Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) today announced the launch of
Sodium One, a new and evolving massively multiplayer online (MMO) game
space now available within the ground-breaking 3D gaming community,
PlayStation Home. Since the opening of the beta in December 2008 exclusively on
the PlayStation3 (PS3) computer entertainment system, PlayStation Home has
dramatically expanded and today offers gamers more than 100 games to play, 50
spaces to experience, and over 2000 virtual items to collect. With the launch of
Sodium, PlayStation Home’s first MMO, PlayStation Home further
evolves into a true social gaming platform, complete with both snack-size mini
games and extended gaming experiences to share with both existing friends and
new friends met within PlayStation Home.
"The launch of PlayStation Home in 2008 pioneered new ground in interactive
entertainment and, since then, increasing support and enthusiasm from our PS3
user and game publisher communities have helped to make this a tremendous first
year for the platform," said Peter Dille, senior vice president of marketing and
PlayStation Network, SCEA. "Today we further push the envelope with the launch
of PlayStation Home’s Sodium — an evolving space that leverages the
incredible computing power of PS3 to deliver truly unique, and visually stunning
social gaming experiences that you won’t find on any other platform."
Starting on December 17, PlayStation Home users can step into the Sodium
"Teleporter" located in the PlayStation Home Central Plaza and be
transported to a futuristic, action-packed social gaming environment. In
Sodium, a new technological era has dawned bringing with it interstellar
travel, rapid colonization of the galaxy, inexhaustible energy, advanced
Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) and the power to travel between quantum
realities. This new age has also brought a host of new challenges where players
must battle for harmony with their environment — and sometime survival.
Sodium, developed by Outso and published by Lockwood Publishing,
starts players in a social hub located in the Nevada desert. Players must check
in with A.I. life-force "VICKIE" to obtain their objectives, then battle through
multiple levels for a spot on the leader board — either in individual combat or
as a multi-player experience — while earning credits and rewards to be redeemed
within the game. Sodium features objective-based meta-games, full
arcade-style games and community events. During the first section of the game,
"Salt Shooter," players must hunt self-replacing robots with tanks in order
control their population. Gamers can play through the first five levels
of "Salt Shooter" for free, or unlock additional levels and experiences with the
purchase the virtual items, ranging from $0.99 (MSRP) to $4.99 (MSRP).
By leveraging the power of PS3, Sodium delivers awe-inspiring visual
graphics and rich gaming social experiences only possible on the PS3 platform.
Due to the flexibility of the PlayStation Home platform, the genre-defying
Sodium space will continue to evolve over time. Players can look forward
to new games, community events and virtual items to be added, further
revealing the story and offering new experiences and challenges.
As with all PlayStation Home spaces, Sodium enables PlayStation Home
users to interact, communicate and share experiences. Players looking for a more
social experience can become a bartender and serve virtual drinks to friends at
the ‘Sodium Hub", or compete with friends in mini games. PS3 owners can
customize their PlayStation Home avatar with Sodium gear while exploring
the virtual community in real time, and communicating freely through text.
Sodium is one of more than 50 spaces within PlayStation Home. Game
publishers continue to recognize the value of directly interacting with the
gaming community to increase and extend consumer interest in their game titles
via new mediums of game play. SCEA has partnered with nearly 30 brands to
develop virtual environments and game-specific content for PlayStation Home,
including to Activision, Electronic Arts, Capcom Entertainment, NAMCO BANDAI
Games America Inc., THQ, UBISOFT, and others.
PlayStation Home has also garnered growing enthusiasm from the PlayStation
community, connecting millions of PS3 users to each other and to unique
interactive experiences. To date, 10 million users around the world have visited
PlayStation Home to play games, attend special events, watch videos, listen to
music, meet new friends, and launch into multiplayer PS3 games — averaging 60
minutes per visit. Over 250 community events have been held in PlayStation Home
since its launch, many organized by the PS3 community. With new users,
entertaining new spaces and virtual items added regularly, PlayStation Home
offers new thrills and opportunities to connect gamers with every visit.
