PlayStation Home set to launch three new freemium games

by: Russell - posted: 3/28/2012 10:40:00 PM

I'll be honest, I've never heard of the term "freemium" until now, but I like it, plus it's easier to type than free-to-play.  Oh yeah, I'm typing a news post here, sorry about that.

Anyway, Sony Computer Entertainment America has announced they will be soon launching three new freemium games and a new district for PlayStation Home.  Three games are:

Cutthroats: Battle for Black Powder Cove - This game allows up to 24 players to battle aboard pirate ships as captains and gunners while they attempt to take out their opponents' ships.  While the game is free, players can purchase coins to use for upgrades for their ships.  Releasing on March 28th, remember that everything is better with pirates.

No Man's Land - Offering one of the most advanced shooter experiences the platform has ever seen, players will utilize a grid interface to move from cover to cover and pop up to take out opponents.  Releasing in spring 2012, No Man's Land offers a Team Deathmatch mode and a co-op mode.

Mercia - PS Home's first multiplayer RPG puts the player into a fantasy world full of dungeons, spells, and a plethora of weapons and enemies.  For the first time in PS Home's history, the game will continually stream new content, which will lead to no load times while playing.  Think the game will be some piddly little game for PS Home?  Not quite, as the game will have some features found in bigger RPGs, such as crafting, upgrading, and resource management.  Check out Mercia this summer.

Finally, PS Home will be opening up a new district: the Adventure District.  This district will offer a number of tropical places to explore, such as an ancient temple, a coastal shoreline, and a beachfront bar.  Kind of starting to wish I had a PS3 now.

PlayStation®Home Set to Launch Largest and Most Immersive Games to Date, Including Three New Freemium Titles, Expanding the Platform's Social Game Experience

New Titles Featuring Advanced Genre-Based Offerings Debut, Highlighting the Strengths of the PlayStation®Home Social Experience

FOSTER CITY, Calif., March 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC (SCEA) today announced a planned rollout of one of the deepest and most immersive genre-based freemium games for PlayStation®Home, the company's social games platform. These new titles, including a team-based 3rd-person shooter and a fantasy-themed multiplayer role-playing game, will further expand PS Home's new core experience, which first launched in November of 2011 with new games and genre-based districts.

Releasing now through the Spring months and into Summer, these new offerings will help showcase the ability for PS Home's developers to create experiences on the platform that are unmatched in the social games space using the latest development tools available, most notably with the post-apocalyptic shooter No Man's Land, created by UK-based development house VEEMEE. The titles will be released starting today, and include:

· Cutthroats: Battle for Black Powder Cove: Offering the biggest multiplayer experience in PS Home thus far, Cutthroats: Battle for Black Powder Cove allows up to 24 gamers to battle aboard pirate ships as both ship captains and gunners, attempting to take down their opponents' ships. Utilizing a freemium game model, Cutthroats: Battle for Black Powder Cove is completely free-to-play, though users wishing to expand their ship's offenses can purchase coins to use for upgrades. (Release Date: March 28)

· No Man's Land: Arguably PS Home's most ambitious title yet, No Man's Land offers gamers the most advanced shooter experience the platform has ever seen. The game's unique cover-based mechanics were designed to take full advantage of the platform's technology. Players utilize a grid interface to sprint from cover to cover, popping up to take out opponents at every turn. The game offers a traditional "Team Deathmatch" mode, as well as a cooperative mode where salvage must be delivered back to the team's depots, while fighting to stay alive in the process. (Release Date: Spring 2012)

· Mercia: Developed by Lockwood Publishing, PS Home's first multiplayer role-playing title transports players into a fantasyl world of treacherous dungeons, magic spells, and a plethora of weapons and enemies. Mercia invites players to traverse a number of enemy-filled dungeons, and for the first time in PS Home's history, the game continually streams new content, leading to zero load times while playing. Mercia also utilizes a number of RPG mainstays such as crafting, upgrading, and resource management, giving gamers the deepest RPG experience available on the platform. (Release Date: Summer 2012)

"These new titles are delivering on the promise we made to the PlayStation Home community when we first launched the new core experience in November of last year, offering a variety of genre-based games to suit every gamer's preference," said Chris Mahoney, Senior Business Manager of PlayStation Home, SCEA. "We're bringing gamers the kind of experiences they expect from these genres with the social elements that are only available through PlayStation Home."
Along with these three new titles, PS Home is also launching a new district for gamers to explore:

· Adventure District: Transporting gamers to a lush jungle island, the Adventure District offers a number of tropical vistas to explore, including an ancient temple, a sweeping coastal shoreline and a beachfront bar. This brand new district also serves as the launch point for new PS Home title Cutthroats: Battle for Black Powder Cove. Gamers can also head to the cannon situated on the beach for some target practice, which helps prepare gamers for some intense seafaring battles.
For additional information about PS Home, please visit: http://us.playstation.com/psn/playstation-home/.

About PlayStation Network, SCEA
PlayStation®Network is the online entertainment hub for all PlayStation® platforms, connecting together users worldwide for unlimited online gameplay and access to over-the-top content including games, movies and TV shows, sports and music, all without any subscription fees required. The PlayStation®Store offers the best in digital entertainment with a constantly expanding library of thousands of games and add-on content as well as hit movies, TV shows and original programming options such as Pulse, Qore™ and The Tester™. PlayStation®Network also features access to streaming video services Netflix, Hulu Plus, CinemaNow and Vudu, streaming music service Music Unlimited as well as streaming sports through applications for DIRECTV NFL Sunday Ticket, MLB.TV and NHL GameCenter Live. Subscription service PlayStation®Plus delivers free games, huge discounts and great exclusives including special features and early access to betas. PlayStation®Network also provides access to PlayStation®Home, a social game platform featuring hundreds of games, many free-to-play.

About Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
Recognized as the global leader and company responsible for the progression of consumer-based computer entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) manufactures, distributes, develop and markets the PlayStation®2 (PS2) computer entertainment system, the PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system, the PlayStation®3 (PS3™) computer entertainment system and the PlayStation®Vita (PS Vita) handheld entertainment system. SCEI has revolutionized home entertainment since they launched PlayStation in 1994. PS2system further enhances the PlayStation legacy as the core of home networked entertainment. PSP® system is a handheld entertainment system that allows users to enjoy 3D games with high-quality full-motion video and high-fidelity stereo audio. PS3™ system is an advanced computer system, incorporating the powerful Cell Broadband Engine and RSX processors. PS Vita system is an ultimate portable entertainment system that offers a revolutionary combination of rich gaming and social connectivity within a real world context. SCEI also delivers the PlayStation experience to open operating systems through PlayStation®Suite, a cross platform and cross device initiative. Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, SCEI, along with its affiliated companies, Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC, and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Ltd., and its division companies, Sony Computer Entertainment Japan and Sony Computer Entertainment Asia develops, publishes, markets and distributes hardware and software, and manages the third party licensing programs for these platforms in the respective markets worldwide.

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