itself into a
game,” said Jack Buser, SCEA PlayStation Home director. “This redesign marks a
new beginning for PlayStation Home, and players can expect much more to come.”
Other key features of the
redesign include a futuristic Hub that brings games directly to players with a
featured game front-and-center upon login. It integrates an Activity Board with
a questing system, community events and user-generated content. The Hub will
also offer additional navigation, shopping, socializing and entertainment
options; PlayStation Home Theater offering videos programmed specifically for
PlayStation gamers, including episodes of Pulse and Qore, trailers and interviews
from the PlayStation Blog; and exclusive user-generated videos in the popular
Community Theater.
A new PlayStation Home Mall will present thousands of pieces of
content from popular games and entertainment platforms. Users can shop for
PlayStation Home games, extravagant personal spaces, costumes, clothing items
and other avatar enhancements, among other things.
Sony said PlayStation Home has attracted more than 24 million
users worldwide to date. Visitors spend an average of 70 minutes per session,
and more than 230 games, 10,000 virtual items, 70 spaces, 800 community events
and 35 partners are available.
