Award-Winning Franchise Returns to the PSP(R) (PlayStation(R)Portable) System in God of War(R): Ghost of Sparta

FOSTER CITY, Calif., May 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC. (SCEA) announced today plans to release God of War®: Ghost of Sparta, the latest installment in the multi-million unit selling franchise, exclusively for the PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) and PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) go systems.  Developed by Ready At Dawn® Studios, the acclaimed team that brought you the best-selling God of War®: Chains of Olympus, in collaboration with Sony Computer Entertainment's Worldwide Studios Santa Monica Studio, God of War: Ghost of Sparta will combine intense action, an elaborate new storyline, stunning graphics, and depths of scale never-before-seen on the portable platform.  

"Excitement for the God of War franchise is at an all-time high and we're thrilled to continue that momentum with God of War: Ghost of Sparta," said Scott A. Steinberg, vice president, product marketing, SCEA.  "This new adventure will showcase Kratos on PSP like never before in an experience that fans and newcomers can enjoy on the go, anytime, anywhere."

Set in the realm of Greek mythology, God of War: Ghost of Sparta is a single-player game that allows players to take on the powerful role of Spartan warrior Kratos.  This new adventure picks up after God of War® concludes, telling the story of Kratos' ascension to power as the God of War.  In his quest to rid himself of the nightmares that haunt him, Kratos must embark on a journey that will reveal the origins of lost worlds, and finally answer long-awaited questions about his dark past.  Armed with the deadly chained Blades of Chaos, he will have to overcome armies of mythological monsters, legions of undead soldiers, and amazingly dangerous and brutal landscapes throughout his merciless quest.

Utilizing state-of-the-art visual technologies, the development team has made significant strides to give players a realistic feel that has never been seen before on PSP or any other portable platform.  The game showcases higher quality environments and characters, giving an unmistakable realism to Kratos' newest quest.  Providing over 25% more gameplay, God of War: Ghost of Sparta will feature fluid, life-like characters, a robust weapon system, new magical powers, weapons and navigational abilities, many more enemies on screen, and a greater number of boss encounters, truly bringing the experience to life, all while on the go.

God of War: Ghost of Sparta is a single-player action-adventure that has an ESRB rating of "RP" for Rating Pending.  It will be released later this year in 2010.  For more information about the ESRB, visit www.esrb.org.  For more information about the God of War franchise, visit www.GodofWar.com.  

Acclaim for God of War: Chains of Olympus

God of War: Chains of Olympus is currently the highest rated PSP title of all-time on www.metacritic.com and has been acknowledged by some of the videogame industry's top media outlets, including IGN.com (Best PSP Action Game, Best PSP Use of Sound, Best PSP Graphics Technology), Gamespy.com (PSP Gamer's Choice Award, PSP Game of the Year Award, PSP Action Game of the Year Award), PlayStation: The Official Magazine (PSP Game of the Year), and Game Informer (Handheld Game of the Month Award).

Acclaim for the God of War Franchise

God of War releases have set the bar for the action-adventure genre and been acknowledged by some of the videogame industry's key publications, which include PlayStation: The Official Magazine (Editor's Choice Award), Game Informer (Action/Adventure Game of the Year Award), GamePro (Editor's Choice Award), Electronic Gaming Monthly (Best PS2 Game), IGN.com (Editor's Choice Award and Game of the Year Award), and four nominations in the Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, including Overall Game of the Year and Console Game of the Year.  The franchise has also been awarded with several honors including several E3 Best of Game Awards (given by several online publications), numerous Game of the Year and Best Action Game Awards (given at Spike TV's Video Game Awards, Golden Joystick Awards, PSX Extreme Awards and the 3rd Annual G-Phoria Awards, and by PAX, GameZone, GameDaily, GameSpot), to name just a few.  

About Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC.

Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC. continues to redefine the entertainment lifestyle with its PlayStation® and PS one® game console, the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, the PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) handheld entertainment system, the ground-breaking PlayStation®3 (PS3™) computer entertainment system and its online and network services the PlayStation®Network and PlayStation®Store. Recognized as the undisputed industry leader, Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC. markets the PlayStation family of products and develops, publishes, markets and distributes software for the PS one, PlayStation 2, PSP and PS3 systems for the North American market. Based in Foster City, Calif., Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC. serves as headquarters for all North American operations.

About Ready At Dawn Studios LLC

Founded in 2003 and based in Irvine, California, Ready At Dawn is an independent, premier game development studio. Having pushed the boundaries of the platforms they have developed for, the studio is best known for its critically and commercially acclaimed titles God of War: Chains of Olympus and Daxter, both available for the Sony PSP® (PlayStation®Portable).

Visit us on the Web at http://www.us.playstation.com.

"PlayStation", "PSP", "PS one" and the "PS" Family  logo are registered trademarks and "PS3" is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. God of War is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. © Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc.

SOURCE Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC.