Hey PlayStation friends, Simon here from the Roll7 team. It is great to be back to talk about our new game OlliOlli World. Some of you may remember us back when we launched OlliOlli and OlliOlli2: Welcome to Olliwood on the PS Vita, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation 4. It was amazing to see the reception to our games, and, not going to lie, it wasn’t bad winning a few awards along the way. 

While we’ve released other games, we’ve always wanted to return to our roots with another OlliOlli. One that really nails that feeling of laying down a perfect line of seemingly endless tricks while lofi tracks beat in the background creating a harmony of euphoria and endorphins. We knew if we were to make a new OlliOlli, it would have to be bigger, better, and stronger, err I mean brighter than before. We’ve been working on OlliOlli World now secretly for years, and it is so great to finally be able to show it off. 

Real quick recap for everyone: OlliOlli World is an action platforming game in which you bust tricks with both sticks through a bizarre and whimsical world attempting to achieve high scores, unlock various customizations options, meet wacky and peculiar friends, and ultimately search for the skate gods of Gnarvana. You will need coordination, timing, and some practice to lay down monster combos. Skateboarding can be difficult and while we didn’t want to shy away from that, we wanted to make sure that it is approachable, and you are comfortable cruising around. There is this exhilarating feeling that comes when you stick a hardflip over an especially massive stair set and we want everyone to enjoy that. We hope you get that same feeling in OlliOlli World; the only difference is here those stairs might be over a gushing rainbow river that is home to a colossal squid. Because of course it is…

If you are a fan of our previous games, one of the first things you will notice is the big shift in the art. We loved the retro-pixel feeling of our previous titles, but we knew with OlliOlli World we wanted to pursue a bolder, more vivid, animated style. The world is a bit quirky, and we wanted to take the game in a new visual direction that really allowed us to show it off while also emphasizing this is not a sequel, but a totally new game. A major inspiration was to pull in skate culture, street art, and all the unique crossroads that develop around skating. There is a fascinating intersection of psychedelic elements and trippy influences across these communities. We wanted to create a world in which embodies and shares that essence, yet also feels purposeful despite all its oddity. You’ll see walking ice cream people, business frogs, Milk Shake pools, tubing Grizzly Bears, and other bizarre inhabitants. The locations have some real-world influences but then we injected a heavy dose of offbeat humor that we hope brings a chuckle. 

Another big addition to OlliOlli World is the ability to take multiple different paths through levels. We wanted to provide a new level of freedom to explore this weird and wonderful world so now certain paths will branch off into separate directions. This means you’ll be able to cruise down different paths discovering new side quests and more epic trick opportunities really adding to both the variety and replayability of the game. There are hidden ramps, sneaky jumps, quarter pipes, and other spots in which you can just take a moment to c

Hi everyone! We are very excited to be approaching the launch of Returnal, on April 30, and we wanted to share a few more details on Selene’s journey. This time we wanted to talk about some of the hostile forces she will encounter on Atropos. 

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The planet of Atropos is a dark and mysterious place, and each environment will provide its own unique set of enemies to overcome: from the organic and parasitic creatures inhabiting the Overgrown Ruins, to the cosmic or corrupted entities roaming the sands of the Crimson Wastes, and the mechanical automatons that endlessly patrol the haunting Derelict Citadel… Players will encounter a large variety of different foes, which aside from their unique aesthetics will also provide their own unique gameplay flavor and special attacks.

When creating the organic enemies of Returnal, one of the biggest sources of inspiration for me was looking at bioluminescent deep-sea creatures. In many ways they felt like the most alien lifeforms one could find here on Earth. There is something inherently unsettling and foreign about the deep-sea as an environment for us. The way these creatures move deep underwater, with their long tentacles and bioluminescent highlights, can often appear majestic, beautiful and downright terrifying. It’s also not uncommon for these creatures to use their luminous beauty to allure or distract their prey (for example, with a dazzling display of bioluminescence), and suddenly strike when their prey is least expecting it. This combination of chaotic beauty and nightmarish aggression was something we aimed to capture with our organic creatures’ aesthetic.

Towards this purpose we ended up creating our own special VFX-driven tentacle tech and used it very liberally. These fully dynamic elements bring that chaotic beauty to the enemies we were after, and also created some really satisfying feedback for players as well.

For instance, the bioluminescent emissives on tentacles are strongly highlighted to telegraph oncoming attacks and provide satisfying hit reactions when enemies are shot (or when an enemy is killed, where they blow up in a glorious explosion of severed tentacles). The strong emissive highlights also connect back to our Bullet Hell attacks, whe

The Drone Racing League Simulator, the official game of the Drone Racing League (DRL), the #1 drone racing property in the world, is now on PlayStation 4. If you’ve ever dreamed about flying FPV (First Person View), DRL SIM is the fastest, easiest, and most cost-effective way to get the drone skills you’ll need to soar while experiencing the most immersive, out-of-body sensations only FPV drones can provide.

