Posts Tagged ‘Sony’

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PlayStation Network…and we’re back. Sorta.

Monday, May 16th, 2011

Unless you’ve been living in a cave, or perhaps a compound just outside Islamabad, chances are you’re aware that Sony’s Online services have been off line since the 20th of April. Just shy of one month later, Sony has begun restoring said services, much to the delight of online PS3 gamers (and Qriocity music listeners).

However, the green-lighting of services does come with a few restrictions. In a statement, Sony indicated that services began the restoration process this past Friday, including SOE’s portfolio of online games, as well as game forums and websites. The reactivation of these services comes with a standard “please change your password now,” requirement. A fair practice, but it looks like Sony might have started out of the gate with a stumble, as Engadget is reporting that eager gamers are experiencing difficulties in resetting their password, as Sony is being inundated with a massive amount of requests in a short amount of time. Sony points to ISPs that are automatically blocking or delaying the incoming email password change requests. Oye vey.

As a special, “Oops, our bad,” “Welcome Back,” package, sony is offering special game content to all registered members. Players will receive 30 days of additional game time plus an additional day for each day that SOE’s services were down (25).

And while rollouts have been confirmed in North America, South America, EMEA, Australia and New Zealand, there’s one market that’s suspiciously missing: Sony’s home country of Japan. The Dow Jones is reporting that Japanese government officials have given the green light a no-go, citing a few outstanding issues that Sony has failed to comply with. First and foremost, Sony has promised counter-hacking measures (announced on May 1), and second is further security surrounding the protection of users’ credit car number and other private data. Regarding the anti-hacking measures, details have yet to surface as to what has and what has not been implemented, for obvious reasons, but it would appear that Japanese officials aren’t quite satisfied. On the credit card and personal data front, Dow Jones indicates that Sony is already lobbying in talks with Japanese officials to assure compliance.

“Our main priority is the safety and security of our customers’ personal information,” said Kazuo Hirai, Executive Deputy President, Sony Corporation in a statement. “We are making consumer data protection a full-time, company-wide commitment, and have applied enhanced security technologies so that our customers can feel protected and confident about playing our games.”

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PS3 tops 50 million units sold worldwide – over 105k digital downloads

Monday, April 18th, 2011

Announced late last week, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCE) is proudly touting their PlayStation 3 sales numbers, with over 50 million units sold worldwide, as of March 29, 2011.

This is quite a significant number for the console manufacturer, as the platform has seen some stiff competition since it’s inaugural showing in 2006. The first and most obvious being Xbox, which once cornered the market on a “gamers” console, whereas Sony initially started pitching the PS3 as a hub for your home media, which also happens to play games. And there there’s Nintendo’s revolutionary Wii that, for a while, seemed to be ready to eclipse both Sony and Microsoft. Sony proudly notes the “future proof” technology involved with the PlayStation 3, including it’s Blu-ray disc player, a factor that’s been reviewed time and time again as a major contributing factor to the platform’s pricing point.

Side by side with the 50 million units sold announcement, Sony is pointing to the PlayStation Move controller as a primary driver of sales acceleration. Since it’s launch in 2010, the Move controller has sold over 8 million units worldwide. Used in conjunction with the PlayStation Eye camera to detect users’ movements and position in 3D space, the Move motion controller now has 155 supported titles within the PlayStation realm including Sports Champions, SingStar Dance, Killzone 3, and the upcoming SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy Seals.

And what would a stats parade be without some online numbers? Sony doesn’t disappoint, and announced that their PlayStation Network service is now 75 million members strong, and operating in 59 countries and regions around the globe. In addition to selling digital downloads via the PlayStation Store, Sony has been putting in a great deal of time trying to cultivate a “PS3 community” through various interactive options including PlayStation Home. While the effectiveness of these efforts have been hit or miss in the past, with the addition of  Free Realms to the PlayStation lineup, this community cultivation could be a rather valuable plume in Sony’s cap. In the numbers department, Sony has revealed that, to date, 105.988 digital downloads of content have passed through the PlayStation Network service.

