Finally: Captain Qwark gets his moment of glory! Flip over the cover art of Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One on October 18th and you’ll find this sweet surprise.

Now back to the making of the box art. Believe it or not, there’s a lot that goes into that rectangular piece of art that sits on store shelves (although I’m sure many colorful commentators would beg to differ). Before we kicked off packfront exploration, we collaborated with Insomniac Games to set our goals. The goals? Make something that not only popped on shelves, but spoke to the core principles of the game:

• Cooperative gameplay
• Unique characters
• Things that goes boom

We also wanted to make sure that something was designed with new audience members in mind: If you’ve never played a Ratchet & Clank game, what would you need to see to understand the characters? With our goals set, we began work on the various pieces of art that would start representing the game.

The tale begins in May of 2010, well before we revealed Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One at gamescom. As we worked on the reveal art, we pondered a direction for the game’s cover art (which is called the “packfront, “front of box” or FOB in biz-speak). At the time, we were noticing that a lot of recent game covers were looking very minimalist with clean, high-contrast colors — all-white or stark black backgrounds showing the hero in a dramatic pose. Ratchet & Clank is a colorful series, so we wanted to try this contemporary style while highlighting the bright color palette that makes All 4 One so visually appealing and unique.

From the start, we decided that it would be important for us to continue our tradition of working directly with Insomniac for the art; we didn’t want to go through some vendor and have them try to awkwardly emulate Insomniac’s style. This was especially important because Insomniac was making some minor tweaks to the character designs with All 4 One. So, after our initial discussions with Insomniac, we agreed to explore three basic directions for the cover artwork, which you can see below.

“Static Heroes.” This is the traditional, iconic movie-poster-style where you focus strongly on the characters’ faces. When it works, it’s because you know who they are. Note the game’s working title of “Ratchet & Clank: 4 Play,” which didn’t pass final approval for obvious reasons.

“Ready for Action.” This is your classic hero shot where the team is armed, ready for battle, and up against stiff odds. In these early comps, marvel at Qwark’s huge body and (understandably) tiny head — it was a constant design challenge to fit him into frame.

“Team Smackdown.” This is an approach often seen gracing comic book covers – say, part three of a five-part series. The heroes are in the throes of combat, in the middle of the destruction. For this to work, we have to show them working together: jumping into battle, rushing towards the screen, or firing their weapons.

Based on our early compositions, we quickly determined that the Team Smackdown approach looked too busy to be effective: it showed lot of weapon effects, enemies getting shredded, tons of motion, with some characters looking too small or disappearing in the chaos. Qwark alone took up to a third of the entire image in some of comps! The Static Heroes approach was tempting, and we’d used it for Tools of Destruction, but we walked away from it because you had to know who these characters are for the effect to work. And with All 4 One, we wanted to introduce the characters to a new generation of gamers in addition to longtime series fans.

We took a step back and thought it might be smart to use the art more consistently, to try to communicate who the characters were through the art and then show it again and again. After kicking ideas back and forth, we settled into the next phase of the art design. We ultimately opted to focus on the Ready For Action theme, with a dash of Static Heroes by pulling the camera in close so you could identify the characters. From there it was a back-and-forth process of tweaking the thumbnail sketches until we got the effect we wanted.

As we made progress towards the final version, we gradually learned that it was best to show the characters from the waist up. Throughout this process, you have to consider so much: weapons can add a lot of clutter, but at the same time if we had left the characters empty-handed, people who saw the art might think it was a game where four guys punched everyone in the face — not what we wanted!

Throughout the entire process, our collaboration with Insomniac was an excellent experience. Insomniac Principle Artist Dave Guertin, took our suggestions and reworked the image until we hit the design goals of both teams. Our creative collaboration with Insomniac wasn’t just nodding and smiling – we were on the same page and we gave each other what we wanted.

This version is getting close, but we wanted Ratchet to sport a mischievous grin and instead he looks kind of… evil. We asked Dave to raise his head a bit and subtly brighten his eyes. We wanted him to look like he’s ready to kick butt, not like he’s going to kill you in your sleep!

Meanwhile, as we worked towards the final version, there were so many factors to keep in mind. You need to make room for the game’s logo to stand out (and it’s a big one!), so you have to be very economical and make smart design decisions. We also wanted to showcase the game’s weaponry — a key gameplay feature for the series since day one — so we slapped a Combuster into Ratchet’s hot little hands.

