PlayStation Home reboot launching tomorrow

News by Johnny Cullen Contributor

Published on Nov. 2, 2011

Sony's announced it's to launch its reboot of PlayStation Home tomorrow morning GMT.

The update, which will in effect make the service a social games platform, will launch with four new theme-based districts - Action, Sportswalk, Adventure and Pier Park - alongside the currently-existing Home Theatre and Home Mall.

Sony's also confirmed it'll launch with five new F2P games for Home that will run from a Freemium model. They are:

Bootleggers '29 - Set in the seedy underbelly of the Roaring Twenties, this PlayStation Home exclusive first-person shooter found in the Action District pits cops vs. criminals in a Prohibition-era game of Capture the Cask. Boasting real-time multiplayer action, a variety of vintage weapons and unlockable rewards, and the unique ability to play as your PlayStation Home avatar, Bootleggers '29 is a 100% free-to-play game that introduces a classic narrative to the modern shooter genre.
PlayStation Home Hold 'Em - A series of backroom poker tables hosted in the brand new Sportswalk district, PlayStation Home Hold 'Em squares players off in a no-holds-barred, winner-take-all battle of the bluffs. Only the best of the best will progress to the high stakes tables and collect all the prizes in this free version of the wildly-popular Texas Hold 'Em card game.
PlayStation Home Sports Trivia - Test your sports expertise against the PlayStation Home community and unlock a series of themed rewards in this massive sports trivia game, found in the Sportswalk. Packed with over 10,000 trivia questions, this game will challenge the memories of even the most die-hard sports fans.
RC Rally - Build and customize your own remote controlled car and race against friends over multiple courses, performing stunts and tricks and unlocking numerous upgrades along the way. This fast-paced PlayStation Home original game can be found in the new Pier Park.
Cogs - A 3D version of Lazy 8 Studios award-winning Steampunk puzzle game, Cogs can be found front-and-center in PlayStation Home's new Hub. Build a variety of machines from sliding tiles and unlock exclusive PlayStation Home rewards in this highly-addictive puzzler.

The relaunch of Home, which has seen 24 million users worldwide since it went live in 2008, is "a major milestone for PlayStation Network," according to Home director Jack Buser, "and we are thrilled to bring a new core experience to PlayStation Home where games are front and center."

Other stats dropped by SCEA for Home users in the US include: