Calling all Sackboys and Sackgirls! Hot on the heels of this week’s massive LittleBigPlanet 2 announcement, we here on the PlayStation Home team are proud to unveil two – you heard me, TWO – new spaces dedicated to this celebrated franchise. True to the “Play.Create.Share.” mantra, these brand new LittleBigPlanet spaces provide the perfect locations for users to indulge in their affinity for all things LittleBigPlanet, from creating custom content to playing addictive games to finding new friends to launch into multiplayer sessions of LittleBigPlanet for your PS3.

Start with the King’s Snap Happy Photo Challenge in the LittleBigPlanet PlayGround space – find the target, snap the perfect shot, and unlock some exclusive rewards. Next, team up with your friends to create custom wallpapers in the Creator mini-game, where you can build, stick, place, and shoot the perfect XMB backdrop. Finally, you can nurture your inner sharpshooter at the LittleBigDerby mini-game, which recalls the carnival games of yesteryear, albeit in a patented LittleBigPlanet fashion.

After earning your rewards and stocking up on all the LittleLittleBigPlanet-themed clothing and furniture items available in the PlayStation Home Mall, head to the LittleBigPlanet Pod Penthouse – your very own LittleBigPlanet personal space, rife with opportunities to personalize and customize. This excellent new personal space (as well as the LittleBigPlanet PlayGround public space) will be available this Thursday, May 13th.

All of you Qore fans will have a unique opportunity to meet host Veronica Belmont and correspondent Audrey Cleo during an in-world appearance this Thursday, May 13th from 6:00pm – 8:00pm PT (9:00pm – 11:00pm EST) in the PlayStation Home Theater’s Qore screening room. Come out to meet the ladies of Qore and watch a special Qore video focusing exclusively on PlayStation Home and its vibrant community. And be sure to pick up Episode 24, now available from the PlayStation Store, which contains a large segment on PlayStation Home (and also offers a sneak peek at a brand new space!)

To celebrate one year full of tons of great content (including the mega-popular LOOT Living Room Stage Set personal space), our friends at LOOT are sponsoring the first ever Machinima contest in PlayStation Home. All of you Machinimators are invited to join the next round of the legendary Aliens vs. Androids battle –- the “Fight for Freedom.”

Here’s the back story: After defeating the invasive Alien species in the epic Aliens vs. Androids dance-off, the metal-clad Androids became little more than a useful, shiny asset for the PlayStation Home community. That was, of course, until they became self-aware. The former guardians of PlayStation Home took control, and thus the Reign of the Androids began. Characterized by the “Safe Human Behavior Protocol” (strict rules including mandatory curfews), the Androids will either be overthrown by the residents of PlayStation Home…or it will stretch on through future generations.

The way this story ends depends on you, the loyal PlayStation Home community, and the Machinima you create based upon this historic battle. LOOT, Sony Pictures, and PlayStation Home Community Management judges will vote on the top videos posted in the official PlayStation Home forums. The participants responsible for the winning entry will be awarded the LOOT “Best Machinima” trophy and a gold director megaphone – exclusive items that only the winners of this contest will own. Interested? Then read the official contest rules and guidelines, included below for your convenience.

See you in Home!

The following promotion is intended for viewing in the 50 United States and the District of Columbia only and will be construed and evaluated according to United States law. Do not enter this contest if you are not a legal resident of, and located in, the 50 United States or the District of Columbia at the time of entry.

OFFICIAL RULES

LOOT™ Machinima Contest: “Aliens vs. Androids II – The Fight For Freedom”

1. Eligibility. The LOOT™ Machinima Contest: ”Aliens vs. Androids II – The Fight For Freedom”(“Promotion”) is only open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia, who are at least 18 years of age or older on or before May 12, 2010. To be eligible to participate, you must have a PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, a PlayStation®Network account in good standing, internet access and PlayStation®Home installed on your system. No purchase necessary to enter or win. Employees of the Sponsor and its parent, subsidiaries and affiliated companies and their immediate families are not eligible to participate in this Promotion.