DRL drone and simulation engineers built the simulator with true-to-life drone components, physics, and aerodynamics, enabling players to fly, build and race drones exactly the same as in real life (IRL). The world’s best pilots fly in DRL and train, compete and win professional contracts in the DRL SIM — as seen on NBC, Twitter, Facebook and other premier sports networks around the globe. 

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And now you can, too! Download the DRL SIM today to master these drone skills:

Learn to fly

The DRL SIM features 54 training missions that’ll teach you how to hover, pitch, yaw, and other skills you’ll need to learn to navigate a drone without crashing and breaking the bank on your new drone.

Each mission takes only a few minutes and you can hop around the training as you like, but be prepared: the challenges get harder as you advance. 

You’ll get real-time feedback to help you improve and once you complete the tutorial, you’ll be able to fly high-speed FPV drones IRL nice and smooth — because as DRL pilots know — slow is smooth and smooth is fast. 

Design a supercharged drone

With the game’s interactive workbench, you can choose from real DRL drones flown by the best pilots in the world or design your own supercharged drone through tens of thousands of different combinations, customizing everything from the drone’s size, weight, thrust, prop colors, and more. 

Choose from thousands of motors, batteries and props, licensed from top drone manufacturers, to control the air flow, set top speeds, and control launch-to-flight acceleration rates. Plus, you’ll get to unlock over 50 epic drone skins to cover your quad with a sleek canopy. 

Make your one-of-a-kind drones public to share with other players in the DRL SIM community too, or keep them private and hog that quad for yourself.  

Race like the pros

Race like the DRL pros through a real-time multiplayer m

Welcome back, everyone!

The art of Mass Effect supports and builds a universe in which rich stories and characters can be fully realized. It may sound somewhat counterintuitive, but as artists—especially on this remaster—we want players to be able to experience the trilogy again, or for the first time, without being distracted by the art.

Our goal from the onset was to improve and enhance the visuals while staying true to the original aesthetics of the trilogy that have become so iconic and genre-defining over the past decade. A remaster rather than remake allowed us to build upon the original assets in a way that resembles the polishing phase in a normal development cycle, while also being able to utilize the advantages of much more modern hardware and software.

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Within this blog, we’ll give you an in-depth look at our remastering process with a specific focus on key changes and improvements made to the visuals. Here’s what’s included:

• Building the Foundation
• Modernization Efforts
• Rebuilding Worlds

For those interested in the technical aspects of game development, it’s probably no surprise to hear that changing almost any asset or system can (and will) break something else. When a game is in its final state, it generally resembles a house of cards. The simple process of blowing the dust off, let alone implementing foundational changes like updating the version of the engine, will undoubtedly cause unexpected issues. Remastering a single game is a deceivingly complex process, so creating a proper plan for how best to mitigate risk while reopening three games to full development was foremost on our minds.

We took a three-phased approach to remastering the trilogy.

“The Lazarus Project will proceed as planned.”

Phase 1: Building the Foundation

We started Phase 1 by identifying and cataloguing every asset in the trilogy. How many particle effects, 3D models, textures, levels, GUI (Graphical User Interface) elements, sounds, cinematic movies, etc. actually exist across the trilogy, and on average what are their quality level

The benefits of the DualSense wireless controller are obvious given a typical scenario for a skilled ranger. The enhanced haptics emulate power surging through the bow. Adaptive triggers convey the string tension as it reaches maximum potency. The feedback of a killing blow delivered to the player through a satisfying pulse. The reverberation of an explosive arrow fired into a crowd of enemies. These are just some of the advantages provided to those playing Hood: Outlaws & Legends on PS5 as it reinforces the experience when playing as the master archer, but many other areas of the game have also been augmented with new features.

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A new, deep look at the intense gameplay of Hood: Outlaws & Legends

Combat ready

As stamina depletes in melee combat, the resistance on the trigger increases to signify the strain and reduces the effectiveness of performing the action. This is in addition to receiving incoming impacts and dealing damage to foes, both signified by the haptics. The former is very aggressive, helping to convey the sharp strike of an arrow or the crushing blow of a hammer taken during an enemy encounter. In contrast, the latter is more subdued, a satisfying drum accompanies positive actions such as landing a hit, the intensity of which correlates with the damage dealt. These approaches help players’ to focus on the intended target or incoming danger by providing them with an additional layer of feedback and reducing the need to look elsewhere for a status update.

Character actions

The DualSense controller also helps ground players as they traverse the world. When transitioning into a slide from sprinting, the coarse gravel that litters much of the world grinds against the player as they strive to get back into a stealthy position. This is in contrast to falling from a height which penalises such an action with a forceful thud, reinforcing the damage taken from a harsh landing. Doors, on the other hand, are environmental blockers that can be lock-picked or barged open. Depending on a given character’s approach, the enhanced haptics bolster or suppress the interaction with consequential feedback.

