Tag: SCEJ
News Sony Promises PlayStation Vita Game Heaven Improvements
Learning lessons
The first PlayStation Vita Game Heaven received a lot of negative feedback. The well publicised Japanese event was conceived to stimulate interest in Sony’s struggling handheld, but ended up irritating followers due to its pre-recorded format and lack of surprises. Sony Japan CEO Hiroshi Kawano has promised that the next Game...
News Wrap Your Head Around These Tokyo Jungle Plot Details
Deer versus dinosaur
Those of you that have been following PlayStation closely will already know about the upcoming Tokyo Jungle. The baffling PSN exclusive follows the adventures of a menagerie of common animals, who find themselves fighting for survival in a post apocalyptic Tokyo. One of those animals is the humble Pomeranian, who, upon...
News SCEJ Announces New Corporate Structure
All change
It sounds as though Sony’s really keen to reinvent its Japanese arm. It wasn’t long ago that the company announced it had placed former Sony Santa Monica founder Allan Becker in charge of its domestic studios, and it has now followed up with a corporate restructure. Beginning 1st April, SCEJ will operate under new “First Party...
News Gravity Rush Scores Big In Latest Issue Of Famitsu
Defying gravity
Gravity Rush is undeniably one of the most tantalising propositions in the PlayStation Vita's upcoming line-up Buoyed by a stylish art aesthetic and some strong gameplay mechanics to boot, the Japanese Studio developed title sits just behind Uncharted: Golden Abyss and Wipeout 2048 on our most wanted list. And it seems our enthusiasm...
News You Can't Deny The Brilliance Of This Live-Action Gravity Rush Trailer
Apples are renowned for their sweet taste and gravitational properties
They're also the star of Sony's brand new live-action Gravity Rush commercial. Uncharted: Golden Abyss and WipEout 2048 may be the PlayStation Vita's headline releases — but we really think Gravity Rush is the star of the system's line-up. Gorgeous, original and totally unique:...
News Gravity Rush To Be Download Only In Europe
Sony's made a couple of bizarre decisions regarding the PlayStation Vita's release in Europe
Top of the charts is the platform holder's decision to not offer a 32GB memory stick at launch, with the highest capacity card being the 16GB. While frustrating, we can forgive Sony for saving us money. Less forgivable is the platform holder's decision to...
News Dark Days: Sony Confirms Fumito Ueda's Departure
Legendary PlayStation developer Fumito Ueda -- the creative force behind ICO and Shadow Of The Colossus -- has left Sony, the platform holder has announced
Ueda's departure comes following a series of rumours surrounding the developer's employment. But while Ueda's long-term future remains unclear, Sony confirmed that his immediate commitments are...
News Sony Comments On Team ICO, Says Fumito Ueda Is 'Committed To Completing' The Last Guardian
Sony's said that Fumito Ueda is "committed to completing" upcoming PlayStation 3 exclusive The Last Guardian, but has once again managed to completely dodge the issue of the developer's employment
In a statement issued to IGN's Colin Moriarty, a SCEA spokesperson revealed that "Ueda-san is in fact under contract and is committed to completing...
News The Last Guardian Producer Leaves SCEJ For London Based Social Games Company
Things aren't going smoothly at Team ICO it seems
Just days after creative lead Fumito Ueda reassured fans regarding the development of The Last Guardian, news of another departure has surfaced. This time it's the game's executive producer, who's left Sony for London based casual games studio, Bossa. Yoshifusa Hayama worked as the executive producer...
News Monster Hunter Wins Big At The PlayStation Awards
Sony Computer Entertainment Japan held its annual PlayStation Awards overnight, celebrating the best-selling PlayStation games of the year
As with recent years, Sony also used the event to give out some special awards that were voted for by fans of the platform. The awards covered games released between November 1, 2010 and October 31, 2011. Six...
News Fumito Ueda Reassures Fans Of The Last Guardian
Fumito Ueda has responded to rumours suggesting that he has left Shadow Of The Colossus developer Team ICO, affecting development of the studio's next project
In a short Twitter message, the creative powerhouse said that development of The Last Guardian was still on track and that fans have nothing to worry about. While Ueda did not outright deny...
News Sony Negotiating Flash Support For PlayStation Vita, Comments On Proprietary Memory Cards
Despite what Sony says, the PlayStation Vita is as much a multimedia power-house as it is a gaming machine
But while games such as Uncharted: Golden Abyss are stealing all the headlines, some of the PS Vita's lesser known features are getting brushed under the carpet. In an interview with Impress Watch, a selection of Sony's hardware developers...
