Category: PlayStation

Get ready to experience another slice of history in the playable micro-documentary, Storylines: The Negro Leagues Season 2, narrated by Negro Leagues Baseball Museum President Bob Kendrick. Season 2 continues our multiyear partnership with the NLBM and our shared mission to educate, enlighten, and inspire by celebrating the rich history of the Negro Leagues. We are so grateful and excited to introduce ten new Negro League legends to MLB The Show 24. Storylines combine immersive gameplay moments, historical footage, and more as we bring these incredible true stories to life.

The Season 2 roster for MLB  The Show 24 at launch includes:

Josh Gibson – The Black Babe Ruth

Buck Leonard – Baseball’s Greatest Fastball Hitter

Hank Aaron – The Hammer

Toni Stone – The Trailblazer

We will reveal additional players included in Storylines: Negro Leagues Season 2 at a later date. The next set of three Negro Leagues players will arrive in a content drop in early April, and the last three players will arrive in an additional content drop at the end of May. These will all be available via a free download. An internet connection is required to download and play content at launch and obtain updates after launch. In addition, all the players from Season 1 of Storylines will be included in MLB The Show 24 at launch.

To learn more about Storylines: Negro Leagues Season 2 and additional details on the mode, be sure to tune into our upcoming Feature Premiere livestream on theshow.com on February 15, 2024 at 3 pm PST / 6 pm EST. If you can’t make it live, catch the recap video afterward to keep up with the latest info. See you then.

San Diego Studio x Negro Leagues Baseball Museum

In our continued partnership with The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, MLB The Show will donate $1 for every Negro Leagues Edition, Digital Deluxe Edition, and MVP edition sold in the US until 12/31/24 to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. Donations will help the Museum continue its work, which is dedicated to preserving and celebrating the rich history of African American baseball and its impact on the social advancement of America. Visit www.nlbm.com to learn more. This purchase is not tax deductible.

The Negro Leagues Edition (Retailers in the US and Canada)

To celebrate the Negro Leagues, don’t forget to pre-order the limited edition collector’s edition. The Negro Leagues Edition is $124.99 USD/$164.99 CAD and is available at retailers in the US and Canada. Stock is limited, so be sure to get yours while supplies last.

Pre-order now at https://theshow.com/purchase/. Early access begins March 15, 2024.

The Negro Leagues Edition includes:

●  Full Game (Digital, access to both PS4 and PS5*
●  Limited Edition Physical Steelbook (no disc included)
●  Limited Edition New Era MLB The Show 9FIFTY Hat
●  [4] Days Early Access – Begins March 15, 2024
●  Double Daily Login Rewards (For the life cycle of MLB The Show 24)
●  [1] Legend Diamond Choice Pack*
●  [1] Barrier Breakers Diamond Choice Pack*
●  [5] Gold Choice Packs*
●  [20] The Show Packs*
●  [1] Equipment Pack*
●  [1] Cover Athlete Bat Skin*
●  [20,000] Stubs  for MLB The Show 24*

Please note that The Negro Leagues Edition of MLB The Show 24 on PlayStation consoles includes a voucher code for the PS5 & PS4 versions of the game, the Digital Deluxe Edition content, as well as a physical Steelbook case and New Era hat.

*An internet connection is required to redeem the download code.

Indie games are known for their daring and often groundbreaking approaches to visuals and storytelling. Ultros is a new indie title coming to PS4 and PS5 on February 13. The game is a twisted, time-looping sci-fi adventure. It’s packed with high-stakes action, clever twists on classic game design ideas, intriguing, and often unsettling environmental storytelling, and crazy-colorful pop-psychedelic visuals that makes you wonder if the game came with its own built-in blacklight. 

This eye- and mind-dazzling adventure comes to PlayStation courtesy of Sweden-based developer Hadoque. It tells the story of a spacefarer trapped in a nightmare time-cycle within a bizarre, seemingly demonic black-hole acting as a womb for an unspeakable cosmic horror–the titular Ultros. 

In the words of game director Mårten Brüggeman, “It’s a psychedelic sci-fi platforming adventure, a combat- and gardening-driven experience. It also asks a lot of existential questions if you dive into it, as you explore the  sarcophagus spaceship and try to understand what it is a metaphor for and what is dwelling inside.” 

Fight or foster

Ultros is fundamentally a search-action game where you explore an ever-expanding map that opens up further and further as you acquire more abilities for navigation and combat. It’s a popular indie game genre, and Ultros expands on it with some unique gameplay twists centered around the ideas of karmic cycles: creation and destruction, nurture and killing. 

