Archive for the ‘PlayStation Community’ Category

PlayStation Around the Web: What We Read

2011 International CES wraps up today, and while it’s not the hugest show for gaming (we’ll have to content ourselves with GDC, PAX East, E3, Comic-Con, Gamescom, PAX Prime, and Tokyo Game Show ^_^), there’s still a metric ton of cool stuff to see. Our colleagues over at Sony Electronics put together a slickly-produced new video series called SGNL, and they’ve got many product videos and interviews from the show floor, which you can find by clicking here.

For the busier readers out there (hey, I’ve got football to watch, too), they also did a quick runthrough of the Sony booth’s highlights, including a segment with some dude from PlayStation. I’ve embedded that below.

More from CES coming up tomorrow.

The PS.Blog weekly reading list (Week January 3, 2011)

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Happy New Year from PlayStation.Blog!

I wanted to use the last post of 2010 to take a quick look back and talk a bit about what we’re working on for early next year.

2010 has been a year of tremendous growth for the PlayStation Social Media program – average weekly page views have nearly doubled (to about 2 million), our Twitter followship has multiplied by a factor of more than 5 (to about 573K), and – this is the crazy one – Facebook fans have multiplied by over 10x (to 7.6 million). In a not-unrelated development, we added Sid and Rey to our team which have enabled us to be more responsive via those channels, place our videos on the front pages of IGN and Gametrailers, as well as publish roughly 10 extra stories per week. We were also named a Top 5 entertainment blog by Technorati, which tracks such things.

I’m also particularly proud of our PlayStation.Blog Share feature, which launched last Spring. Many tens of thousands you have participated, and more than 50 ideas have been enacted to date. While the Social Media team can’t take credit for those (we don’t actually make these things happen), you should know that having all your ideas in one place has made it much easier for people throughout the company to know what you’re thinking. I’ve actually sat in on meetings where ideas submitted to share were pored over, one at a time. That’s the whole point, right?

So, enough patting ourselves on the back – here’s what we’re working on for the first few months of this year:

A full, from-the-ground-up redesign: We’ve been tracking which Blog features are most important to you (you’re voting with your clicks). We’ve taken that data and are pretty far along with a redesign that prioritizes big news, PlayStation Store content and older stories while vastly improving search, and making it easier for you to participate and share stories that are important to you with others. Also: it’s way nicer looking, as we’re sick of being the Euro Blog‘s less-attractive cousin. Look for this to roll out by Mid-March.

More unique stories: In 2011 we’ll be bringing you more PlayStation posts you won’t find elsewhere, in addition to the usual reams of daily news. Sid’s putting the finishing touches on a multi-part “Monsters of PlayStation” feature as we speak.

Coming to you: We haven’t locked anything in yet, but I’m eyeing some Blog meet-ups in places that we haven’t been to much, especially in the South and East. More details soon, but the first 3 months of the year should see us in a variety of places.

That long-promised podcast: By end of March. At the latest. We’re taking suggestions on names, btw.

Thanks to all of you who have read, voted, commented, subscribed, followed, attended live, or otherwise participated in what we do. We look forward to serving you in 2011.

-Jeff

PS – I was looking for New Year’s Ball Drop pics for this post when I found this. May God have mercy on us all.

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Happy Holidays from Guerrilla!

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The holidays are here! After a busy but productive crunch period on Killzone 3, we’re finally able to catch up on our Z’s and spend some quality time with the family. For quite a few of us, there’s an additional family member waiting at home this year. In fact, since we began working on Killzone 3 over a dozen of our developers have become parents!

Here at Guerrilla, we observe a peculiar Dutch tradition to celebrate the birth of a baby: we eat “beschuit met muisjes,” which literally translates as “biscuits with little mice.” It’s a Dutch delicacy consisting of biscuits coated in butter and sprinkled with sugared anise seeds. We also give the parents these adorable little one-pieces to put on their newborns:

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As to why there have been so many Guerrilla babies lately – perhaps it’s the constant exposure to militaristic Helghast propaganda, which has increased the virility of our developers. Or perhaps it’s simply a sign that Guerrilla has matured. After all, the young turks who stood at the studio’s metaphorical cradle ten years ago are professionals in their thirties today. They’re old and wise enough to stand at real cradles.

Being able to provide for your family by doing what you love is a rare fortune, and it’s during these days of celebration and reflection that we truly realize how blessed we are. We want to take this opportunity to thank you, the fans, for supporting us all these years; for showering us with your infectious enthusiasm and honest criticism, and for playing our games with endless dedication. We hope you’ll share a wonderful holiday with your loved ones, and we’ll see you in 2011.

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PlayStation Around the Web: What We Read

Killzone 3, MLB 11, UNCHARTED 3, Mass Effect 2 PS3, Kratos in Mortal Kombat – 2010 isn’t even over yet and we’ve already got so much to talk about for 2011. Not so fast – 2010′s last gasp will be a big one; stay tuned for details on a frikkin huge PSN update hitting Tuesday. Rey will have all the titles for you later this afternoon.

The PS.Blog weekly reading list (Weeks of December 6, 2010 and December 13, 2010)

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UNCHARTED 3: Premiering Drake’s Deception at our VGAs Viewing Party

“All men dream…” My first day joining the PlayStation family was July 19th – it was the day my life changed and it was also when I was told I’d be working on unannounced projects like UNCHARTED 3 and Resistance 3, the latest installments in what are easily some of my favorite video game franchises. My dream just became a reality.