Rumour ICO & Shadow Of The Colossus Developer Fumito Ueda Leaves Sony
The man behind two of Sony's most loved games -- ICO and Shadow Of The Colossus -- has left the company according to a report published by Eurogamer this evening
The website claims that the creative power-house is working on completing upcoming title The Last Guardian in a freelance capacity. Once finished, it's reported that Ueda will leave Sony in...
News Japanese Poll: PlayStation Vita Is The Most Wanted Hardware This Holiday
According to Japanese magazine Famitsu, the PlayStation Vita is the most-wanted gaming hardware in Japan this holiday
The publication asked readers to select their most desired hardware and software, and published the results online. The PlayStation Vita topped the hardware poll with 374 votes, nearly a hundred more than the 3DS in second-place...
News Sony Launches Debut Japanese PS Vita Commercial
With the PlayStation Vita less than a month away from release in Japan, Sony's started ramping up its promotional campaign for the portable system
Sadly, the device's first commercial isn't the traditional bonkers Japanese fare — showing a man cycling down a hill and not much else. Hit the jump to watch it in action.
News Gravity Daze Confirmed For February 9th In Japan
Sony and Team Siren's achingly gorgeous PlayStation Vita exclusive, Gravity Daze (or Gravity Rush elsewhere), has been given a firm release date of February 9th in Japan
The retail version of the game will ship with a comic, illustrations and other extras for ¥5,980. It'll be available as a download for ¥4,900. Whether the game makes it out in...
News Sony Kicks Off New Japanese PlayStation Promotions
The PlayStation Vita is not the only platform set to get a promotional push in Japan this holiday
Sony's announced a duo of new campaigns designed to advertise both the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable too. The former — which focuses on Sony's new Scarlet Red and Splash Blue PS3 systems — carries the tagline "Yaruzo! Toruzo!...
News New Gravity Rush Screenshots Show Off Huge Industrial Environments
For many, Team Siren's Gravity Rush is looking like the must-have PlayStation Vita game
The super-stylised gravity-driven platform game not only promises to take advantage of the Vita's multitude of input devices, but its bold cel-shaded art-style also looks custom built to showcase the system's OLED screen. In a batch of new screenshots, Sony's...
News Sony Teases 'Surprise Announcement' For Jump Festa
It's always exciting when Sony teases the words "surprise announcement"
But it nearly always leads to a bunch of wild and unattainable expectations. So let's keep our hype gauge in check, then. Jump Festa, a Japanese games festival, is set to take place in Tokyo later this year. Awkwardly the event will coincide with the launch of PlayStation Vita,...
News Harrison Ford Drops By To Promote Uncharted 3 In Japan
While Sony UK might be preparing to splash £5 million on promoting Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, it looks like SCEJ has won the marketing war
The Japanese branch of the PlayStation business has lined up Indiana Jones himself, Harrison Ford, to promote the game domestically. Catch the commercial after the break.
News Japan Waits In Line For PlayStation Vita Pre-Orders
Sony opened pre-orders for the PlayStation Vita overnight, with many Japanese gamers forming lines outside of popular stores in order to register their interest in the device ahead of its December 17th release date
According to Famitsu more than 200 people were in line at the famous Akihabara Yodobashi Camera by midnight, with the queue up to about...
News PlayStation Vita's Japanese Launch Originally Planned For Earlier In December
Our biggest complaint with Sony's handling of the PlayStation Vita thus far is just how long it's taken Sony to get from announcement to store shelves
It feels like the platform holder has been 'umming and ahhing' for an eternity, with the system only just meeting its 2011 release domestically, and no date here in the West. Speaking in the latest...
News Backwards Compatible PlayStation Portable Games To Get Improved Controls On PlayStation Vita
Sony Worldwide Studios president, Shuhei Yoshida, has confirmed that the platform holder is aiming to make a "high" number of PlayStation Portable games compatible with the PlayStation Vita
The executive stressed that the company can't yet "confirm 100 percent compatibility" as the system is still undergoing testing. That said, those...
News Shuhei Yoshida On Learning The Lessons Of PlayStation Portable
The PlayStation Portable was a success
The system's sold more than 70 million units to date, so regardless of your stance it's unarguably achieved much more than any other portable gaming device not manufactured by Nintendo. But mistakes were made during Sony's first foray into portable gaming, and Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida is keen...
News TGS 11: Sony Releases Brand New Gravity Daze Footage
Nothing annoys us more than regional name discrepancies
But Gravity Daze or Gravity Rush — it's all the same to us. Team Siren's debut PlayStation Vita platformer thing looks incredible. Don't believe us? Catch the latest trailer after the jump.