“It’s a game about choices,” explains Brüggeman, “where you can choose to play in a destructive or constructive way, and  the choices you make change your interpretation of your in-game actions.”

The environment oozes with otherworldly threats, requiring skillful combat to neutralize the assorted hostile lifeforms. Variety is a big emphasis here. Ultros encourages you to use a diverse arsenal of moves in fun and creative ways to dispatch foes: dodge-and-strike attacks, jumping strikes, and even launching foes into the air to turn them into a living projectile weapon. 

“We want to combat to feel intimate and visceral to emphasize destruction, ruining the balance of disruption and construction within the current cycle. We focused on movements, forcing you to be near them to fight them are integral to what we wanted to do, the intensity and intimacy of one-on-one combat.”

As your foes fall before you, they drop all manner of edible offal–which varies in quality depending on how skillful your killing blow was. Eating these remains isn’t just a health restore: it provides you with valuable nutrients, which allow you to access skill tree upgrades at save pods, which enhance your movement, fighting, and navigational abilities. 

But if eating mystery meat makes you feel a bit queasy, there’s another way to obtain sustenance: raising the seeds you find scattered around in gardens, then partaking of that plant’s fruit. Aiding you in your horticultural pursuits is your Extractor, a special device that gains numerous abilities throughout the game. 

The plants that grow over time will leave behind assorted benefits, like creating platforms to alternate routes and making planning and tending to your gardens an essential part of gameplay. Brüggeman elaborates: “The seeds all have different abilities and rules of how they grow. Part of beginning your garden is getting to know how these different plants work and how they affect each other and the world around them.”

Brüggeman continues. “With these in-game resources, you can eat everything you find, and it builds up your nutrition, like an experience point system. But it’s also the economy of how the game ecosystem works. When you take something from a plant, you’re sort of stealing from it. But you can give back by planting seeds. When you kill creatures like a typical game hero, you steal both their life and from the ecosystem. We wanted to give a choice in our game not to be that kind of hero.”

Oh, yes, there’s one more critical element to gardens: they stick around even when a time loop wipes everything and sends you back to square one.

Let’s do the time warp again

Yes, Ultros is a game built around a time loop, and there’s only so much you can do before you’re forced to begin anew. You may have been fortunate to keep a few skills from the previous loop. But more importantly, you’ve got the knowledge you gained from your last attempt. And hey, those plants you took care of? You might be surprised to see what’s become of them.

“One of the core concepts we’ve built the game around is the philosophy of a karmic cycle: What you do in one life makes up what your next life will become. In this game, we have a time loop mechanic that is the rebirth of our character and world. So, one of the major choices you can make in the game is whether or not you nurture the world you’re in. If you build it up, the garden becomes a part of the world you’re inhabiting, and tending to these plants is the way you can make the game world evolve.”

The presence of player choice among these time cycles hints at multiple conclusions to Ultros’s story. When I asked Brüggeman about it, he said, “There are multiple endings, I can say that much. The time loop is more story-driven than mechanics-driven, so you can explore a ‘what if I do this instead’ scenario, also tying into the philosophy of a karmic cycle. We want players to re-experience events and scenarios but get to see them from different perspectives. You’re given the chance to make the choice again, but from another perspective.”

A whirling universe of color

The game’s trademark art style comes from art designer El Huervo, who is well-known for his work on the classic indie series Hotline Miami. The visuals are packed with contrasts, both in color and in theming: in one area, you’ll be surrounded by an environment teeming with goopy, pulsating viscera-like growths, yet only a ways away, you’ll discover a place that looks not unlike an elegant European cathedral. 

“I would describe Ultros’s art style as a Renaissance painting meets comics meets Jackson Pollock,” says Brüggeman. “El Huervo’s style has developed over the years. He’s very inspired by French artist Moebius, but also German zoology scholar and artist Ernst Haeckel.”

The visuals also play a big part in the story and atmosphere. “As you explore during the game, you learn what the sarcophagus was used for and what happened to it. You’ll try to understand who its original inhabitants were and how that relates to the dark being held in there.” 

Suppose you’re ready for a visually stunning adventure with intense combat, loads of exploration, environmental world-building, and a time loop that challenges how you approach action-adventure games. In that case, you’ll want to venture into the Sarcophagus. Ultros makes its debut on February 13.