Once we were homing in on our final designs, we conducted an experiment to see how the art options would hold up in the real world. We headed down to our retail staging area, which has shelf mockups that mimic the ones you see various retailers. We smacked the artwork onto the shelf, and we immediately saw that a bar covered up both Ratchet and Clank’s faces. D’oh! So we had to creep the logo and artwork higher to keep them above that bar. It’s the little things…

Between concept, direction, approvals, renders, tests and internal reviews, the packfront design process lasted between seven and eight months of constant iteration and refinement. Dave painted the final image in February of 2011, just in time to debut it on the PlayStation.Blog a few weeks later.

And there you have it, our journey towards a final packfront. As you can see above, it can take a lot of time, effort, trial, error and discussion to get to the final piece that we reveal our gaming audience. It may seem easy when you take a glance, but it’s anything but.

We hope you enjoyed the read and found it educational. Let us know what some of your alternate favorites are below and be sure to pick up a copy of Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One when it releases this October 18th!

First off, if you haven’t already, meet Kat:

You’ll be assuming the role of our cel-shaded heroine, who wakes in a strange city with no memory of how she got there. While exploring the town, she encounters a black cat (clever, huh?), who grants her the ability to control the gravity around her.

From there, the story unfolds across multiple chapters as Kat uses her newfound powers to not only help a city that’s (literally) breaking apart, but to figure out the mystery of her past and what (or who) has brought her here. Using the PS Vita, you’ll be able to release Kat from gravity’s hold and shift her center of gravity to completely change her perspective and gain access to previously unseen areas of the stages you play in. Whether “falling” towards the side of a tower or virtually any visible surface, Kat can be brought back to a floating state with a simple trigger pull, or be forced back to following the laws of real-world gravity by deactivating her skill, dropping her down to the ground without a scratch. I think you can see how this will give a whole new meaning to the term “world exploration.”

Aside from her name and her look that definitely shows she’s not from around these parts, there isn’t much she knows. What she does know, however, is how to fight.

And fight she will. Little is known about the entities that show up as she explores this new world, but they definitely have something to do with everything that’s going on. Combat is going to occur differently as gravity now plays a pretty important part in how you approach enemies. While she can punch, Kat is far more adept at kicking. She can amplify these attacks by implementing get gravity-based skill to target enemies before allowing gravity to take over and deliver a stronger attack. We have to admit, there’s something about being able to use gravity to plant Kat’s feet into a enemies’ face. As you go through the game you will gain more combat abilities. Some of them are going to add to your basic stock combo, mostly kick-driven. Because, well, Kat’s a kicker.

You really can’t understand how beautiful it is until you see if on the PS Vita’s OLED screen for yourself and we can’t wait ’till you do.

Don’t cry, Kat! If you keep an eye out here, you’ll find out more information in the coming weeks.

SCEA and Insomniac Games are happy to share the official box art for Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One and the Official North American Street Date (note the capital letters for each word – that means it’s important): October 18th, 2011!

We’ve also partnered with several retailers to offer up some pretty sweet preorder items including several fan favorites! Exciting? Definitely! Now you can rush out and preorder a copy of the game to enjoy on your own or with up to three other players. In case you didn’t catch the video, see the details for each of our retail partners below:

Turning enemies into farmyard animals not your style? Want a more prehistoric take on the Morph-O-Ray? Use this T-Rex Morph Weapon Mod to transform your enemies from dangerous threats into a baby dinosaur with this pre order from Amazon.

Fry your enemies up with this Kerchu-engineered flamethrower that offers your enemies two choices: regular or extra crispy in this pre order item available through Best Buy.

A Ratchet & Clank fan favorite, the hovering synthenoid Mr. Zurkon aids your team in battle by attacking enemies with his mounted laser while insulting and taunting them with his comedy-insult logic processor. You can pre order him today at GameStop.

And finally, the classic version of everyone’s favorite Ratchet & Clank weapon is back! Unlock the Sheepinator Morph Weapon Mod to transform even the fiercest aliens in the galaxy into harmless sheep with this pre order item available starting next week at WalMart.com.

