The “Step Your Game Up” campaign is all about providing a deeper look into what makes a PlayStation Portable gaming experience more complete and enjoyable than anything else you’ll find on the market. This campaign introduces a new, younger voice to the PlayStation Nation, the fast-talking, quick-thinking, quasi self-appointed Marcus Rivers. By now you’ve probably seen the first ad in the series, “Step Your Game Up,” where Marcus officially steps up to the plate, giving Kevin Butler a run for his money as well as reason to offer him the job. Marcus makes it clear from the start he’s taking no prisoners — he’s a gamer looking for real games to play on the go.

We’ve always known the PSP is for gamers and gamers have high expectations when it comes to content. A skinny app just isn’t enough when you’re used to full-length franchises, exciting storylines, and great graphics. With PSP and PSPgo you can take your console experience with you anywhere with blockbuster titles like God of War: Ghost of Sparta, Patapon 3, SOCOM: Fireteam Bravo 3, Twisted Metal: Head On, ModNation Racers, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, MLB 10 The Show, Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep (more), Madden NFL 11, Fat Princess and more. Not only can you enjoy a true in-depth gaming experience wherever you are, but with PSP you can also access your favorite movies, TV shows and music wherever you go. Moving forward, PSP fans can look forward to a series of ads that carry on the tradition created by Kevin Butler, showcasing the value and innovation behind PSP and PSPgo while inciting a few laughs along the way.

We gave you just a sneak peek of the new ads at E3 and can’t wait to share more with you over the course of the next several months. Keep an eye on the PlayStation.Blog as well as www.marcuspsp.com for more details on what’s to come. In the meantime, here’s another look at what we have in store for you — for more of the latest ads, head over to www.marcuspsp.com.

Last year at E3, we unveiled our next installment of the “Play, Create, Share” movement which has been a runaway success since LittleBigPlanet branded a new standard for user-generated gaming. This time we’ve taken the genre-creating formula to the race tracks. We’re putting the power of creation back into your hands to redefine kart racing as we know it today.

Launching on May 25th for the PS3 and PSP, ModNation Racers will fill millions of living rooms with next gen kart racing with crazy obstacles, weapons, and a whole host of new characters to race along with you. You’ll be able to play single player or challenge your friends to compete on race tracks that come built in with the game. But imagine being able to customize your characters, your karts, and your very own tracks with your personal flare. We know our users are extremely creative as we already have more than 2 million user generated levels for LittleBigPlanet. Imagine what we’ll see when you all start making amazing race tracks.

We know something very special happens when you provide the right tools, a sophisticated technology platform and combine them with incredibly imaginative people like yourselves. And the industry seems to agree. Destructoid is calling ModNation Racers the “last kart racing game you’d ever need to own” while PlayStation The Official Magazine touts it’ll be “your next great PS3 obsession.” Even our own esteemed developers such as David Jaffe and Ted Price are singing its praises. We’re confident ModNation Racers will produce an entirely new community of gaming fans and will showcase just how creative PlayStation fans are.

With a game as special as ModNation Racers, you can be sure we’ll be behind it in a big way. Our “Dear PlayStation” spot will premiere during South Park’s Season Finale on April 28th and you can catch it on Kevin’s YouTube channel starting this afternoon. Kevin Butler realizes he’s going to have to go “old school” to get through to an anxious gamer who wonders if he and his self created track have the right stuff. It’s become one of my all time favorites.

We look forward to your thoughts on Kevin’s new look. But more importantly, we can’t wait to see (and race) what you all will create once you get your hands on this ground breaking new game. There’s no audience of gamers more passionate, creative and plugged in than PlayStation Nation. And “Only on PlayStation” will you find experiences like ModNation Racers.

It’s been fun to watch all the speculation on whether or not God of War III would get its own spot with Kevin Butler. The answer? Of course, how could it not? We’ve been looking forward to the launch of God of War III for some time now (as you all have) as it’s one of the best examples of “It Only Does Everything” that you’ll find. Where else can you get epic storylines, groundbreaking depth of scale, dynamic 3D realism, and our signature gameplay that is God of War. Yes, God of War III will be one of our biggest sales drivers this year, selling multiple millions of copies and becoming a system seller for PS3. It’s that good and everything you’ve heard is true. With more than 35GB of Blu-ray gaming goodness, it’s truly a shining example of “Only on PlayStation.”