Last week, we asked to see the coolest characters from the game of your choice using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s extremely cool highlights:

wingsforsmiles shares Johnny Silverhand sitting back with one leg up in Cyberpunk 2077

BitarHector shares Aloy smiling in the morning sunlight in Horizon Forbidden West

Taser9001 shares Tifa rushing forward with a sparking attack in Final Fantasy VII Remake

sorathluna shares Sam side-eyeing the camera wearing futuristic sunglasses in Death Stranding

juniaxe shares Ada taking deathly aim in the rain in Resident Evil 4

FrameCaptureVP shares Jin looking out from a broken kitsune mask in this black and white portrait from Ghost of Tsushima

Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week?

THEME:  Romantic

SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on February 14, 2024

Next week, we’re feeling the love. Share romantic moments or characters from the game of your choice using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.

Entering the ring on February 27 in Street Fighter 6 is the troubled protégé, the bad boy of boxing, the Young Commander, Ed. With psycho power imbued within, Ed beats down his enemies with a flurry of fists to prove that he’s the true high-def picture of strength.

First appearing in Street Fighter V, Ed was initially to be used as an alternate body for M. Bison, but rejected the idea and managed to escape. Coming into his own confidence, he formed Neo Shadaloo with a group of other experiments, intending to help others like them. In present-day Street Fighter 6, he senses movement in the shadows from the remnants of Shadaloo. Ed soon discovers they have a twisted goal and need his unique abilities to achieve it.

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“Ed is a high-speed boxer. We designed his lower half so that you can clearly see his nimble footwork and added some volume to his upper body to make his punches look impactful,” according to Game Director Takayuki Nakayama. “ We also hope you take notice of the emblem on his chest and the design on his back. His attack animations have also changed significantly from Street Fighter V. To respect his background as a traditional boxer, all his attacks are now punches (except for his Level 2 Super Art). His kick buttons have been designated to various flicker attacks.”

Find the brazen boxer in World Tour on the subway fighting the Mad Gear Gang. Like all the Year 1 Characters, you can increase your bond with Ed and learn his psycho-powered moves (hot-headed attitude not included). Bring those moves into Avatar Battles in the Battle Hub to see what new combos you can create.

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We’ve seen comments asking how Ed will work with Modern Controls since his inputs were already simplified in Street Fighter V. We decided to keep his simplified inputs and incorporated them in his Modern Controls while creating expanded inputs for his Classic Controls. Ed now has quarter-circle and dragon-punch inputs for his special moves in Classic. What an edge lord, right?

Ed is still the psycho-powered boxer you know and love, imbuing his fists with chaotic force and master boxing techniques. Scouring the lands to help other ill-fated experiments has significantly upgraded Ed’s usage of psycho power. Psycho Blitz gives Ed another 1-2-3, but in a single special move, Ed unleashes a series of punches cloaked in Psycho Power.

The new and improved Psycho Flicker is vital in Ed’s ability to control space. Performed on its own, Ed releases a quick flicker jab from a distance in one of three directions to catch the opponent off-guard. If you hold this button down, Ed will use his Psycho Snatcher from Street Fighter V to pull in opponents with psycho-powered tendrils.

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Kill Rush is a new special move that resembles Psycho Swing and Smash from Street Fighter V. Ed either advances forward or performs a bob and weave backward. From the forward version, Ed can follow up with two moves. Kill Switch Break is a short, useful uppercut for closing distance. Kill Switch Chaser sees Ed unleash a powerful uppercut that sends the opponent spiraling in the air, making it easy to follow up with a combo.

Ed’s Level 1 Super Art, Psycho Storm, sees him striking opponents with high-speed flicker jabs. His Level 2 Super, Psycho Cannon, should look familiar to Street Fighter V fans. Previously, in his V-Trigger I, Ed generated a multi-hitting ball of psycho power that moved forward.

Finally, in Ed’s Level 3 Super Art, Psycho Chamber, he turns opponents into his own personal punching bag by tying their limbs and pummeling them in the name of Neo Shadaloo.

Coming with Ed is a new stage: Ruined Lab. Step into the aftermath of Shadaloo’s fall as their laboratory lies in shambles featuring now-defunct test subjects. Year 1 Ultimate Pass owners will automatically receive this stage on February 27.

Ed will be unlocked on February 27 for owners of the Year 1 Character Pass, Year 1 Ultimate Pass, Deluxe Edition, or Ultimate Edition. When he arrives, Ed’s Outfit 2, inspired by his Story Outfit from Street Fighter V, will also be available.

With the Ed update, we will also add some quality-of-life features. The game’s PC version will now have the ability to switch button displays to PlayStation buttons.

An Extra Lighting feature will be added to Photo mode, making capturing dark places easier and illuminating characters for better shots.