PlayStation VGA10 Viewing Party

Fast forward to the first moments when I saw the final cut of the UNCHARTED 3: Drake’s Deception reveal trailer, and my excitement turned into an obsession. The warm glow emanating from Jeff’s laptop couldn’t keep the chills running up my spine at bay from the mere thought of knowing exactly what I was about to experience. This wasn’t just any trailer folks, the two minutes that followed represented years of design, coding and writing from a pack of Dogs that meticulously create worlds and adventures we can all be Naughty in.

I was immediately grabbed by its simplicity and elegance, which met every expectation that built up in my mind a little more every time I’d hear a whisper or two of Naughty Dog’s progress. The more rewarding experience was being able to share that excitement with you, the PlayStation community at our VGA viewing event which we co-hosted this weekend with Capcom.

PlayStation VGA10 Viewing Party PlayStation VGA10 Viewing Party

The air was alive with the sounds of Marvel vs Capcom 3 on PS3, and Uncharted 3 speculation was flowing like the endless amount of soda and food we were handing out. I couldn’t decide which proved to be more difficult, keeping a crowd of 300 gamers entertained (as I manned the microphone hosting the evening’s festivities) or keeping every imprinted frame and moment from the trailer a secret long enough not to ruin the surprise. I found comfort (and pizza) when I would sneak away and ran to the makeshift Naughty Dog kennel that Will Powers and I constructed in the back of the Kim Sing Theatre. There, I would make new friends among the Dogs where they’d reveal how they pulled off the new sand physics, story and most importantly, the challenges that lay ahead to meet their 11.1.11 deadline.

PlayStation VGA10 Viewing Party

The fruit of their labor came from the eruption of screams of excitement that rocked their kennel when the trailer was finally revealed. If you weren’t there, not only did you miss one hell of a party, but you may have missed out on one of the most important milestones in the development of UNCHARTED 3, the very moment Naughty Dog got to witness the reaction and fanfare to their countless hours of work. You, the PlayStation community, with every high-five and cheer that followed Naughty Dog’s speech, have become their second wind. Exciting, huh?

PlayStation VGA10 Viewing Party PlayStation VGA10 Viewing Party

But now I turn the spotlight to you. If you had a chance to make it out to the Kim Sing Theatre on Saturday night, what were some of your favorite moments of our event and of the VGAs? Hit us up on the comments. If you have any photos or videos you’d like to share, make sure to drop us a link! We’d love to see them.

Our viewing party wouldn’t be the end of our UNCHARTED revelations for the weekend, as we next faced a new audience, the gaming and mainstream media. To be continued…

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PlayStation Around the Web: What We Read

If this week’s reading list looks a bit longer than usual, it is – this overstuffed edition contains links from the long Thanksgiving weekend.

As we’ve brought up earlier this week, the Video Game Awards are coming up pretty soon, and with PlayStation nominees and cool reveals in store, we’re once again going to hold an LA viewing party near the live broadcast of the show. Look for more details this week, but Californians: mark your calendars for next Saturday!

The PS.Blog weekly reading list (Week of November 29, 2010)

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PlayStation Around the Web: What We Read

The torrent of holiday-season games is finally starting to ebb (with one major exception), but the same can’t be said for the gaming news cycle. DLC is being worked on, titles are being patched, and one upcoming PSN exclusive will allow you to buy your way into the character lineup (for charity, of course). Read on, fellow PlayStation fans.

PS – Less than 3 days!

The PS.Blog weekly reading list (Week of November 15, 2010)

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Countdown to Gran Turismo 5 Launch: Daily Chance to Win a Tissot GT5 Watch

With the launch of Gran Turismo 5 set for November 24, we’ve teamed up with Swiss watchmaker Tissot, the official timekeeper of NASCAR, to bring you the Countdown to GT5 launch sweepstakes. Each day leading up to launch, we’ll be giving you a chance to win a Tissot PRS 516 watch customized for Gran Turismo. This watch, valued at $495, features a stainless steel case and rubber strap with folding clasp engraved with the GT logo. It’s a true fan collectible that won’t be sold in stores – you can only win it here.

GT5 Tissot

Continuing on with the GT5 love, you can now pick-up limited edition Schick razor packs featuring Gran Turismo 5.

GT5 Schick

Each pack includes a download code that unlocks exclusive content including a dynamic theme and GT5 racing suit for Home. For more details, click here.

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PlayStation Around the Web: What We Read

Here’s a quick look at the news that *didn’t* involve Gran Turismo 5 this week :)
Let us know if you’ve found something good that we missed.

The PS.Blog weekly reading list (Week of November 8, 2010)

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PlayStation Around the Web: What We Read

If your RSS reader says that this post went up at 9am (Pac)/noon (East), then you may have forgotten to set your clocks back. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve showed up at work early on this day during my high school and college jobs.

Today, I’m using the extra hour to finish up the MoH campaign, which I took a weeklong break from when Red Dead Redemption’s Undead Nightmare pack came out. Finished that up last night – it’s a great reason to jump back into John Marston’s boots, especially if you like zombies.

How are you using that extra hour? Sleeping?

The PS.Blog weekly reading list (Week of November 1, 2010)

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