Sony, Publishers Re-Up PSP Commitment

Sony Computer Entertainment America revealed its bevy of plans for  PSP, including the introduction of its critically acclaimed LittleBigPlanet to the handheld as well as a new hardware offering to attract young female gamers.

At its annual retail and publisher conference, “Destination PlayStation,” Sony announced its new hardware bundle, the Hanna Montana PSP Entertainment Pack. The bundle, launching in July, will include a new lilac PSP color as well as Disney Interactive’s Hanna Montana game, a selection of Hanna Montana TV episodes on UMD, a 2GB Memory Stick Pro Duo and stickers to customize the PSP. Ubisoft will assist Sony in targeting the “tween” girl crowd by bringing its Petz series to PSP.

Sony will also introduce its Assassin’s Creed PSP Entertainment Pack, which will mark the debut of Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed on the handheld (and of course be included in the pack) and a “piano black” PSP. Both the Hanna Montana and Assassin’s Creed packs will retail for $200.

The company boasted strong publisher support for PSP, with exclusives such as Rock Band Unplugged from Electronic Arts [ERTS]. The title will be the first PSP game to include a fully featured in-game store for users to download content in the North American and European markets.

Rounding out the Sony’s PSP publisher support was Square Enix's Dissidia Final Fantasy, which has sold 850,000 units since launching before the holidays in Japan. The RPG will launch in the US this summer. Sony’s first-party PSP titles will include MotorStorm Arctic Edge and LittleBigPlanet, both launching this fall.

Sony also previewed its upcoming PlayStation 3 lineup at the event, including platform exclusives such as Killzone 2, inFamous, MLB '09: The Show, Mag, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves and God of War III to launch throughout the fiscal year.