Celebrate Ed’s incoming entrance with the Ed Arrives! Fighting Pass. Active right now until he releases on February 27. Until then, prepare to make way for the leader of Neo Shadaloo.

Coming to PlayStation 5 on March 22, Rise of the Ronin is a combat-focused, open-world action RPG from Team Ninja, the developer of Nioh and Ninja Gaiden. The game will immerse you in a story set in the final days of the Tokugawa Shogunate in Japan, known as Bakumatsu, where you can experience different play styles and battle in simple yet profound combat as a Ronin, using an array of weapons and equipment – melee weapons as well as ranged weapons like firearms and thrown weapons.

The resurrection of three major cities of the Edo Era in Team Ninja’s open-world

The story takes place in Bakumatsu, Japan, a period of great change triggered by the arrival of the Black Ships. In this era of mayhem, the story first unfolds in Yokohama, then in Edo (today’s Tokyo), and finally in Kyoto. These three major cities are each built as an open world where the non-homogeneous mixture of newly introduced Western culture and traditional Japanese beauty is dramatically depicted in detailed quality with new-generation graphics technology.

Yokohama

The first major city the anti-Shogunate protagonist visits is Yokohama. In the Kannai area of Yokohama, where the East meets the West, you’ll explore Yokohama’s landmarks, such as the U.S. Consulate, Chinatown, the Yokohama State Guest House, the lighthouse, and even brothels. As you travel the outskirts of Yokohama, you’ll find yourself in a series of inn-towns along the Tokaido Road, the most important route of the era in Japan, linking Kyoto, the imperial capital, with Edo, the seat of the Tokugawa Shogunate.

Kannai – Yamashita

An area overlooking the ocean in southeast Kannai, while Yamate designates the bluff and upper town, Yamashita designates the lower town. In accordance with provisions set out in the US-Japan trade treaty, it is the site of the Foreign Settlement, where soldiers from various nations are stationed. Yamashita Park, one of the popular tourist spots today, was built with reclaimed rubble from the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 and formally opened in 1930.

Photo of Yamashita today: Yamashita Park, now a tourist attraction, was created by reclaiming rubble from the Great Kanto Earthquake and opened in 1930.(*)

Kannai – Motomachi

An area in southeast Kannai that saw a significant population boom after the port of Yokohama opened to foreign trade. Visitors to the area’s Chinatown would find various trinkets for sale and unique architecture characteristic of Chinese culture, such as the grand Kanteibyo Temple, a colorful temple dedicated to the ancient Chinese hero, Guan Yu. The current Kanteibyo Temple is the fourth rebuild of the temple, after being devastated and destroyed several times by unforeseen events, like the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 and World War II, and remains to serve as the heart of Yokohama Chinatown.

Photo of Motomachi today: The Guan Ti Mausoleum, the symbol of Chinatown, was lost several times due to the Great Kanto Earthquake and World War II, and its modern form is the fourth generation.(*)

Edo

Edo is a megacity that serves as the base of the Edo Shogunate. The Kojimachi district is where the samurai residence surrounds and protects Edo Castle. You can also roam around the townsmen district of Asakusa to find Sensoji Temple and Azuma Bridge; the Nihonbashi district to check out its famous Nihonbashi Bridge and rows of merchant houses, and other cultural districts—like the Senzoku district—to feel the bustling energy of the Yoshihara brothels.

Asakusa

The heart of the city’s unique shitamachi culture, home to landmarks such as Azuma Bridge and Sensoji Temple, has often been the subject of celebrated woodblock paintings. The area’s bustling energy remains unchanged today, making it one of Japan’s most popular tourist attractions.

Photo of Asakusa today: Asakusa remains as bustling as ever and has become one of the most popular tourist attractions in Japan.(*)

Nihonbashi

The bridge to which it owes its name was built in 1603, marking the starting point of five major roads. For this reason, it drew large crowds, contributing greatly to the popular culture of Edo. It has been the subject of countless artworks, perhaps most notably The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido, a series of woodblock prints created by Utagawa Hiroshige. The bridge, Nihonbashi, can be found today, still serving as the starting point of Japan’s road network.

Kyoto

For 1,000 years, Kyoto served as the political and cultural heart of Japan’s capital. The Gosho District is located in the north of Kyoto, where a rebellion against the Tokugawa shogunate called the Kinmon Incident erupted. To the west is the Horikawa district, where orderly structured streets stretch alongside Nijo Castle, and the Mibu district, where the Roshigumi’s headquarters, Mibudera Temple, is located. To the east is the Gion District, where teahouses and stores are housed, and the Higashiyama District, where Kiyomizu-dera Temple and other well-known sites take their presence. However, you’ll also notice that some areas of the imperial city have lost their former glory to the turmoil arising from the Bakumatsu and have become neglected and abandoned. 

