As announcements for new games and hardware come and go, it’s easy to lose sight of the momentous events that shaped the gaming world into what it is today. 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 April 17th – April 23rd
April 17th
- 2008 – Konami gives gamers the opportunity to download the exclusive Metal Gear Online Premiere Beta. This beta, given to gamers who preordered the limited or standard edition, was rife with issues and bugs from the onset–so much that the beginning of the beta play had to be pushed back. Furthermore, a multitude of PS3 gamers are exposed to Konami’s wretched online registration process.
- 2008 – Having hit retailer shelves two days prior, the online version of Gran Turismo 5: Prologue hits the North American PSN store.
April 18th 
- 2006 – Rockstar unveils the release date for the heavily anticipated PS2 title, Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories. The game, marked down to $20, will hit North American and European gamers in early June.
- 2006 – Although just missing opening day, MLB 2k6 for the PSP is now available to North American gamers.
- 2008 – In the latest move of the unfolding Take-Two takeover crisis, Electronic Arts announces that they have extended their buyout deal, which would give shareholders $25.74/share, to May 16th.
- 2008 – In response to the EA buyout revisions, the Take-Two Board of Directors publicly decline the buyout offer. The Board of Directors commented on the situation: “Take-Two’s Board of Directors has maintained from the beginning, and continues to believe, that EA’s proposal undervalues our company.”
April 19th
- 2005 – Certainly on the radar for Mustang fanatics worldwide, Ford Mustang: The Legend Lives hits North American PlayStation 2s.
April 20th
- 2004 – Giving PC and Xbox gamers what the PS2 audience has been enjoying for a year now, Rockstar releases Manhunt.
April 21st 
- 2005 – Ubisoft proudly boasts they have entered the elite echelon of independent publishers: being in the top five for North America, for all consoles combined.
- 2006 – Play It!’s PS2 Arcade Classics Volume One releases in Europe.
- 2008 – Teaming up with Sigma Technologies, Ubisoft announces construction of their newest Ubisoft Campus, located in Casablanca, Morocco. The campus offers all the required skills to make it into the industry.
- 2008 – Midnight Club: Los Angeles’ release date is announced by Rockstar. The game will hit retailer shelves for the PS3 and 360 in September. Also, the mega publisher/developer announces the release date for Midnight Club: LA Remix, which will release simultaneously with its console counterpart.
- 2009 – EA announces gamers will rock this October. Dubbing it “Rocktober,” gamers will finally be able to get their collective hands on Brütal Legend, Tim Schafer’s latest video game project.
April 22nd
- 2008– Warner Brothers is teaming up with EA to bring eager fans the game version of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the sixth book in the Harry Potter series, and plans to simultaneously release it with the film adaptation.
- 2009 – A PSP version of Dante’s Inferno is announced. The handheld title will coincide with the launch of the other versions of the game.
- 2009 – Electronic Arts reveals that 500 million online games were played on their 2009 lineup of games. That is roughly 2.2 million online games played per day, which represents a 175% jump over the previous year’s numbers.
April 23rd 
- 2009 – In what seems to be a growing trend, EA Sports announces four cover athletes for NCAA Football 2010. The PS3 version will feature Brian Johnson; the PSP will highlight Mark Sanchez’s abilities; Michael Crabtree will grace the Xbox 360 cover, and Brian Orakpo will be on the PS2 cover.
- 2009 – DICE and EA announce the price for the latest entry into the long-standing Battlefield series. The newest title, Battlefield 1943, will run for $15 and hit the PSN store in the summer. The game will quickly become one of the summer’s biggest titles.