And last, but certainly not least, Sony stands alone in the console crowd with at least one unique feature: the make electronics other than computers. Also a television manufacturer, Sony is able to fine-tune the relationship between console and display, and they’ve taken full advantage of stereoscopic 3D gaming and Blu-Ray 3D. These features are readily available to owners of Sony’s “BRAVIA” line by simply connection one HDMI cable. As of April 1, 2011, Sony counts 89 3D titles amongst it’s lineup.

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Sony’s Free Realms headed to PlayStation Network

Wednesday, March 23rd, 2011

Nearly 17 million registered players and a big gamble that seems to be paying off later, Sony Online Entertainment announced on Friday that their free-to-play MMO Free Realms will be arriving on the PlayStation Network soon. In addition to being a first for Sony, the addition of Free Realms also marks the first appearance of a family-friendly online game to be played on any console, with the emphasis being on Family Friendly.

“Free Realms continues to break new ground in the gaming industry – it will be the first free-to-play MMO to hit any console, the first family-friendly MMO to hit any console, and the second MMO, after our recent release of DC Universe™ Online, to hit the PlayStation 3 to date,” said John Smedley, president of Sony Online Entertainment in a statement. “As the only online games publisher that creates accessible and diverse gameplay experiences for the full spectrum of gamers, we are committed to burgeoning innovation and growing the MMO genre by leaps and bounds, bringing in players of all ages.”

Free Realms was initially launched in 2009, and was a significant departure from the “norm” of SOE’s comfort zone. Remember, at the time, the free-to-play concept was well in circulation, but very few top tier production houses had taken the plunge, with many still “investigating” the premise. Driven by a team of creative and forward looking individuals, Sony initially released Free Realms on the PC platform, with Mac fans getting in approximately a year later. To date, Sony’s “let’s see if there’s any merit to this,” experiment has captured the attention of nearly 17 million registered uses from around the world. Again, this number is derived solely from just PC and Mac numbers.

In 2010, Free Realms received the coveted “Creative Toy Award Seal of Excellence” from Create Child Magazine. Not just your run-of-the-mill MMO, Free Realms features an endless array of mini-games and quests and adventures to keep just about everyone under the sun entertained. Whether it’s kung-fu combat to power battles with pirates, or soccer or pet training, Free Realms seeks to address every need. All the while, presented in a fun, family-friendly environment. Naturally, as a free-to-play, Free Realms contains a number of social touches that make it easy to find and play with real-world friends. Together, players can tackle more challenging quests, as well as participate in live events and community activities.

An in depth overview direct from Sony Online Entertainment:

• Fun Now, No Waiting: Free Realms is easy to access! Get in the game quickly and easily from the PlayStation®Store, create a character, and adventure in a fully immersive social game world within minutes! Click on the Game Guide to access the Activity Finder, Events Calendar, 3D and 2D minigames, quests, Match Making and more!
• Be Whoever You Want: With 15 jobs to get into and more than 30,000 wearable combinations, players can find the perfect profession, or try them all! Jobs include: wizard, blacksmith, medic, archer, warrior, ninja, brawler, chef, miner, demolition derby driver, kart driver, adventurer, postman, soccer star, and fisherman.
• Fun for Everyone: With so much to do and see it’s easy for players to find something fun for you! Start by playing minigames like cooking, mining, soccer, Demolition Derby, or Pirate’s Plunder. Players can decorate their player house with a party dance floor, rocket ship or talking tiki head, or create a maze with any number of items and invite friends over to race through it. The action doesn’t stop there; players can participate with the entire community at live event Boss Battles or in holiday quests, attend in-game concerts and learn boom box dance moves.
• Vibrant, Deep Environment: There are eight distinct, unique and breathtaking environments for players to explore. Areas include the snowcapped mountain villages of Snowhill, the dark and mysterious swamps of Blackspore, and the sunny shores of Seaside.
• Connect with Friends: Whether one’s meeting up with old friends or finding new ones, Free Realms players can connect, play, quest and adventure together. For group quests and multiplayer battles, players just log in to see what their friends have been up to, select them from your friends list and join them in game.
• Play Free or Upgrade: At its heart, Free Realms is free-to-play, with more than 800 quests and the ability to take each job through level four. But players who want to break through to the next level can become Members with access to an additional 400 quests and the ability to level all jobs up to 20. Memberships are offered in terms of one month, three months, six months and lifetime, which is valid for the life of the game. Members and free players can also purchase a variety of items and wearables through micro-transactions.
• Family-Friendly: Recently recognized by Creative Child Magazine with the 2010 Creative Toy Award Seal of Excellence,Free Realms is a fun online experience to share with the entire family. Parental controls on the PC allow for the customization of safety options, include pre-canned and white-list chat, reporting and filters for younger players. For kids who enjoy playing on the PlayStation®3, robust parental controls are innate to the PlayStation®3 Computer Entertainment System.