For individuality, there is a signifier to convey when each of the playable character abilities has been triggered. Due to their infrequency of activation, this further amplifies their personality and unique appeal for each gameplay role. In the case of

Hello, PlayStation fans. No stranger to thriving in the wild, Aloy — as you know well from Horizon Zero Dawn and the upcoming Horizon Forbidden West — is soon joining the fray of Fortnite’s Primal Season.

As Aloy arrives as the latest member of the Gaming Legends series, we’re making the occasion extra special with a new tournament and Limited Time Mode. Read on for the Aloy items that will be entering the Fortnite Item Shop, as well as info about the Aloy Cup and the Limited Time Mode “Team Up! Aloy & Lara.”

Introducing the Horizon Zero Dawn Bundle

Outcaster, seeker, and champion, Aloy enters the fray alongside familiar mementos of her Horizon Zero Dawn adventure. In addition to the Aloy Outfit, all these items will be available for purchase in the Item Shop starting April 15, 2021.

Though Blaze may not be a crafting resource on the Island, you can still use it for show via the Blaze Canister Back Bling. Also, glide into battle with the Glinthawk Glider and strike objects with the Aloy’s Spear Pickaxe. Using the Heart-rizon Emote, express yourself with the Focus effect, and inspired by the Shield-Weaver armor, adorn your weapons and vehicles with the Shield-Weaver Wrap.

All items in the Horizon Zero Dawn Bundle will be available individually, but the Bundle includes the Aloy the Skywatcher Loading Screen as an added bonus. Additionally, anyone who owns the Aloy Outfit and plays Fortnite on their PlayStation 5 will unlock the Ice Hunter Aloy Style, based on the Banuk Ice Hunter outfit from Horizon Zero Dawn.

Compete in the Aloy Cup for a chance to unlock the Horizon Zero Dawn Bundle early

Fitting for the Primal Season, bows are more prominent than ever on the Island. One of Aloy’s main weapons in Horizon, demonstrate your bow precision in the upcoming Aloy Cup, available only on PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4. This Duos tournament happens April 14, and the top performing teams in each region will unlock the Horizon Zero Dawn Bundle before it enters the Item Shop.

In the Aloy Cup, you and your Duos partner will compete to be the last team standing, but the twist is that you’ll get bonus points for eliminations with a bow. Players are able to compete in 10 matches in their region’s three-hour time window, and the specific timing for each region can be found in the Compete tab in-game. Full rules are available at the Fortnite website.

Two gaming legends join forces in the “Team Up! Aloy & Lara” limited time mode

When Fortnite’s current Season began, gaming icon Lara Croft was one of the varied veterans of the wild to join the primal fight. Starting April 16, fellow members of the Gaming Legends series Aloy and Lara are assembling for a new Limited Time Mode: Team Up! Aloy & Lara.

Players will automatically be outfitted as either Aloy or Lara in this Duos mode, with their teammate being outfitted as the other. At your disposal will only be the bow for Aloy and Dual Pistols for Lara — keep an eye out for wildlife and master your crafting skill

The first major system software update for the PS5 console is rolling out globally tomorrow, and it’s packed with new features and improvements. Our team is passionate about enhancing your experience on PlayStation in every possible way, so here’s a glimpse at what’s coming for PS5, PS4, and PlayStation App:

PS5 Storage Expansion and Management

• Store PS5 Games on Compatible External USB Drives.* With this feature, you can now transfer your PS5 games to USB extended storage from your console’s internal storage. It’s a great way to extend the storage capabilities of your PS5 console, and you can seamlessly copy your PS5 games back to the console’s internal storage when you’re ready to play. It is faster to reinstall PS5 games from USB extended storage than to re-download or copy them from a disc.

• Because PS5 games are designed to take advantage of the console’s ultra high-speed SSD, PS5 titles can’t be played from USB extended storage. PS5 titles also cannot be directly downloaded to USB extended storage. However, games that you transfer or copy back to internal storage will automatically update when applicable. In addition, you can select which game modes you want to install (such as campaign or multiplayer) for select titles that support the option.

• For tips on using USB extended storage on PS5, including storage device requirements, please visit: https://www.playstation.com/en-us/support/hardware/ps5-extended-storage/.

As previously announced, the PS5 console will support storage expansion via M.2 drives in the future. We’re currently working on this feature and will keep you posted with any updates on PlayStation Blog.