Gosho

A tract of land comprising the emperor’s palace and the manors of the most esteemed aristocratic families. Aside from personal living and sleeping apartments, the emperor’s palace also contained lavish gardens and buildings dedicated to religious rites and learning. Occasionally ravaged by fires and subsequently rebuilt by the twilight years of the shogunate, it had been in continuous use for over five hundred years. Most of the structures that remain in present-day were rebuilt in 1855, preserving the original form of the Imperial Palace today.

Mibu

An area located south of Nijo Castle and northwest of Nishi Honganji Temple. In the center stands Mibu Temple, which belongs to Buddhists of the Risshu sect. The name Mibu dates back hundreds of years, to when it was spelled with different characters, meaning wetlands. Mibudera Temple was used as a training ground for the Shinsengumi members. Today, a bronze statue of Commander Kondo Isami and a tower enshrining some of his hair stand within the temple precincts and a grave site for the regimental soldiers.

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Photo of Mibu today: Mibu-dera was used as a training ground for the Shinsengumi troopers, and today there is a bust of Isami Kondo, the chief of the Shinsengumi, in addition to the graves of the troopers. (*)

Traverse as you please with a grappling rope, horse, or glider

Apart from running through cities and their surroundings and swimming through rivers and oceans, you can explore the vast open world of Bakumatsu Japan by utilizing grappling rope to move vertically or by horse and glider for a thrilling traversal.

Grappling rope

You can quickly ascend and traverse when you throw the grappling rope at a latching point. It allows you to move to higher ground and can also be used in combat to grab foes during battle scenes.  

Horses

You can call a horse when you blow into the Horse Calling Whistle. You’ll travel much faster and more efficiently to your faraway destination than running. As the game progresses, you’ll gain access to additional riding equipment and a more comprehensive range of higher-performance horses.

Gliders

After acquiring the glider, you can deploy it as you fall from a high point to glide through the air. You can fly a long distance by keeping it at a certain angle. The glider also comes in handy when infiltrating an enemy’s territory from a high altitude without getting noticed.

The glider’s design was based on Ikkansai Kunitomo’s blueprint of Abikiru. Kunitomo is an inventor and gunsmith of the late Edo period best known for having built Japan’s first reflecting telescope. His invention of Abikiru is also believed to be the oldest airplane blueprint in Japan.

Fast Travel between Hidden Sword Banners

Fast travel points, or Hidden Sword Banners, are scattered worldwide, allowing you to instantly travel from one Hidden Sword Banner to another unlocked banner. Not only will banners allow you to replenish consumable items by contact, but you can also update your party members and equipment during a mission. It also serves as a gateway for other players to jump in for online multiplayer.

Encounters and discoveries that await the Ronin on his journey

As you traverse the vast world, you will meet locals to take on different events and collect loot from challenging activities.

Somo Missions with locals

Somo describes those who are not samurai, including those who have abandoned their social status as samurai and become wealthy farmers, wealthy merchants, and local merchants. During Somo missions, you will be given special tasks by those locals if you have specific items in possession or foster a certain level of relationship with them.

Preordained Fate

During play, you’ll encounter random in-game events called Preordained Fate. Depending on where or when it occurs in the game, you may not experience the same event twice. 

Public safety

Defeating rogues improves the security of the bad areas. As you improve public safety, you will establish extended connections within the locale and its people.

Activities

As you go deeper into the story, you’ll unlock various activities in different locations and have a chance to collect rewards according to how well you perform in these activities. In training, you can visit dojos in various regions and battle with characters that you’ve encountered previously. Other activities include Yabusame (horseback archery), Artillery Training, and Cat Collecting, in which you will have to find cats hiding in unexpected places.

Obstacle courses

In each area, some places cannot be reached by the standard method of traverse. You’ll need to skillfully use your grappling rope or gliding device to reach the finish line, where you’ll find a special reward for the activity, like a treasure chest, a shrine, or a cat.

Rise of the Ronin will be available for PS5 on March 22. 

(*) Photos: Pixta

Thar be no room for landlubbers here. Get ready to start a golden age pirate’s journey taking you from shipwrecked nobody to kingpin when Skull and Bones launches February 16 on PlayStation 5, with an Open Beta running from February 8-11*. The development team at Ubisoft Singapore has been hard at work ensuring that the Skull and Bones experience is as immersive as possible on PS5, thanks to features like 3D audio, adaptive triggers, haptic feedback, and more.