Free Realms for the PlayStation Network is expected to arrive this coming March 29th to users around the globe.

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Pokemon and PSP take home the 2010 gold in Japan

Friday, December 31st, 2010

Clearly, Japanese gamers still hold Pokemon close to their hearts, as Nintendo’s Pokemon Black/White has come out on top of the Japanese 2010 top sellers list. Compiled by the ASCII corporation, and translated by 1UP, Pokemon Black/White is on top in terms of games with 4.7 million units sold, whereas Sony’s PlayStationPortable (PSP) barely nudged out a declining Nintendo DS to hold down the number one spot in hardware sales.

And it’s not just Black/White that’s keeping Nintendo on top in Japan. According to ASCII, Nintendo counts four games in the top 10 including; New Super Mario Bros. Wii, which was released in 2009. In 2010, the title moved 1.6 million units, and became the Wii’s first title to sell over 4 million units.

When it comes to Japanese hardware of choice, it appears as though there’s a war brewing on the island. Sony’s PSP took home the top honors, although by only a whisker. The PSP sold approximately 2.73 million units, with Nintendo’s DS 2.72 million units. However, the PSP was the only hardware device in the Japanese market not to see a decline in sales. The PSP saw a rise of 28 percent, with Nintendo seeing the exact same number, but in reverse. The Nintendo DS saw a 28 percent drop in sales from 2009 YoY number.

When it comes to consoles, the Wii remained the favorite amongst Japanese gamers, although sales numbers were down 9 percent when compared to 2009’s numbers, ultimately resulting in 1.59 millions sold in 2010. The PS3 saw numbers slightly lower, dropping 7.6 percent from 2009, resulting in 1.54 million sales. Of note, who seems to not be gaining any traction in Japan is Microsoft; Specifically the Xbox 360. Microsoft saw a 24 percent drop in sales, resulting in just 231,000 units sold.

The 2010 Japanese gaming market:

Japan’s Top-selling Game Software for 2010

  1. Pokemon Black/Pokemon White (DS) – 4,734,064
  2. Monster Hunter Portable 3rd (PSP) – 3,163,750
  3. New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii) – 1,692,401
  4. Wii Party (Wii) – 1,385,541
  5. Dragon Quest VI (DS) – 1,354,841
  6. Dragon Quest Monsters Joker 2 (DS) – 1,305,750
  7. Tomodachi Collection (DS) – 1,112,298
  8. Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii) – 931,534
  9. Inazuma Eleven 3 Snake/Bomber (DS) – 930,580
  10. Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep (PSP) – 844,980

Japan’s Top-selling Game Hardware For 2010 (and unit change from 2009):

  1. PSP (all): 2,729,718 (+604,199)
  2. DS (all): 2,719,544 (-1,054,354)
  3. Wii: 1,592,563 (-155,398)
  4. PS3: 1,542,258 (-126,680)
  5. 360: 231,258 (-118,405)
  6. PS2: 83,030 (-114,116)

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Kinect to edge out Move in 2011 sales, 3D not so hot, and no love for OnLive and Gaikai

Wednesday, December 29th, 2010

Predicting hardware sales is a tricky business. Amongst the umpteen figures to consider, user preference is one of the hardest to call. However, UK based firm Screen Digest has planted their flag in the sand, stating that Microsoft’s motion based controller, Kinect will slightly outsell Sony’s answer, the Move by 7.6 million units to 7.3 million units, respectively.

