This fall, Sony will reboot its PlayStation Home service as a platform for social games. The virtual world launched in 2008 and has since gained over 23 million users.
The major focus on the new version of PlayStation Home is social gaming, one of the biggest changes being the inclusion of large-scale group games within the service.
The Central Plaza, Home’s current main gathering area, will be replaced by a new area called The Hub. Here games, quests, community events and user-created content shine. An activity board in the area allows users to see current games in progress and missiosn they can complete. They can also create their own events and share them with friends. The Hub is a game itself, according to Home boss Jack Buser. The goal is to have “a huge game staring you in the face as soon as you come in” to Home.
The Hub is also your ticket to the service’s other new locations, each themed around different genres, which feature games of the same topic. The new areas include the Action District, an urban city environment where action and horror games take center stage; Sportswalk, an “outside the stadium” area where you have access to sports scores, headlines, highlights, and sports game; the Adventure District, a jungle island filled with mystery and hidden treasure; and Pier Park, a boardwalk featuring a carnival and arcade games.
Both VentureBeat and Kotaku have full previews of the new service. Be sure to read them, if you’re interested in learning more.