We sat down with Skull and Bones Technical Director Jussi Markkanen to find out how these features are utilized to make Skull and Bones such a unique adventure on the PS5, where the only thing missing is the smell of the salty sea.

PlayStation Blog: What is the backstory behind the title of Skull and Bones beyond the infamous Jolly Roger reference?

Markkanen: Skull and Bones is set in an unforgiving environment, during the tumultuous Golden Age of Piracy, in a world inspired by the Indian Ocean. Here peril awaits at every turn, and you will need to leverage every opportunity available to endure and flourish in this harsh world.

The title Skull and Bones reflects the gritty approach that we’re bringing to the pirate fantasy, as you begin your journey a shipwrecked nobody, and have to plunder and outsmart your way to become the most fearsome pirate kingpin.

How are the DualSense controller’s haptics used in Skull and Bones?

In Skull and Bones, naval combat is at the heart of the experience. You are able to equip a multitude of powerful weapons to outgun other ships, attack forts, and take down legendary sea monsters.

On the PS5, naval combat really comes alive with the DualSense wireless controller when using the adaptive triggers. From sea fires and giant ballistae, to rocket launchers and mortars, you will be able to experience the different tensions of the triggers as you fire a variety of different weapons.

For example, faster-firing arsenal such as ballista or carronade require only a light pull on the adaptive triggers. The weight of the long guns or sea fire are communicated through a stronger resistance, while the adaptive triggers translate the heft of your heaviest arsenal, such as of bombards or rockets, ensuring that every shot you fire is Skull and Bones feels satisfying and unique.

The controller also rumbles in specific locations based on where your weapons are firing and where you’re taking damage. When an enemy launches a volley of cannons at your starboard, you’ll feel the intensity of the attack in your hands as you see it on screen.

Do you have any setup recommendations for players using the customizable DualSense Edge wireless controller?

One option could be mapping the spyglass shortcut! An important tool in any pirate’s kit is their spyglass. It allows them to glean more information about the world, including scoping out enemy weaknesses and identifying new opportunities such as bountiful trade routes.

How was PS5’s 3D Audio implemented into Skull and Bones’ gameplay?

3D Audio has allowed us to push boundaries in how you hear our game. For example, you can pinpoint the arc of incoming mortar fire, letting you decide whether to dodge or brace for impact against these powerful attacks.

Be sure to pay attention to your crew as well, who will often call out loot floating in the water – thanks to 3D Audio, you’ll never have to wonder exactly where that loot is.

Also, did we mention that they’ll sing sea shanties on command? Because they will! Map it to your quick action wheel and with a tap of the D-Pad you’ll hear one of 30 shanties sung in Bahasa Indonesia, Malagasy, English, and French!

How does PS5’s SSD speed add to the pirating adventure in Skull & Bones?

In Skull and Bones, you’ll chase the horizon across everything from clear blue-water shoals to violent raging storms as you sail from the coast of Africa to the East Indies. Made solely for current-generation consoles, Skull and Bones allows you to explore its vast open world in 4K at a targeted 60fps.

With the ultra-fast SSD, players will be able to transition from outposts and dens, to the vast Indian Ocean even faster! This will help create an even more immersive experience on the high seas, as players will be able to set sail, explore, and engage in epic naval battles seamlessly.

What is one example of a super granular, nerdy detail about pirate culture that you want to make sure players know about?

For Skull and Bones, we wanted to reinject the defiance, tension, and brutality of piracy back into the genre. Pirates were survivors, ordinary men and women who wanted to challenge the status quo and decide their own fate. Based on our research, the pirates in the Indian Ocean were also enterprising in nature, building their trade throughout the region for intel and seizing resources for their own gain. They came from all around the world including from the Indian Ocean, interacting with locals from different regions; which is something we sought to portray in our game.

Skull and Bones’ release date has changed a few times. What’s an example of a specific gameplay feature you’re thankful the team had more time to work on or a new gameplay feature that extra development time has allowed you to create?

Creating a new IP is as fulfilling as it is challenging and takes time to fully develop.

We’ve been iterating on the version you’ll see on February 16, by working closely with our community through the Insider Program and regular user tests. The community feedback we received has helped us to improve the game, especially in our co-op, naval combat, and gameplay variety.

Our game already has an amazing solo experience, and the time has allowed us to make additional investments in enhancing the co-op experience. This includes ensuring the entire game can be played in co-op and adding the Call for Help feature, just to name a few.

