Now that Sony Online Entertainment has started establishing itself in the realm of PC MMORPGs, there's one other arena for them to rule over: PS3's PlayStation Network. Check out the full article for details.

It seems that Sony's patenting spree is still not yet over. We just learned today that Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) has just recently re-filed Blasto with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to protect its trademark.

For those not familiar with this, Blasto is actually a title for the PlayStation 1. When released back in 1998, the game wasn't warmly received by players because the general experience was that Blasto was "frustratingly difficult".

It featured a macho alien-fighting captain that was voiced by Phil Hartman. Despite the re-filing, there's only a little information available for the new Blasto.

The patent just said that this is going to be a "real-time game for others over global and local area computer networks". This looks to be a sure entry for the PlayStation 3's PlayStation Network. But seeing Sony's current move with its divisions, we are not discounting the possibilities of the potential game hitting the PSP. It might even be on the Windows PC platform for MMORPG with Sony Online Entertainment (SOE), though this last possibility seems most unlikely.

At any rate, we'll keep you informed when we find out more about it. Keep checking QJ for the latest updates on this and other important news.

 

We were recently able to talk to Nick Beliaeff, the Exec Director of Development for Sony Online Entertainment (SOE), who graciously made time to answer a few questions for us. He let us in on some of the company's plans varied plans - from PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable titles to the advent of MMO 2.0.

Without further ado, here's QJ.NET's interview with Nick Beliaeff.

QJ: How do you approach game development on the different platforms that you make games for? What are the big differences between, say, making a PSN title and making a PSP or PC title? Particularly from a budgetary, gameplay, and target audience perspective?

Beliaeff: For us, I think one of the key tenets we try and follow would be is the title platform appropriate and does it leverage our core competencies? For a PSP title, does it involve short play sessions, does it support WiFi and infrastructure modes, and will it load fast off of an UMD?

For PSN, is it something that is a palatable download with a broadband connection, does it help validate the PS3 purchase, and is it online multiplayer? For PC, we are pretty established and tend to focus on will it be a kick ass, large subscriber base game a few years from now? PSN and PSP title for us are relatively quick. MMOs take a long time to build properly :)

Click the Full Article link for the rest of the interview!

Midway Games just released its total sales for Q1 of 2007 and despite having lower numbers than last year's, CEO David Zucker commented that they still exceeded their earlier expectations.

The official also added that their big guns will start appearing later in the year that's why sales were down to US$ 11.1 million from 2006's US$ 15.4 million. Zucker mentioned too that most sales were generated by the unique pre-order program for MMO video game The Lord of the Rings: Shadows of Angmar.

Downloadable titles also did great Zucker imparted, enumerating Gauntlet, Smash TV, Root Beer Tapper, and Ultimate Mortal Kombat III as games among those that performed well on Xbox Live.

Likewise, Championship Sprint, Mortal Kombat II, and Rampage World Tour are doing good on the PlayStation Network (PSN). Also, the CEO revealed that a demo of BlackSite: Area 51 will be available at the Marketplace to help generate curiosity and excitement among players.

For Wii, lastly, Zucker promised three more unannounced titles for 2007 in addition to the forthcoming Mortal Kombat, two of those exclusive to the console.

Although NCSoft's Guild Wars may not have World of Warcraft like numbers to back it up, the game, it's community, and it's no subscription fee model works. With over 3 million copies sold, two expansions and an upcoming sequel, the game is definitely creating a place for itself in the MMORPG saturated world of PC gaming.

The big question now is if NCSoft is willing to move their unique take on MMO gaming, and bring it to the console realm, especially now that Microsoft and Sony are in heavy competition when it comes to providing online experiences to their gamers.

When Ben Miller, a Game Designer at ArenaNet, was interviewed by Eurogamer, and asked if they're considering moving into the console space much in the same way that Square-Enix has with Final Fantasy XI, Miller responded: "We are focused on PCs right now. I think consoles remain an interesting opportunity for Guild Wars in the future, but that's not something we've announced any plans for at this time."

As Ben Miller described their model during the interview, "You buy the game once, you can play it for as long as you want. And the new content we introduce in the future you can choose to buy or not to buy..." some of us here at QJ feel that the said distribution plan would fit perfectly with the way the PlayStation Network or the Xbox Live Marketplace works.

Given that the developers have gone through great lengths in order to differentiate their game from other MMOs out there - by making it have gameplay aspects that are unique to it - and more importantly differentiate themselves from games like World of Warcraft, a move to console space is definitely opportune.

For the complete interview, and a whole lot of talk about Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2 feel free to head to it via our "read" link below.

Heads up for today's rumor, dear gamers. It seems that there's a job opening over at EA Mythic for a new producer, at least according to their memo. We're not usually too keen following corporate stuff and whatnot, but this offering looked interesting because of the starting line - Producer: WARHAMMER console.

Yes, you read it right. While we already from way back that Warhammer Online can run on a 360, it looks like Mythic's taking the next step. Unfortunately, there's not much news on this development aside from the long experience list required of the guys they're looking for. For the hopefuls out there, we suggest that you keep your eyes peeled until we can confirm this news.

If anything, we think the Xbox 360 and PS3 should be able to handle the game - both already have keyboard and mouse support, and Xbox Live's handling itself pretty well, with the PlayStation Network consistently picking up. If anything, we're just sore that there's no news of a Warhammer 40k port. Click on the read link to view the full memo.