According to GameSpot, Screen Digest’s predictions do not include 2010 sales figures. Normally, this would be a figure to throw by the wayside…if the two products were launched simultaneously, but you’ll remember that Move was out months before Kinect. It’s also noteworth, as Microsoft announced in November that it has moved 2.5 million Kinect units, and was well on pace to deliver 5 million by the end of this year.

Given these numbers, and Microsoft’s statements and additional numbers, moving 2.5 million units per month in the holiday buildup seems completely reasonable. Post holiday shopping will naturally see a decline, so let’s slim this number down to around half a million units per month. Even at this growth rate, Screen Digest’s numbers are a tad low. Meaning – although Screen Digest is lying on the conservative side of the numbers, it’s very likely that we could see Kinect push over 10 million sales in 2011.

Note: Piers hardin-Rolls from Screen Digest commented at Gamasutra clarifying the numbers:

“Our [data] actually refers to new Move and Kinect enabled consoles added during 2011, not installed base, which we forecast to be 11.7 million for Move and 12.1 million for Kinect by end of 2011.”

Adding: “Please note that the Move numbers refer to Move-enabled consoles and not total Move peripheral sales (as a % are bought for multiplayer gaming on single consoles).”

And while Sony may have answered the Nintendo Wii with it’s own motion based control, it’s a case of too-little-too-late. While Sony spent time developing at system that amounts to nothing more than a Wii in HD, Microsoft developed an entirely new product and input method. Coupled with Move software’s dreadful sales, it appears as though Sony has delivered the golden egg.

Screen Digest also noted a few other Sony shortcomings when it comes to all-things-digital. The much hyped and anticipated arrival of 3D televisions has been less than overwhelming, with the firm saying that 3D TV sales will fall flat in 2011. They state that broadcasters are putting too much focus on sporting events and non-recurring programming for consumers to find value in said television.

Also of note: Screen Digest wasn’t any friendlier when it came to streaming gaming services, aka OnLive and Gaikai. The postulate that neither device offer a compelling experience, ultimately providing a poor value proposition.

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Sony enjoys 60 percent increase in Video Ad Revenues

Monday, October 25th, 2010

According to official Sony reps, original video content that’s featured on the PlayStaion Network is enjoying a 60 percent increase in ad revenues when compared to last year. While a number of original video content has been created for the network Sony points to this year’s hit show “The Tester” as a primary driver for interested consumers, and thus … increased advertising revenues.

And let’s be clear – original video content created for, and distributed on the PlayStation Network comes nowhere close to the what now seems like doomed channel of in-game advertising. Sony isn’t dishing out any hard numbers, but according to MediaWeek, the company is still working on the learning curve, but are heading more and more in the direction of focusing on extracting advertising dollars and cents out of its programming production and decisions, including the aforementioned “The Tester,” but likewise their game-centric news show “The Pulse” and interactive info-zine Qore.

But that’s not to say that Sony studios will be pumping out new title after title. For now, Sony’s looking to maximize what they’ve got, and presumably construct the recipe for success in the making. As a point of reference, “The Tester,” which was created by 51 Minds (the same team that did VH1’s Rock of Love), pitted contestants against each other to earn the spot to become a professional video game tester. The show ran for 8 episodes and garnered a massive 2.5 million downloads, all of which Sony failed to monetize on.

