E3 2007: Sony makes its big third-party push

July 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Sony Computer Entertainment 
America Inc. (SCEA) today previewed a robust third-party software line-up and 
announced new exclusive game publisher alliances for PLAYSTATION(R)3 (PS3(TM)) 
at their annual press conference during the E3 Media and Business Summit.  In 
addition to the more than 30 third-party titles available since launch, this 
fiscal year over 100 new third-party titles will be released for PS3, bringing 
the total number of first- and third-party games in North America to more than 
160.  This extensive library encompasses industry leading franchises as well 
as new intellectual properties from Activision, Capcom, Electronic Arts, NAMCO 
BANDAI, Ubisoft and Eidos.
    "We have been working hard to provide third-party game publishers with the 
tools they need to maximize the technological power of PS3 and we're excited 
today to showcase first-class exclusive titles from our partners, as well as 
new developer relationships," said Riley Russell, vice president of third 
party and developer support, SCEA.  "This support from our third parties is 
ultimately a real win for not only the PlayStation brand, but more so for our 
valued consumers who will find something for everyone on PS3 this fiscal 
year."
    During the press conference, exclusive third-party PS3 games and key 
partnerships were announced from NCsoft(R) Corporation, Ubisoft, Midway and 
Konami.  The strategic alliance with NCsoft, the world's leading developer and 
publisher of online games, will provide a wealth of connected gaming expertise 
and create several online games exclusively for PlayStation platforms, 
including PS3 and PSP(R) (PlayStation(R)Portable), accessible through the 
PLAYSTATION(R)Network.  NCsoft is the creator of Lineage, the world's largest 
online game franchise with a customer reach of more than 60 million.
    In addition, PlayStation fans will have further reason to get excited 
about growing their game libraries as Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) and 
industry veterans Epic Games announced a multi-stage agreement.  
Revolutionizing the industry with the advent of the Unreal(R) Engine when 
first launching the Unreal franchise several years ago, Epic Games has joined 
with SCE to fully optimize the Unreal Engine for PS3 development to assist 
developers using this engine to accelerate game creation and maximize 
performance.  Already underway, this optimization currently affects seven 
developers using the Unreal Engine to create 20 games already in the works and 
with many more to come.
    As a result of the agreement, Midway and Epic Games will make the platform 
debut of Unreal Tournament 3, one of the world's premiere first-person 
shooters, exclusively on PS3 this fall, unleashing the full power of Unreal 
Engine 3 with graphics, gameplay and challenges brought to a whole new level.  
Featuring powerful futuristic weapons and vehicles unlike anything seen 
before, players will engage in intense and hyper-realistic battles with other 
players online, or against the Unreal artificial intelligence that has become 
the defacto industry standard.
    "The raw power of PS3 and Unreal Engine 3 allow us to provide gamers the
full Unreal Tournament 3 first-person shooter experience normally found only 
on a PC," said Mark Rein, vice president, Epic Games.  "The PS3 is the ideal 
platform for us to deliver stunning visuals and awesome gameplay. But now, 
with the PLAYSTATION Network, we're also delivering a great community 
experience and robust user-created content -- everything that gamers have come 
to expect from the Unreal Tournament franchise -- for the first time on a home 
entertainment system."
    Also, releasing this fall, legendary PlayStation development team Free 
Radical Design and leading publisher Ubisoft have teamed up to deliver the 
mind-altering, technologically superior game HAZE exclusively for PS3 this 

holiday season.  This highly anticipated first-person shooter marks the next-
generation debut for Free Radical, and will introduce unique gameplay driven 
by 'Nectar'.  Providing players with the opportunity to fight on both sides of 

the same war, HAZE also features genre-defining multiplayer action for the 
PLAYSTATION Network.
    "Ubisoft and Free Radical are thrilled to be introducing Haze exclusively 
for PS3 this holiday," said Yves Guillemot, chief executive officer at 

Ubisoft.  "When you combine Ubisoft's reputation for top quality FPS games, 
Free Radical's outstanding track record on SCE platforms, and PS3's power and 
network functionality, it is clear that HAZE will open up a new arena of 

entertainment possibilities for players everywhere."
    Set for a simultaneous worldwide launch in early 2008 exclusively on PS3, 
a new trailer for Metal Gear Solid(R) 4: Guns of the Patriots also was 


unveiled during the press conference.  In a six minute presentation of all-new 
footage, the latest Metal Gear Solid 4 trailer features stunning real-time 
graphics, new revelations in the ongoing Metal Gear saga, and a new location 

that will be one of many backdrops of Solid Snake's final, globetrotting 
mission.  In its first-ever presentation in English, the new trailer also 
offers a taste of Kojima Production's ambitious, stylized localization of the 

game's original script, penned by Hideo Kojima himself, and highlighted by the 
return of the industry's most memorable voice talent, featuring David Hayter 
as Old Snake, Pat Zimmerman as Liquid Ocelot, and Phil LaMarr, who will 

reprise his role as iconic Metal Gear Solid 2 character, Vamp.
    In addition to these key exclusives from NCSoft, Ubisoft, Midway, Konami, 
Epic Games and many other publishers, gamers can look forward to 15 more PS3 

only games from SCE this fiscal year that truly demonstrate the advanced 
technological capabilities of the system.