A common stereotype about gamers is their short attention spans. As announcements for new games and hardware come and go, it is easy to lose sight of the momentous events that shaped the gaming world. This Week in PlayStation highlights Sony’s rich videogame heritage, which dates back to the 1980’s. Step back in time with us as we put the spotlight on events big and small that have significantly altered the gaming culture.
This Week in PlayStation March 6th – March 12th
March 6th
- 2003– Sucker Punch’s Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus is released to Japanese PS2 audiences.
- 2007 – Controversy immediately swells as Rockstar brings Vice City Stories to the North American PS2 audience.
- 2007 – Evolution Studios unleashes off-road madness with MotorStorm for American PS3 owners.
- 2007 – Def Jam: Icon, being the third of Electronic Art’s Def Jam series, hits American stores. The game was developed by EA Chicago, the developers of Fight Night Round 3.
- 2008– Sony official announces the track list and cars for the very much anticipated mini-addition to the Gran Turismo series, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue. Featuring over 60 vehicles and six tracks, GT5 Prologue was the perfect time killer for racing fans eager to play the next true sequel, Gran Turismo 5.
March 7th
- 2005 – Sir Howard Stringer takes the mantle of Chairman, Group CEO and Representative Corporate Executive Officer for Sony Corporation. Stringer’s responsibilities include running overall group business operations on a global basis. He continues his role as the head of the Entertainment Business Group and head of Sony Corporation of America.
- 2006 – Nautilus’ Shadow Hearts: From the New World hits the PlayStation 2.
- 2007 – Game Developers Conference 2007 – Sony unveils its revolutionary social application PlayStation Home. After multiple closed beta testings, Home is released to the masses in December 2008; a full year and a half later.
- 2007– Game Developers Conference 2007 – Sony announces what would turn out to be one of the cornerstones for the PlayStation 3, LittleBigPlanet.
March 8th
- 1996 – Crystal Dynamics releases Gex, the ultra-cool Gecko, to Japanese audiences.
- 2007 – Sega unleashes Virtua Tennis 3 to the Japanese market.
March 9th
- 2002 – Sony officially unveils the details regarding the highly anticipated online infrastructure for the PlayStation 2. The network adapter, which would retail later that year for $39.99, would allow players to play online on selected titles. This announcement also brought an interesting quote from then head of SCEA, Kaz Hirai: “And certainly, we’re not looking to define the PlayStation 2 brand solely by the online experience.”
- 2005– Polyphony Digital’s Gran Turismo 4 is released for PS2 in Europe.
- 2005 – Sega purchases British game developer, The Creative Assembly. The company’s latest work includes Viking: Battle for Asgard for the PS3 and Spartan: Total Warrior for the PS2.
- 2006 – The long-standing Far Cry series is bought by Ubisoft. Ubisoft acquires the Far Cry IP and the CryENGINE Far Cry Edition, gaining the right to use the impressive engine in any of their games.
- 2007 – Rockstar brings Europeans what they want: Vice City Stories for the PS2.
- 2009 – EA Sports announces the cover athlete for their highly anticipated fight title, Fight Night Round 4. This time, instead of only one athlete gracing the cover, EA decides to put two of the greatest fighters ever: Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali.
March 10th 
- 2009 – NBC Universal partners with PlayStation to bring their whole lineup to the PSN video store. The selection includes not only TV shows such as 30 Rock or The Office but movies like Wanted, Hellboy II: The Golden Army and Burn After Reading.
- 2009 – Electronic Arts releases the highly addictive Trivial Pursuit to the North American PSN store.
March 11th
- 2005 – EA Sports releases Rugby 2005 to American audiences.
- 2005 – Sony announces a ‘fashion show’ for the PSP. Well known fashion designers like Marc Jacobs, Diane von Furstenberg, Henry Duarte, Coach, LRG, Jennifer Lopez and more will be showing off their exclusive PSP accessories to an exclusive crowd in West Hollywood. Gamers go crazy with excitement.
- 2008 – Originally released for the PSP, High Impact Games brings Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters to the PS2.
March 12th 
- 2009 – Electronic Arts announces they are working on Army of Two: The 40th Day. EA Montreal is once again handling the development, and the game is scheduled for a winter release.
- 2009 – Just one day before the launch of Resident Evil 5, Capcom announces that a competitive multiplayer component will hit the PSN. This won’t be free as many gamers would like. Instead, Capcom wants $4.99 for the add-on.
- 2009 – Sony Europe (SCEE) officially unveils their exclusive ‘trophy card.’ Gamers worldwide can finally use an official Sony trophy card to show off their trophy collection.