Looking to cash in, the second season of “The Tester” is aimed at catching 3.5 million downloads, and Sony has already tee’d up EA, Ford, and The U.S. Air Force as advertising partners. These aren’t, however, straight forward, 30 second commercials inserted into episodes. Sure, there will be the traditional ad placement, but additionally, advertisers will have the opportunity to have much deeper integrations, such as one episode of “The Tester” is slated to take place on a U.S. Air Force base.

Again, even with these top shelf advertising partners in place, Sony isn’t planning on overwhelming consumers with more and more choices. Taking cues from ones that have been there (and back), Sony’s senior director, PlayStation Network, Susan Panico says that they’re adopting HBO’s philosophy of a “one foot in front of the other,” or, simply put: gradually.

As noted in the Massive closing article, it seems as though more and more advertisers, as well as console makers are realizing that there’s certainly money to be made on this platforms, and it doesn’t always involve an intrusive ad. By giving consumers more and more options of what they can do with their gaming console of choice, they’re finding that there are plenty more ways to monetize, all the while, still providing attractive advertising opportunities.

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Free Realms coming to Mac

Thursday, October 7th, 2010

SOE’s ‘experiment’ in the free-to-play virtual world model has clearly been paying off in droves. For a while, it seemed as though every month brought yet another milestone for Free Realms, as we saw 5, 9, and 10 million registered users surpassed without any seeming difficulty. Currently, Free Realms counts 14 million registered users.

It appears as though Sony’s no longer satisfied with just cornering the PC market, and has recently announced that Mac users will now have their day in Free Realms. Announced in conjunction with TransGaming, SOE made the Mac move official yesterday, stating that a Mac client was currently in development. Sony, couldn’t put an official date on the release, only promising a release “later this fall.”

“There is no denying the overwhelming player demand for Free Realms on the Mac platform, of which we plan to deliver very soon,” said John Smedley, president of SOE. “For the first time ever, SOE is developing synchronous gameplay for Mac and PC players and we are thrilled to tap into TransGaming’s Mac development expertise to bring this functionality to fruition.”

Sony has stated that the Mac controls and functionality will remain the same as their PC counterparts. Likewise, Mac users will have full access to the existing Marketplace and community forums.

“Free Realms offers a truly unique and captivating user experience that aligns with TransGaming’s focus on bringing new massive multiplayer online games to the Mac platform,” commented Vikas Gupta, CEO & President of TransGaming Inc. “Our strategic partnership with SOE has strengthened our leadership position in the enablement of family-friendly titles for the growing Mac community and offers Mac gamers an ever-increasing catalog of outstanding video game content.”

The question remains – with 14 million PC users storming the Free Realms gates, could Sony effectively double this output by tailoring a Mac specific client? And what number of these 14 million are already Mac players that are simply running a VM client? The timing of this move is well played, as those 5 million, 9 million, etc. milestone numbers aren’t cranking out as they have in the past, a natural status in the lifespan of a gaming title. However, with this move, Sony is poised to give Free Realms a nice shot of adrenalin by welcoming Mac specific players. Timed with a “later this fall” release, Sony could very well capture the post Halloween and/or Thanksgiving market at just the right time to cash in on a slew of new found customers willing to pay for microtransactions.

Now…Free Realms for PS3 please?

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Sony and Microsoft ramp up the entertainment factor with Hulu

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

For quite some time now, Xbox users have been a bit ahead of the curve when it comes to services non-gaming. The current state of (non) play for Xbox users include Netflix, Last.fm, and Zune video, and as of November, ESPN3.com (which promises to deliver over 3,500 live sporting events).

hulu

However, it seems that Sony has clearly heard what users are after: non-gaming content on their consoles. With the launch of the PS3 3.40 firmware update yesterday, it looks like a lot of those “Man, I wish I had…” are starting to become, “Wow, check this out!” moments. On Tuesday, Hulu confirmed on their website that coming this July, their video on-demand service will find a new home on the PS3 OS. This addition compliments the newly launched PlayStation Plus $10/month subscription package.