The early reviews are echoing what we already know, that the wait for God of War III will not have been in vain. PlayStation: The Official Magazine has given God of War III a score of 5 out of 5 while Game Informer has followed suit with a 10 out of 10, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg as we expect an onslaught of positive reviews to hit newsstands next week.

Some of you already know what to expect from the final installment of this Olympic-size trilogy. For those of you who don’t, comparing God of War III’s scale and scope to previous chapters is like comparing Kratos’ Blades of Chaos to a letter opener. We are confident that if you haven’t jumped on board yet, this game will certainly be the incentive you’ve been waiting for to get a PS3. Our hats are off once again to our studio organization for creating another amazing experience. I’ve been saying it for awhile, but the depth and breadth of content on PS3 is unrivaled and will continue to be a catalyst to our sales all year long.

While the game itself won’t be in stores until March 16, many of you dedicated God of War fans have already been feeling the Fury of Kratos at your local 7-Eleven. Already, thousands of vouchers from the cups have been redeemed for exclusive downloadable content. Kratos will also be invading the world of NASCAR. On Saturday, March 20, the No. 20 car will be sporting a brand new God of War III and GameStop themed paint scheme driven by Joey Logano during the Scotts Turf Builder 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway. For our die-hard fans, we’ve produced our first collector’s item with the “Ultimate God of War III Edition” which comes packed with exclusive collectibles and downloadable content (priced at $99.99). Several retail partners are seeing huge demand on pre-orders for this edition, so make sure to grab yours on launch day.

Which brings us back to our good friend Kevin Butler, who will also play his part to promote God of War III with a new TV commercial that begins airing the end of this week. Suffice it to say that Kevin can’t possibly ignore the game’s star power. We will also have a 15 second commercial highlighting all the glowing accolades this game is already garnering. We hope you all enjoy your exclusive access to both commercials here before they hit the airwaves:

I look forward to hearing your feedback on the commercials and this amazing game.

Hope springs eternal and I know this is the time of year when MLB fans focus on the prospects of their team. It’s also when you can get your hands on the latest iteration of the MLB franchise with MLB 10: The Show, launching today. Widely considered the most authentic baseball game, MLB is the #1 selling baseball franchise in video game history. We know MLB 10: The Show is going to deliver once again the best baseball experience out there and will come packed with those big, big moments and true-to-life gameplay you’ve come to expect from us.

And the reviews are following suit. Folks like Geoff Keighley are calling MLB 10: The Show, “One of the most amazing-looking sport games I’ve ever seen,” while Game Informer just unveiled its 9.5 score today, touting that, “Sony has created the most realistic simulation in video games,” and stating that, “the bar has officially been raised.”

This year, we’re extremely lucky to have the 2009 American League’s Most Valuable Player, Joe Mauer of the Minnesota Twins as our cover athlete. Not only has he been instrumental in the development of the latest installment of The Show, he’s been integral to some unique marketing efforts as well. Make sure to check out PlayStation Home to get Joe Mauer’s Twins jersey for free when you watch the game’s trailer in the Home Theater. Joe Mauer is also starring in a TV commercial with Kevin Butler to promote the game. Let’s just say the exchange leaves Kevin at Joe’s mercy.

Here’s the full commercial for your viewing pleasure. We hope you’re just as excited as we are about MLB 10: The Show.

Peter Dille

We’re incredibly excited for this new year and have lined up many big reasons for PS3 fans to keep coming back for more. Not only do we have truly groundbreaking technology that will be filling living rooms this year with 3D and motion controlled gaming, but we’re celebrating our most MAG-nificent line up in PS3’s history. And our good friend Kevin Butler will be at it again, taking over your TV screens and other mediums to showcase why it’s never been a better time to be a PS3 owner.

Next Tuesday, Zipper Interactive will be unleashing the industry’s first and only 256 online multiplayer shooter game, MAG. We know there’s tremendous appetite for this game as you’ve downloaded more than a million MAG beta clients worldwide during the last open Beta period. So, as a special treat to MAG fans, we’d like to give you an exclusive sneak peek of the TV commercial airing this weekend, here. The commercial depicts a job applicant asking Kevin Butler whether his MAG platoon leadership qualifies as management experience.

