EA pledges allegiance to PS3
Exclusive extra content and HD remakes, plus Valve mends bridges
EA has pledged significant support for Sony's PlayStation 3, as have a number of major developers under its publishing umbrella. . At the electronics giant's Move and 3D-centric pre-E3 show, the biggest shock was the return of Valve to Sony's fold. The Half-Life and Left 4 Dead developer has long been openly critical of the PS3 as a platform, but demonstrated a dramatic change of heart. Next year, the EA-published Portal 2 will release on PS3 simultaneously with its PC and Xbox 360 versions.
"When the PlayStation 3 was introduced, I was the one of the platform's biggest critics," said Gabe Newell, president and co-founder of Valve. "However, Sony Computer Entertainment has proved that the PlayStation 3 is the most open platform of all the current generation consoles and has worked extremely hard to make the platform the most desirable for consumers and developers. As such, we are delighted to announce Portal 2 for the PlayStation 3 and believe the Steamworks support included will make it the best console version of the game."
The Steamworks architecture, previously used on Valve's PC titles and selected third-party games, offers "auto updates, community features, downloadable content, and more."
EA also promised exclusive content for its upcoming triple-A titles Dead Space 2 and Medal of Honor on PS3. The former will offer an HD version of Wii spin-off Dead Space Extraction, as well as support for the Move motion controller, while the latter will include a remake of 2002's Medal of Honor: Frontlines.
"Medal of Honor has always been characterized by authenticity and reverence for the soldier. That sentiment has never been truer than it is today," said Greg Goodrich, executive producer of Medal of Honor. "Medal of Honor has had a long, dynamic history on PlayStation platforms. We are excited to continue that tradition today with this special edition of Medal of Honor that pays homage to the legacy of the franchise on this platform."
Medal of Honor is due this October, and will be preceded by a beta test open to customers who pre-order and also own of Battlefield: Bad Company 2. Portal 2 and Dead Space 2 arrive next year.