We hope you find something you like and that you go out and pre order today through your favorite retailers! Keep an eye out here for new information on Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One as we get closer to launch!

Speaking of fans, we’re proud to continue the tradition of giving the community a chance to get in the game by announcing the Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One Skin Design Contest!

From April 18th to April 29th, 2011, Insomniac Games is giving you the chance to redesign Ratchet & Clank with your very own skin that they’ll pretty up and integrate into the game itself.

What about Qwark and Nefarious? Just check the EU PlayStation.Blog, where we’re giving our European fans the opportunity to jump in and submit their own designs as well. The entire skin pack will be made available as we get closer to the game release this Fall 2011.

To enter, simply head over to www.ratchetandclank.com and click on the contest banner. Download the coloring book style template for Ratchet & Clank, paint them up and submit them by the deadline! A panel of judges from Insomniac Games will choose winning entries for each character, which we’ll reveal in May.

In addition to getting their designs into the game, two first prize winners will receive a trip for 2 to Comic-Con International 2011 in San Diego, California. The trip prize package will include round trip coach class air transportation to San Diego, California, up to four nights of hotel accommodations, general entry tickets to Comic-Con International 2011, $500.00 spending money, and a custom set of DualShock 3 controllers! We’ll also have some awesome prizes for submissions that come in as runner up.

Terms and conditions apply – visit the contest page for more info. We’re excited to see what you come up with and give some cool prizes away!

Keep an eye out on the PlayStation.Blog as we announce even more info in the coming weeks. For more information on Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One, including the latest trailers, go here. If you’re interested in picking up the latest Ratchet & Clank games and merchandise, check out the new Amazon.com storefront!

The PlayStation Move Heroes Bundle is a North American exclusive (US and Canada) and will retail for $99.99 at Toys “R” Us. The bundle includes:

• PlayStation Move Heroes Game
• PlayStation Eye Camera
• PlayStation Move Motion Controller

Also, for a little something extra, we wanted to share the final packfront art for the stand-alone game, which as you know will be shipping to retailers nationwide on March 22.

Make sure to pre-order to get your free exclusive skin pack! We’ll keep the news coming as we sprint towards launch. In the meantime, keep an eye out here for the latest on PlayStation Move Heroes.

We’re happy to kick off the New Year by announcing that the PS3 exclusive, PlayStation Move Heroes will be shipping this March 22nd!

The team at Nihilistic Software has been hard at work over the last few months putting together a very unique experience for fans of Jak, Daxter, Sly, Bentley, Ratchet and Clank. PlayStation Move Heroes is going to give you the chance to step into the shoes of these iconic PlayStation characters and supply beatdowns to enemies and complete challenges across various stages from all three series.

We’ve also worked with Nihilistic and our retail partners to bring you an exclusive skin pack featuring Pirate Sly, Freedom League Jak and Trillium Armor Ratchet. Free with your pre-order at participating retailers!

Just place your reservation today with Amazon or GameStop and guarantee access to these skins the day PlayStation Move Heroes launches.

Keep an eye out here as we reveal more information on the story surrounding our heroes and share some exciting new features, levels, and challenges you’ll find when battling your way through PlayStation Move Heroes.

Our developers, Nihilistic Software, also joined us at our NY Comic Con event to demo some of the new gameplay we’ve been working on. Check out the video above as Robert Huebner, Studio Director for Nihilistic Software, and Andrew Woodworth, Producer for SCEA, play through a new mission and discuss how they’re leveraging the accuracy and precision of the PlayStation Move to develop PlayStation Move Heroes.

Keep your eyes on the PlayStation.Blog as we update you with additional info on the story, co-op mode, and a sweet pre-order deal!

“What?! Where?! How? Who?!” — We gotcha covered ;)

First, here are some exclusive preview images of the comic. Just so you know, the stunning covers are being done by CreatureBox (Insomniac artists David Guertin and Greg Baldwin) and the interior art is from Adam Archer.

Releasing: September 8th, 2010

Where: North America, including all states, territories and possessions of the United States, and South America. The United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, Belgium, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, France, Spain, Italy and Germany. Whew!

We can also confirm that it’ll become available through PlayStation Digital Comics this Fall!

Read on for a message from the man behind the legends, TJ Fixman.

