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PlayStation Home looks set to get a huge boost – thanks to a deal that will see a number of indie games hits republished in the virtual world.
Working with Codename, an independent publisher formed by the team that curates the IndieCade events run at E3 and GameCity in Nottingham, SCEA wants to get developers around the world to help add more original content to the platform.
Although some still post questions about its popularity, Sony says there are 14m PlayStation Home users worldwide, making for a big potential audience for the games.
In its official statement, SCEA said the deal with Codename "comes at a critical point in its lifecycle and will serve a key role in extending the social gaming experience for PlayStation Home users, while attracting new users with never-before seen experiences".
The games will be "designed by a mix of fan-favorite, die-hard experimental and undiscovered first-time developers" and "will further solidify PlayStation Home’s place as a leading social game platform".
Codename will find third parties and internally develop games for Home itself.
Titles already announced include Dueling Gentlemen, created by Odd Gentleman; team-based Minor Battle, created by Peanut Gallery and winner of the IndieCade 2010 Audience Award; Super Awesome Mountain RPG, created by Codename, a blend of tabletop board games and fantasy RPGs; and Cogs, a version of Lazy8’s steampunk game with added multiplayers and also run "as a dynamic public spectacle in Home’s Central Plaza".
PlayStation Home already is host to a mix of in-world gaming content, smaller games, ARGs and social spaces.
"We’re thrilled to be partnering with PlayStation Home to create and develop games that step outside the parameters of traditional game development and we’re really looking forward to the creative opportunities that lie ahead," added Codename’s founding partner Jesse Vigil.
"Our model of pulling together teams of developers and allowing them to make their creative dreams a reality has only one main tenet — any game created for PlayStation Home is graphically and visually entertaining to both play and watch, at the same time."