The “Hulu Plus” package will allow paying subscribers to access even more shows and platform support than the browser-based Hulu.com. In addition to all the standard Hulu features, Hulu plus will give viewers a 720p (HD) experience, as opposed to the maximum 480p service the free service delivers.

The Hulu Plus service arrives for PS3 in July, and will arrive on Xbox consoles in “early 2011,” according to Hulu. The Hulu rollout is not, however specifically targeted at gaming consoles, as the company reports Hulu plus will be available via iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad, as well as the standard package of viewability via a Mac or PC browser. Looking even further down the line, Hulu is also targeting internet enabled TV’s and blu-ray players from Sony, Vizio, and Samsung.

On standout on the Xbox side of the Hulu deal is the integration with Kinetic, as the motion controlling sensor will also function as a remote for your Hulu viewing. Swipe a hand in the air to the right to fast forward, left to rewind. Neat.

The odd thing about not only this Hulu integration, but positioning consoles as the nucleus of a home based entertainment center, is that upon their launch in 2006, this is exactly what Sony set off to achieve. The hardcore gaming audience tended to drift to Xbox, one big draw being Halo, and Sony seemed to shift their position, and obviously address what the market wants/wanted. Now, 4 years later, it appears as though Sony has come full circle with the PS3, which btw, as of this week actually started making Sony a profit. And now that the PS3 is no longer hemorrhaging cash left, right, and center, it should be very interesting to see where Sony goes next. They may have been a bit behind the Xbox ball, but with new features, a new controller, and new money coming in the door…clearly the stage has been set.

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2010 E3 – it’s all about Sony (so far)

Wednesday, June 16th, 2010

While the E3 industry trade show and event is only in it’s second day, it looks like Sony Computer Entertainment is leading the charge out of the gate with a ton of announcements.  Let’s dive right in….

3D

SFM066LOGOLet the 3D gaming wars begin! Sony officially announced their commitment to Stereoscopic 3D at the E3 yesterday. Some of their hottest titles including MLB® 10 The Show, MotorStorm®: Apocalypse, Killzone® 3, The Sly Collection, and Gran Turismo®5 will be available in this new format. Where Sony holds the upper hand in this, sure to be developed my the other major platforms very soon, card game lies in the fact that the 35.7 million PS3s around the world can already play 3D stereoscopic content as of a firmware update that went out in April of 2010. Four titles: PAIN, MotorStorm® Pacific Rift, Super Stardust™ HD and WipEout® HD are already available for 3D consumption via the PlayStation Network.

Move

Mark your calendars, September 19th will be the day that Nintendo lost it’s monopoly on motion based gaming controllers. Sony stamped the date on their anticipated Move controller yesterday. Sony is offering up three different pricing/packaging options: a Move/Eye/Sports Champions bundle for $99.99, a PS3 console, Move/Eye/Sports Champions bundle available for $399.99, and a standalone Move for $49.99. Additionally, Sony announced the Move navigation controller which is used alongside the Move for intuitive in-game navigation (can you say nun chuck?). Sony already has 15 Move approved titles ready to go for launch, with 40 more in the pipeline projected for a holiday season 2010 release.

Subscription plus

Now joining the ranks similar to the Xbox 360 style of online gaming, Sony has announced their PlayStationPlus subscription package. Hitting a PS3 near you on June 29th, the PlayStationPlus package will offer users:

  • Full game trial*3 – Members will have access to full versions of designated PS3® and PlayStation Network titles including PS one® Archives (PS one® Classics). The titles on offer will be available for download on PlayStation Store for a stated period and change every month. Members will be able to play the full version of the game for a designated period and even after the trial period expires, users will be able to continue playing the game by purchasing the game on-line*4.
  • Games – Member will be able to play the full version of designated PS3 downloadable and PlayStation Network titles including PS one Archives (PS one Classics) and minis*5 with no limit of time as long as membership is effective. These games will become available exclusively for PlayStation Plus members at no extra cost.
  • Special content – Content such as avatars and custom themes many of which are exclusive will become available for PlayStation Plus members at no extra cost.
  • Discounts – Members will have access to exclusive discounts on designated PS3 and PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) titles. Titles will vary every month on PlayStation Store.
  • Early access – Members will have early access to designated new game beta trials, game demos and video content prior to public distribution.
  • Automatic content downloads and updates – PS3 will automatically download and install designated game demos and game updates and also download the system software update data*6. PS3 will automatically start up at a designated time to download content and will turn off after the download has completed.