2. Sponsor. Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC, 919 E. Hillsdale Blvd, Foster City, CA 94404 (“Sponsor”).

3. Timing. The Promotion begins on May 12, 2010 at 12:00P.M. (noon) Pacific Standard Time (“PST”) and ends on June 14, 2010 at 12:00P.M. PST (the “Promotion Period”).

4. How to Enter. Get together with other PlayStation Home users and form a production team. Production teams can have a maximum of 12 team members (individually, “Entrants” and collectively, “Team”). Each Entrant must be eligible to participate in the Promotion. Teams must designate one Entrant as the “Lead Team Member”. The Lead Team Member will be responsible for all required communication with Sponsor. At least one Entrant must have access to a computer capable of creating a machinima style video and uploading to a video sharing internet website. Create an original and unpublished machinima-style video filmed entirely within PlayStation Home that continues the LOOT™ Aliens Andriod vs. Androids II “The Fight for Freedom” storyline occurring within PlayStation Home during the Promotion Period. To enter, post a link to your video on boardsus.playstation.com under the official thread LOOT™ Machinima Contest: “Aliens vs. Androids II – The Fight for Freedom” (“Entry”). To be valid, Entries must conform to the following requirements:

4.1. Cannot exceed three minutes in length

4.2. MP4 or MOV format

4.3. file size cannot exceed 300MB

4.4. the Entry must include end credits that list the Team name, the PSN IDs of all Entrants, and indicate who will serve as the Lead Team Member.

5. Entry Conditions. Limit one Entry per Team. All Entries must be posted by 12:00 pm (noon) on June 14, 2010. The Entry must be the original and unpublished creation of the Entrants. The Entry must not contain any copyrighted content, including movies, TV series, photos or soundtracks. Sponsor reserves the right to reject Entries that it deems, in its sole discretion, to be inappropriate including Entries containing foul language, gratuitous depictions of violence or sexual behavior, positive depictions of alcohol or tobacco or any illegal activity. The Entry’s content must not defame or invade the rights or privacy of any person, living or deceased or infringe upon any third-party personal or proprietary rights. For any Entry that includes a likeness of third party or contains elements owned by a third party (such as depictions of buildings, trademarks or logos), the Lead Team Member must provide legal releases permitting the Team’s use and Sponsor’s use of the Entry, in a form and substance satisfactory to Sponsor. In the event fewer Entries are received than the number of prizes to be awarded, Sponsor reserves the right to take action as it reasonably deems necessary under the circumstances.

6. Grant of Rights. Each Entrant is responsible for the Entry and the consequences of posting or publishing it. In connection with the Entry, each Entrant affirms, represents, and warrants that: (i) the Entrant owns or has the necessary licenses, rights, consents and permissions to use the Entry in the manner contemplated by Sponsor; and (ii) the Entrant has obtained the written consent, release and permission of each and every identifiable individual person in the Entry for use of the name or likeness of those persons and for use of the Entry in the manner contemplated by Sponsor. By submitting the Entry to Sponsor, each Entrant grants to Sponsor a perpetual, fully paid, irrevocable, non-exclusive license to reproduce, prepare derivative works of, distribute, display, transmit, and permit others to use and perform the Entry throughout the universe, his or her likeness and performance and every identifiable individual person’s likeness and performance in the Entry in any media. Sponsor is under no obligation to use an Entry.

7. Judging Criteria. All Entries received will be judged by a panel of judges composed of members of the SCEA Home Community Management team and members of the Sony Pictures Entertainment LOOT™ team. The panel will use the following criteria and criteria weights in judging Entries: (a) originality and creativity – 50%; (b) narrative – 40%; (c) editing – 5%; (d) video and sound effects – 5% (“Judging Criteria”).