We’ve continued to add depth to our weapon system and further enhance naval combat, making each weapon choice feel unique, and encouraging different playstyles.

Additionally, we were able to expand our gameplay variety with more fantastical activities for you to enjoy, such as ghost ships, and sea monsters.

Finally, you can also look forward to new events and features in our seasonal post-launch.

Pre-order the Premium Edition to start playing up to three days early 

Pre-order Skull and Bones on PlayStation Store today. Those who pre-order the Premium Edition will get to play the game up to three days early starting February 13, and will get access to the Premium Bonus Pack, two extra missions, a Smugglers Pass Token, Digital Artbook, and Digital Soundtrack.

Can you believe it? Ten years of tanks! The game known today as World of Tanks Modern Armor officially made its debut in the console arena on February 12, 2014.

As one of the first free-to-play titles available on consoles, WoTMA (or just “World of Tanks,” as it was known then!) helped lay the foundation for experiences that PlayStation players would enjoy over the next decade. Of course, the game couldn’t have come as far as it has without the support of a thriving community… or without the efforts of a dedicated staff.

In fact, several of our Wargaming staff members who were present for the game’s early days are still part of the team today. Together, they’re taking a look back at the game’s history and a sneak peek at what’s ahead during the year-long event we’re calling Celebrations.

The past

It takes more than a few people to bring a game like World of Tanks to market, but five who made the game what it is today are:

• Andy Dorizas, Art Director
• Valerie MacCracken, Director of LiveOps Operations
• Ben Crawford, Senior Player Experience Manager
• JJ Bakken, Senior Producer
• L. Daniel Burr, Live Game Director

Any of them will tell you that hard work and scrappiness were key to their efforts. Valerie MacCracken, who started at Wargaming in 2011 in a customer support role, drives the point home, saying, “The first North American office was brand new when I joined, and there were only maybe fifteen employees; I recall that on one of my first days, we assembled furniture for the lobby area!”

Physical infrastructure for various offices wasn’t the only challenge; there were technical challenges in developing the game, too. According to Andy Dorizas, who was Lead Artist at Day 1 Studios before it became Wargaming Chicago, “We had to trim things down just to get it to run on early hardware. Art assets had to be shrunk or compressed. Levels had to be simplified… It was a seriously large mountain to climb.”

JJ Bakken, who joined the Chicago studio as an Associate Producer in 2013, adds another issue the team faced: the novelty of what Wargaming was doing! “This was the studio’s first time developing a free-to-play game, and it was early in the days of F2P on console platforms,” he says. “Figuring out a new genre and a new way to connect with game players is always challenging, but exciting at the same time.”

How did they do it? MacCracken says that the process was gradual, “with the alpha, beta, [a] soft launch in certain regions, and then [the] full launch happening, back-to-back.” She also ran what she calls a “super-secret” forum, available only to early testers. “When I saw the passion that the game was creating among our early testers, many of which are still around today, I knew we had something good going.”

Bakken echoes this: “…there is always extra trepidation on launching a live-service game (will the servers perform, etc.), so we were hopeful all our technical efforts would be rewarded. Spoilers: it went pretty well and here we still are, ten years later!”

The future

Ben Crawford, who started with Wargaming Europe ten years ago as a Customer Experience Manager, is excited about the changes he sees in WoTMA’s technology and services, saying, “The evolution is evident in the updated portal [website], new support tools, expanded capabilities outside the game, and enhanced in-game features.”

Daniel Burr, who began at Wargaming as a Solution Architect managing network services, notes, however, that development brings new opportunities, and not just for Wargaming: “Ten years ago, the F2P space on consoles was very new, and so there were no console-specific best practices upon which to lean. Today, F2P on consoles is a much more thoroughly understood model, and new F2P games take full advantage of that.”

So, progress and challenges alike lie ahead, but WoTMA is prepared to embrace it all, starting with the Celebrations event!

At the heart of Celebrations is a dedicated website that will allow players to track their progress in each season throughout 2024, starting with the Lunar New Year-themed Year of the Dragon season that launched on January 30. Players will also be able to compare and share stats with their friends and work toward not one but two special reward tanks that will be awarded when Celebrations ends.

That’s not all. February brings players opportunities to claim two new 10th anniversary tanks, the Lago M38 and the MBT-B, complete the first Celebrations Monthly Challenge (as an Anniversary event with shared community goals and rewards), and so much more.