If you’d like to see more of Kevin Butler before the next commercial, check him out on Twitter to get a daily dose of his perspectives on PlayStation and pop cultural events.

Hooah and Happy New Year,
Peter Dille

It’s been a lot of fun rolling out the many creative executions of our “Dear PlayStation” ad campaign over the last few weeks. Kevin Butler has garnered legions of fans as he demonstrates how the PS3 “Only Does Everything” in his very unique style. In fact, even our friends and partners at Best Buy have been impressed. So much so, they approached us about a unique collaboration featuring Best Buy’s “blue shirt” campaign in which actual Best Buy employees solve customer needs. Of course, we loved the idea.

Our colleagues at Sony Electronics and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment also got involved with Best Buy to sweeten the deal by offering an amazing value bundle that showcases the true powerhouse Sony is when it comes to HD entertainment. The bundle combines a PlayStation 3, a Bravia HDTV, and a choice of a new game and Blu-ray movie – all with a total savings of up to $1100! The promotion runs from November 29th until December 12th across Best Buy stores nationwide and online at BestBuy.com. There are some limitations, so read more on the bundle here: BestBuy.com/SonyTVPS3.

If you or a friend is in the market for a true 1080p HD experience, you need to check this deal out. You can also thank Kevin and Best Buy’s Nick DeVita of New York for one-upping each other to create an “explosive” bundle and a great commercial.

I’d like to thank our sister companies and particularly our partners at Best Buy for helping make this happen. I hope many of you can take advantage of this opportunity to deck your living room with the ultimate HD entertainment experience.

Cheers,
Peter

Beyond the amazing line up of Blu-ray games hitting this holiday, we’re also expecting some blockbuster Blu-ray movie releases, including Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and Star Trek. We’ve also announced some really groundbreaking initiatives that make Blu-ray synonymous with movie watching. In December, consumers will have access to the first-ever hybrid disc that will feature Sony Picture’s District 9 movie and a demo of God of War 3. This is a true testament to the endless opportunities ahead for Blu-ray and entertainment. And if you’re already an existing Netflix consumer, now you can access both your Blu-ray disc movies and stream 17,000 movies and TV shows from one machine – the PS3.

Readers of this blog are of course, already aware that the PS3 comes built in with one of the industry’s best Blu-ray players. But we wanted a spot that would hammer home the Blu-ray movie advantage and speak to this broader audience that may not be as familiar with the PS3’s feature set. So we asked Kevin Butler to bestow some wisdom in this exchange with an unhappy teenager who is complaining his grandmother is hogging the PS3 to watch Blu-ray movies. You can catch this commercial on air starting next week. For you, our loyal fans, here’s the exclusive sneak peek:

We’d love to hear what your favorite spots are so far. We certainly are having a hard time just picking one. We still have a couple more special updates on the way, so make sure to check in next weekend. More to come.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone,

Peter

Beyond the amazing line up of Blu-ray games hitting this holiday, we’re also expecting some blockbuster Blu-ray movie releases, including Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and Star Trek. We’ve also announced some really groundbreaking initiatives that make Blu-ray synonymous with movie watching. In December, consumers will have access to the first-ever hybrid disc that will feature Sony Picture’s District 9 movie and a demo of God of War 3. This is a true testament to the endless opportunities ahead for Blu-ray and entertainment. And if you’re already an existing Netflix consumer, now you can access both your Blu-ray disc movies and stream 17,000 movies and TV shows from one machine – the PS3.

Readers of this blog are of course, already aware that the PS3 comes built in with one of the industry’s best Blu-ray players. But we wanted a spot that would hammer home the Blu-ray movie advantage and speak to this broader audience that may not be as familiar with the PS3’s feature set. So we asked Kevin Butler to bestow some wisdom in this exchange with an unhappy teenager who is complaining his grandmother is hogging the PS3 to watch Blu-ray movies. You can catch this commercial on air starting next week. For you, our loyal fans, here’s the exclusive sneak peek:

We’d love to hear what your favorite spots are so far. We certainly are having a hard time just picking one. We still have a couple more special updates on the way, so make sure to check in next weekend. More to come.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone,

Peter