8. Winner Selection. Winning Entries will be selected based on the Judging Criteria from valid Entries submitted by eligible Entrants received during the Promotion Period. Sponsor’s decisions will be final and binding. Each winning Entrant will be notified via their registered PSN email address. The Lead Team Member must respond to Sponsor’s prize notification email within 48 hours from that date and time of the Sponsor’s prize notification email sent to the Lead Team Member. In the event that the Lead Team Member of the winning Entry does not respond to Sponsor’s prize notification email within the specified time or the prize notification email is returned as undeliverable, a new winning Entry will be chosen based on the Judging Criteria. Alternate winners will be contacted via their registered PSN email addresses and the Lead Team Member of the alternate winning entry must respond to the Sponsor’s prize notification email within 48 hours from that date and time of the Sponsor’s prize notification email to the Lead Team Member. Winners will be announced on or around June 24, 2010.

9. Prizes.

9.1. Grand prize: One Entry will be chosen as the grand prize winner and its Team members will receive the grand prize. Each grand prize winning Entrant will receive a voucher code redeemable for the entitlement to download the LOOT™ “Best Machinima” Gold Trophy and The Gold Director Megaphone.

9.2. Runner up prize: Nine Entries will be chosen as runners up, and Team members of the nine runners up will receive the runner up prize. Each Entrant awarded the runner up prize will receive a voucher code redeemable for the entitlement to download a Director Megaphone.

9.3. Each valid Entrant that submits a valid Entry during the Promotion Period will receive a voucher code redeemable for the entitlement to download the LOOT™ “Alien vs. Androids” Trophy.

Prize fulfillment is based on availability. Sponsor has the sole discretion to substitute a prize of equal or greater value if a prize is unavailable. Prizes are non-transferable, and Sponsor need not substitute a prize based on an Entrant’s request. Please allow 6-8 weeks for delivery of prizes via email.

10. General Conditions. Potential winning Entrants are subject to Sponsor’s verification. Sponsor’s decisions are final and binding in all matters related to the Promotion. Potential winners must comply with the Official Rules, and receipt of prizes is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements. Sponsor is not responsible for technical, hardware or software failures, malfunctions, lost or unavailable network connections or failed, incomplete, garbled or delayed computer transmissions or unforeseen schedule changes that may limit an Entrant’s ability to participate in the Promotion, even if caused by Sponsor’s negligence. Sponsor has the sole discretion to modify, cancel or suspend this Promotion should virus, bugs, unauthorized human intervention or other causes beyond Sponsor’s control affect the administration, security or proper play of the Promotion or Sponsor otherwise becomes incapable of running the Promotion as planned. Sponsor is not responsible for changes to Entrant’s contact information. Sponsor has the sole discretion to disqualify Entrants who violate these Official Rules, tamper with the operation of the Promotion or engage in any conduct that is detrimental or unfair to Sponsor, the Promotion or any other Entrant

11. Release. As a condition of participating in the Promotion, Entrants agree to release Sponsor and its parent, subsidiaries, agencies, divisions and affiliates from liability, for loss, harm, damage, injury, cost or expense whatsoever including property damage, personal injury and death that may occur in connection with, preparation for, travel to, or participation in the Promotion, or possession, acceptance or use or misuse of prize or participation in any Promotion-related activity and claims based on publicity rights, copyright or trademark infringement, defamation or invasion of privacy and merchandise delivery.

12. Publicity. By accepting a prize, a winning Entrant agrees to the use of his or her name and likeness for purposes of advertising, trade or promotion without further compensation, unless prohibited by law, and agrees, if required, to sign and return a notarized Affidavit of Eligibility and Release of Liability within a period that Sponsor specifies.

13. Promotion Results. The winners will be posted on the www.us.playstation.com on or about June 24, 2010.

14. Collection of Information. The information necessary to operate the Promotion is collected by Sponsor at the time of Entry submission, and without limiting Sponsor’s rights under its privacy policies with regards to its use of the information, the information collected will be used to contact you specifically for operation of the Promotion. Information collected in connection with the Promotion will otherwise be collected in accordance with Sponsor’s privacy policy, available at http://www.us.playstation.com/Support/PrivacyPolicy. By participating in the Promotion, each Entrant agrees to the terms of Sponsor’s privacy policy.

15. Restrictions. Void where prohibited or restricted by law.