In the end, every aspect of Celebrations is intended to commemorate what makes WoTMA special: not the tanks (as much as we love them), but the people. “Not very many industry folks can say they’ve been at the same company for over a decade, but we have this stability that allows us to build bridges not only between each other, but between us and our community as well,” says MacCracken.

The game’s big ten-year anniversary is underway. Join us for the Celebrations!

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, the newest installment in the Final Fantasy VII remake project and one of 2024’s most-anticipated games, tells the tale of main protagonist Cloud Strife and his loyal companions who explore a massive world outside Midgar, the city of Mako, as they pursue Sephiroth, one of the most iconic antagonists in video game history. 

Ahead of the full game’s release on February 29, the demo releasing today allows you to not only take control of the protagonist, Cloud, but take full control of the legendary swordsman Sephiroth in battle. You will be able to play as Sephiroth as part of the extended flashback section, as Cloud recalls an earlier mission in his career as a Soldier – the Nibelheim incident. Taking place several years before the events of the game, this will set the stage for several important moments within Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. What’s more, we’re planning to release an update later this month that will allow you to explore part of the Junon region before the release of the full game on February 29. We hope you’ll take this opportunity to venture into the world of Final Fantasy VII!

Today’s State of Play includes a new trailer focusing on the story of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth alongside around 11 minutes of never-before seen gameplay. This footage includes the world premiere of many unseen elements of the game: an overview of the world map, ways to get around the expansive world including a wide range of vehicles and mounts, varied exploration, minigames, and much more.

It’s a must-see, both for those excitedly awaiting Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and those who have yet to dive into the world of Final Fantasy VII.

Highlights from the Final Fantasy VII Rebirth gameplay 

The around 11 minutes of gameplay footage showcases the following elements of the game:

The stage for your new adventure: a gigantic world map, connected seamlessly

The stage for the adventure of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is a gigantic world map, constructed of several areas seamlessly joined together.

The footage showcases a wide range of ways to get around the expansive map, from Chocobos – that Final Fantasy series mainstay – to buggies and wheelies. Chocobos will be of particular help to Cloud and his companions, since they have different abilities in each area. Some can swim through raging currents, jump over mushroom footholds, or even scale sheer cliffs.

Many points of interests to explore on the world map

In the vast field areas, there are all kinds of points of interest to explore that will call to your sense of adventure. Broadly speaking, the first category is World Intel – where you survey the world, fighting fearsome foes and seeking out various resources or hidden treasures as you go. The second type is odd jobs, which delve deeper into the world and characters. Today, we’ve introduced sanctuaries, which reveal knowledge on this game’s summons, helping Cloud and his companions conquer them to subsequently call on their power in battle.

Unique and colorful minigames scattered throughout different regions of the world

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth has a diverse range of minigames all throughout its world. And they’re of an even greater scale than the many minigames in the original Final Fantasy VII! The development team’s recommendation is the card game Queen’s Blood, and you can collect cards from the early part of the game, so you can enjoy thinking up and building a powerful deck that’s unique to you. Some of the minigames are just as fun to watch as they are to play, so they’re perfect to play when you feel like taking a breather from the main story.

Epic cinematic storytelling with stunning graphics

The emotional storytelling experience has been refined even further in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. The high-quality, rich graphics that use the PlayStation 5 console’s ultra-fast SSD to its fullest can show the subtle nuances of the emotional state of the characters, further elevating the narrative experience its depiction of Cloud and his companions forging ever-stronger bonds. 

More detailed and nuanced facial animations will lend additional depth to the characters’ journeys, especially as Cloud and his friends face down the destiny that awaits them at their story’s end.

New and improved ways to deepen your relationships with your companions through gameplay

The bonds between the characters established over the course of the story are now important to all aspects of gameplay. Cloud’s relationship with his companions will change according to his actions and dialogue choices, impacting most notably the well-loved date event scene from the original game. In addition to date partners players of the original Final Fantasy VII can expect, the team has prepared some new partners plus an expanded date sequence within the Gold Saucer, so there’s plenty to look forward to. And if you increase your party level, which shows the bond between the entire team, characters will be able to achieve their true potential in combat. There are lots of synergy skills that characters with a close relationship can perform, so you can overwhelm foes with your favorite characters and special moves.

The footage from State of Play also reveals plenty of other content that we didn’t cover in this blog, so it’s definitely worth a watch. And if this piqued your interest, we hope you’ll experience the new and expanded world of Final Fantasy VII in the demo, released today.

It’s not long now until the release of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth on Thursday February 29. We’re so excited to be able to get this game into your hands and for you to play the game for yourselves!