New Social Features for PS4 and PS5 Consoles

• Cross-generation Share Play. PS4 and PS5 players can now Share Play together while chatting in parties. This means PS5 console users can let their friends on PS4 consoles view their game screen, or even try out the PS5 games through Share Play, and vice versa. Options include the ability to share your screen with a friend, pass your controller virtually to a friend, or pass a second controller virtually to play co-op games together.

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Greetings, everyone! Matt “Bayohne” Hilton here from the Final Fantasy XIV community team, and I’m excited to bring you more details about the PS5 version of FFXIV launching into open beta tomorrow.

The PS5 version of FFXIV brings many new enhancements to the game that make use of the console’s power and features, so we wanted to give you an introduction as to what you can expect.

If you hadn’t caught the first showcase of the PS5 version, check out the reveal trailer below.

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There is even more coming with the PS5 version, and we enlisted the help of Final Fantasy XIV Lead Project Manager Shoichi Matsuzawa to dive into the details and what to expect.

An open beta without limits

We’ve mentioned the start of our open beta a few times, but what exactly does this mean? Most importantly, this open beta doesn’t mean limiting what you can play.

Even if you haven’t played FFXIV on the PS4 yet, this is still the perfect time for those of you with a PS5 to hop in.

Shoichi Matsuzawa: “During the open beta period, players who own the PS4 version of FFXIV can experience all of the same content, but on PlayStation 5. The Worlds (or game servers) that you’ll connect to are the same ones that players on PS4 and other platforms play on, and there are no restrictions from a functionality perspective for open beta participants.

We are launching into an open beta as a precaution, since there is a massive amount of existing content in FFXIV. If we do not see any critical issues, we plan to transition straight into official service.”

Matsuzawa: “If you are starting FFXIV fresh, the Free Trial version will also be available during the open beta on PS5—you can play A Realm Reborn and the first expansion pack, Heavensward, up to level 60. Worry not—your character, progress and everything else will carry over to the full version.

The full version for the PlayStation 5 will be available after the conclusion of the open beta, so we would encourage new players who start on the free trial to consider switching over to the full product version.”

Enjoy Eorzea in 4k

The PS5 version will make FFXIV look better than ever before with new display options and improved frame rates. Here are some of the specifics:

Matsuzawa: “We will offer three rendering resolutions to choose from in the PS5 version: 4K (2160p) / WQHD (1440p) / Full HD (1080p), which will then be scaled to match your TV’s output.

I wouldn’t want to make sweeping generalizations since there are so ma

Hello again, tamers, and welcome back to the Archipelago. The wait is over, and the eagerly awaited island of Cipanku opens its doors tomorrow for all tamers to discover and enjoy.

In case you missed it, Temtem is a colorful creature-collecting MMO where you’ll explore the Airborne Archipelago alongside your Temtem squad. From tomorrow onwards, you’ll have one more island to discover. Oh! We’ll also be implementing Activity Cards for all in-game quests — we can’t wait to see what you think.

The rise of digital Temtem

Cipanku is an Electric/Digital themed island, where tradition and technology converge and meld together. Cipanku is the first island to house Digital Temtem, a rare Temtem type that humans created in the Nanto laboratories. Digital Tems come with their own new and exclusive Traits and Techniques; they’re the first type to be weak to themselves. Digital Tems are strong against Mental, Melee and Digital types, and are weak to Water, Electric and Digital types. They’re also resistant to the Toxic type.

Notable Digital Tems you might already have registered in your Tempedia include Oree, Zaobian and the Digital variant of Koish. We’ve also leaked a new Digital tem called Molgu, and a couple of Electric Tems like Raignet and the Sparzy line.

Catch a mythical Temtem together

Cipanku also brings with it one of the most significant features in the game’s history. Mythical Temtem. And the way to reach them, Lairs.

Lairs are a group activity, ranging from three to five players (having five is strongly recommended), where you and your teammates will be able to progress through your own paths to get a chance at capturing the Mythical Temtem. In Lairs, even though each player receives a different randomly generated path, all resources are shared and resource management is the true key to success in reaching the Mythical. To prove your skills as a tamer, instead of traversing the Lair with your usual squad you must form your Temtem team and inventory during the Lair, and think strategically about when and what to bring along with you.

Fast travel across the Islands

The technology advancement in Cipanku will allow you to unlock one of the most requested features so far: teleportation. By completing a side quest in the city of Neoedo

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Hey y’all! This week we sit down with composer Bobby Krlic, who shares the creative process behind crafting Returnal’s soundtrack.

Stuff We Talked About

• Mass Effect Legendary Edition
• Oddworld: Soulstorm
• Returnal (interview begins at 21:20)
• Outer Wilds
• The Witness
• Disco Elysium – The Final Cut
• Games that made us see things differently in the real world

The Cast

Sid Shuman – Senior Director of Content Communications, SIE

Tim Turi –  Senior Content Communications Specialist, SIE

Kristen Zitani – Senior Content Communications Specialist

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