Sound

SCE announced that they’ll be releasing an all-in-one subwoofer included surround sound system for the PS3 this fall. Priced at $199, this audio solution seeks to immerse players in a rich digital audio system that includes the upcoming Move based titles. The speaker system taps elements from Sony’s high end audio department including the S-Force PRO front surround sound that produces surround sound from only a single front speaker.

50 Million PlayStation accounts

And last but certainly not least, and a cherry on top of the Sony sundae, they’ve recently surpassed 50 million registered accounts worldwide as of June 14th. Accounts come from over 58 countries around the world, and Sony has racked this number up in just 3 years and 8 months.

Not a bad showing for Sony at this year’s E3.

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Sony launches Salt, crossing video game and film

Wednesday, May 26th, 2010

As a CIA operative, Evelyn Salt has sworn an oath to duty, honor, and country. When a defector accuses her of being a Russian spy, Salt goes on the run, using her skills and years of experience as a covert operative to elude capture. As Salt tries to prove her innocence, she manages to only raise further questions about her motives. “Who is Salt?”

saltSounds like the next blockbuster spy/action hit to come out of ABC/XYZ major gaming studio, no? Alas, this is just the setup for the new Angelina Jolie film that debuts on July 23rd. And while this certainly isn’t the first Fan Immersion Game (FIG) that we’ve seen hit the streets (Jolie’s second, in fact), it is one of the best-yet-developed games of this genre that I’ve seen yet.

Launched on Tuesday, the nine-week adveture seeks to take future film audiences along for the ride on a series of espionage-themed missions that tie into the film’s narrative. The mission of the game (should you choose to accept it) is to ultimately determine, “Who is Salt?” Players will be about to bug suspects, track enemy operatives, and decrypt secret messages.

Dwight Caines, President of Worldwide Digital Marketing for Sony Pictures comments, “This game is built on a series of cliffhanger moments that enhance the moviegoing experience by allowing audiences a unique and truly fun glimpse into the movie. While the missions are serialized, it was also important to create an environment that allows players to join midstream or follow at their convenience. We believe the mystery and action that surrounds the Day X plot, which is central to the film, will keep web fans coming back to the central question – Who is Salt?”

The game is produced by Hoodlum, the same folks that took on the epic project of making alternate reality games based on the hit TV show Lost. “Hoodlum is one of the companies that has set the bar for what an immersive game can be,” said Caines. “They brought high production value to the videos and a creative genius to the missions that will keep this nine-week adventure fresh and fun.”

And if pushing the film wasn’t enough, Sony has even made a clever tie-in to a number of their current electronic gadgets out on the street. The game features a number of Sony products that would certainly find a spot in today’s spy’s toolkit including the Sony Dash personal internet viewer, the Sony Reader touch edition, and the Sony (alpha) DSLR-A850.

Again, this isn’t the first FIG we’ve seen tied to a major studio that is aimed at pumping up interest in an upcoming title, but it is the first that I’ve seen that takes advantage of Facebook, as “Who is Salt?” also features a Facebook Connect feature that not only shares your progress with your friends, but obviously, uses the virality of Facebook to encourage others to join in your missions.

If a little Angelina Jolie clad in tight spywear makes your day go buy a bit faster (and let’s be honest…there are worse things to be looking at all day) head on over to www.dayxexsists.com, where new missions are released every Tuesday until July 13th, 10 days prior to the box office release.

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