News Sony: Ask Capcom About Monster Hunter 4 On PS Vita
The shock announcement of Monster Hunter 4 as a 3DS title took the wind out of many sails this week
Capcom's curiously popular franchise transformed the PlayStation Portable into the system to beat in Japan — and while Capcom has frequently maintained the series multiplatform status, many expected the next Monster Hunter to be announced for...
News TGS 11: Sony Announces Scarlet Red And Splash Blue PS3 Systems For November
Sony's announced a couple of new PlayStation 3 colour variations for the Japanese audience
Both the Scarlet Red and Splash Blue systems are due to release on November 17th for ¥29,800, with 320GB hard-drives included.
News TGS 11: Sony Reveals Full Suite Of PlayStation Vita Accessories
The PlayStation Vita will not launch with a memory stick
If you want to download (or even save) games, you'll need to buy some extra storage. It's the most disappointing PlayStation Vita announcement thus far — even an included 1GB card would have been welcome. Memory sticks will range from 4GB to 32GB iterations, costing from ¥2,200 ($28)...
News TGS 11: What Else Is In Development For PlayStation Vita?
Sony has dropped an enormous list of "in-development" titles for PlayStation Vita
The list of 74-strong titles compliments the system's 26 launch titles we detailed earlier this morning. Sony anticipates that 100 titles will have launched for the PlayStation Vita come March 2012, but that seems like a stretched promise given that a number of titles...
News TGS 11: PlayStation Vita Launches December 17th In Japan
The consensus is that Sony had a terrible press conference in Japan overnight, but at least it's finally attached a release date to its (still) heavily anticipated piece of portable hardware
The PlayStation Vita will launch on December 17th domestically. Sony reiterated that the Wi-Fi version of the device will retail for ¥24,980, while the 3G...
News Sony Preparing 80 PlayStation Vita Kiosks For Tokyo Game Show
As expected, Sony is giving the imminent PlayStation Vita a huge push at this year's Tokyo Game Show
The platform holder has already announced that it will have over 30 titles playable at its booth, and as a result it is bringing over 80 PlayStation Vita units to the show. Insane. The device is expected to release later this year in Japan. [Thanks...
News Famitsu To Reveal New PlayStation Vita Titles Each Week In The Build Up To Tokyo Game Show
It's funny, hop on any video game message board and you'll note posts berating the PlayStation Vita's third-party software offering
The concern — as we understand it — stems from a lack of title announcements in one deft stroke. At E3 Sony focused on it's first-party content, at GamesCom it focused on very specific brands. There's a perception...
News Dwango Developing Nico Nico Video Service For PlayStation Vita
At last week's GamesCom press conference, Sony announced it was bringing Facebook, Twitter and FourSquare applications to the PlayStation Vita
But what about applications designed for Japan? Well, according to a report on Andriasang, Dwango is developing a version of its popular Nico Nico video service (a kind of Japanese YouTube) for Sony's new...
News Sony To Host PlayStation Vita Lounge At Tokyo Game Show
Japan gets all the luck
Not only is it getting Sony's spanking new handheld, the PlayStation Vita, later this year, but it's also getting the opportunity to test out the portable device in a luxury lounge adjacent to this year's Tokyo Game Show. The invite-only event will be open to one-hundred PlayStation Plus subscribers, and a further fifty...
News Shuhei Yoshida: Team ICO 'Making Progress' With The Last Guardian
Shuhei Yoshida has admitted in an interview with VG247 that Team ICO is "making progress" with The Last Guardian, despite development not moving as quickly as hoped
"The Last Guardian team has been making progress," Shuhei told the website. "Its been very difficult in terms of seeing the progress: not as fast as wed been hoping...
GamesCom 2011 PlayStation Move Mind Benders Bundles Sony's Best Motion Controlled Puzzle Titles
Secretly announced during last night's GamesCom press conference, Sony has released the first trailer for Move Mind Benders, a reail compilation including PlayStation Move's best puzzle titles
The package includes Tumble, Echochrome II and Lemmings. Interestingly, Lemmings doesn't currently support the PlayStation Move, but the trailer clearly shows...
News Sony Reveals The Bonus Content And Trophies For The Team ICO Collection
The Team ICO Collection includes more than two of the most revered titles in PlayStation history
A post on the PlayStation Blog this afternoon has revealed the game's full range of bonus video content. The on-disc videos include prototype footage of ICO and Shadow Of The Colossus, as well as a round-table discussion with Fumito Ueda (creator), Kenji...
