Sony "removed" PSN barriers for Dust 514

CCP has said that Sony didn't just "relax" its PSN policies so Dust 514 would work on PS3, it removed" them entirely so the free-to-play title could launch and update without any barriers.

According to Dust 514's executive producer Brandon Laurino, the studio and Sony worked together to "identify all the barriers that need to be removed" in order to properly operate the free-to-play shooter MMO on the PSN service.

"We have complete ability to service and update the game as much as needed," he said adding that it won't be expensive for the developer to patch the game either. "We've worked out a framework where it's certainly not [overly expensive], and essentially it's not even a thought, it's a completely trivial part of the equation."

Removing the barriers was the most important step to being able to release the MMO as it along with EVE Online will operate conjointly on a "unified cluster of servers" so that events taking place in one game will affect the other. For example: EVE Online spaceships can "order real-time orbital strikes on Dust 514 planets, but structures can be built in Dust 514 to retaliate and shoot back," according to EG.

Opening up the PSN service in this manner to CCP will also benefit Sony in the long run as it will allow the firm to bring similar business models to its platforms in the future.

"I can't speak for Sony," Laurino told Eurogamer, "but part of the reason they've engaged with us on this is to be able to bring this business model full force to their platforms moving forward. Certainly the intention here is to evolve the whole console business model, and we're doing it in a way where it's not just specific to us necessarily.

"This was very much an evolution and learning exercise for them as much as us."

Dust 514 doesn't have a set release window, but it will be released sometime this year.