News ICO: Castle In The Mist Novel Releases This Month
ICO is widely considered to be one of the best video games of all time
Fumito Ueda's PlayStation 2 classic is a banner release, set to get a PS3 make-over next month. So of course, such an important release requires a novel. ICO: The Castle Of Mist is due out on August 13th via Viz Media. "A boy with horns, marked for death. A girl who sleeps...
We always knew it was a likely scenario, but we chose to believe otherwise
Sony never officially said the PlayStation Vita would get a worldwide launch this year, only ever really committing to a Japanese launch. "Phased global rollout" was the textbook buzzword Sony used. But we believed because it made sense. How could Sony not put the...
News SCE Worldwide Studios President Shuhei Yoshida To Keynote At TGS
This year's Tokyo Game Show will host keynote speeches from SCE Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida, in addition to Square Enix's CEO Yoichi Wada
Wada's keynote will focus on the "Essence Of Game Industry Revolution", while Yoshida will introduce the PlayStation Vita. Yoshida's speech in particular promises to shed more light on the...
News Public Go Hands-On With PlayStation Vita At Tokyo Game Show
Sony Computer Entertainment Japan's gaffer Hiroshi Kawano has revealed that the Japanese public will get their first taste of the PlayStation Vita at September's Tokyo Game Show
Kawano said in a blog post that numerous booths will be provided for fans to get hands-on with the new device, presumably leading into a Japanese release date later in the...
News PlayStation Gamers Raise Over ?1 Million For Japanese Earthquake Relief
Give yourselves a huge pat on the back
Seriously, this is genuinely brilliant news. Sony's announced that PlayStation gamers have donated over £1.01 million to the Japanese Earthquake appeal. That's a staggering number. North American PSN users raised £260,995, while Europe stumped up £538,122, and Asian countries offered £16,673. Japanese...
News Bonus Content To Be Bundled With The Team ICO Collection
One could argue that getting high-definition remasters of Team ICO's massive PlayStation 2 adventure titles, ICO and Shadow Of The Colossus, are bonuses enough, but Sony's got some extra goodies to bundle with the upcoming Team ICO Collection to make the package that touch more tempting
Included with new copies of the game will be a download voucher...
News Sony Brings Western Games To Japan, Reveals World Game Project
Sony wants to educate Japanese gamers on the values of Western titles, and it intends to do so with an event dubbed the "World Game Project"
The initiative will see the platform holder bring a slew of hot Western titles to Japan's famous Akihabara district. Playable titles will include inFamous 2, Resistance 3, Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Shadows...
News Japanese Version Of Minna No Golf 5 Secures PlayStation Move & 3D Support
As has been speculated for a few months now, Sony has released a title update for Minna No Golf 5 (Everbody's Golf: World Tour, Hot Shots Golf: Out Of Bounds) which brings PlayStation Move and 3D support to the PS3 classic
Unfortunately the update is currently limited to the Japanese version of the game, and is unlikely to make its way into the...
News Hallelujah: PlayStation Store Officially Returns In Japan
After a long and torturous rate, the Japanese arm of the PlayStation Store has finally released
The service was taken down after the infamous PSN outage earlier in the year, and has been held at ransom by the Japanese government ever since. But it's back now, meaning those of us in the West can hop online and finally find out what that bonkers El...
News Gawp At ICO & Shadow Of The Colossus, Cry A Little Bit
Sony's updated the Japanese websites for the upcoming ICO and Shadow Of The Colossus HD remakes
With the updated pages comes two new trailers which have been handily posted to YouTube for our embedding pleasure. Check out trailers for both games after the jump.
News Sony Reveals 'World Game Project' For Japan
Typically the Japanese games market can be quite introverted
While Japanese games have a history of success in the West, few Western games succeed in the Japanese market. This is something Sony's looking to correct with a new initiative in Japan called the "World Game Project". While details are still scarce about the Akihabara event —...
News Oh Right Yeah, Gravity Daze Is Really Bloody Pretty
Sony and Team Siren's whacked up a new trailer for the cel-shaded action-adventure title, Gravity Daze
While the soundtrack used in the trailer doesn't necessarily fit the game's aesthetic, we're going to assume that's placeholder. It's the visual style that's most intriguing. Check the trailer out on the game's official Japanese website through...
E3 2011 God Of War Origins Collection, Team ICO Collection Dated For September
Sony has confirmed the God Of War Origins Collection for PlayStation 3, a compilation package featuring both God Of War: Chains Of Olympus and God Of War: Ghost Of Sparta remastered in HD
The package will support 3D and will launch in September. Also due out in September is the Team ICO Collection, the hotly anticipated double-pack featuring Fumito...