After working on two full adventures and one downloadable mini-adventure, I’m extremely excited to help bring Ratchet & Clank to the comic book world. Over the years, we at Insomniac have watched like doting parents as the Ratchet & Clank mythology grew from a few small planets in the Solana Galaxy to a living, breathing universe full of fun characters and exotic alien worlds. It’s a universe that thrives on impossible weaponry and massive amounts of destruction while somehow managing to keep its sense of humor. How we came across that formula, I couldn’t tell you (though I suspect Chief Creative Officer Brian Hastings has it under lock and key in his desk), but the result is a heart-felt mythology that somehow manages to bring out the kid in all of us — even when it’s our pen on the paper.

With that in mind, I’d like to thank you, the readers, for allowing me to bring Ratchet & Clank out for another adventure. Thank you for allowing me to give Captain Qwark the worst job a failed superhero and actor could ever have. And above all, thank you for letting me be a kid again. Hope you enjoy the comic!

Make sure you contact your local comic book shop to let them know you’re interested in picking up your copy when it releases! Keep an out here on the PlayStation.Blog for more info on the Digital Comic.

And if you think you’ve done it all, guess again. Beginning this Thursday, March 11th, we’ll be offering up additional quests for free every week through the end of June! You read right, free. Just log into the PlayStation Network, start up your copy of White Knight Chronicles and you’ll see new quests pop up on the World Map. Each week we’ll be releasing a new permanent quest, as well as limited quests that will only be available for two weeks at a time. To find out which quests are active, be sure to follow our Twitter account. We’ll be shooting the names of the permanent and temporary quests out through there.

To celebrate these weekly updates, we’re going to run a sweepstakes! Just log into any of the following quests in White Knight Chronicles:

• All in the Cards
• All in the Cards II
• Station Attendant
• Station Attendant II
• Heat Waves
• Heat Waves II

Log in between 5pm PST on Friday, March 19 and 11:59pm on Sunday, March 21 to get entered into a drawing to win a 12-inch White Knight figure:

Specific rules to the contest are below.

Good luck!

“Get The Loot” Sweepstakes

The following promotion is intended for viewing in the 50 United States and D.C. only and shall only be construed and evaluated according to United States law. Do not proceed in this site if you are not a legal resident of, and located in, the 50 United States or D.C. at the time of entry.

White Knight Chronicles International Edition “Get The Loot” Sweepstakes

OFFICIAL RULES

1. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Void outside the 50 United States and D.C. and where prohibited. To enter, you must have a valid PlayStation Network account, a PlayStation 3 system and a copy of White Knight Chronicles International Edition (“WKC”). Entries are submitted by signing in to the PlayStation Network and playing an on-line quest within WKC. The on-line quests are titled “All in the Cards”, “All in the Cards II”, “Station Attendant”, “Station Attendant II”, “Heat Waves”, and “Heat Waves II”. Each time you log in and play one of the quests listed above, you will qualify for an entry into the Sweepstakes. Quests do not need to be completed to qualify for an entry.

To be valid, entries must be received between March 19, 2010 5:00 p.m. (PST) and no later than March 21, 2010 at 11:59 p.m. (PST). Sony Computer Entertainment America (the “Sponsor”) is not responsible for lost, late, mutilated, illegible, incomplete or misdirected entries. Sponsor is not responsible for technical, hardware or software failures of any kind, lost or unavailable network connections or failed, incomplete, garbled or delayed computer transmissions which may limit an entrants ability to participate in the contest. Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to modify, cancel or suspend this sweepstakes should virus, bugs or other causes beyond Sponsor’s control corrupt the administration, security or proper play of this Sweepstakes. If the Sweepstakes is cancelled for any reason, winner will be selected from among all valid entries received prior to cancellation and all prizes will be awarded. Entries not satisfying these Official Rules will be automatically disqualified.

2. PRIZES: Twenty Five (25) Winners will receive one (1) White Knight Figure (approximate retail value, $100). Sponsor reserves the right to substitute prize of equal or greater value if prize is unavailable. Prizes are non-transferable and no substitutions allowed. Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery of prizes.

3. WINNERS: Winners will be determined by a single random drawing of all valid entries received by Sponsor, whose decisions are final. Drawing will be held on or about March 26, 2010. Winners will be notified by the e-mail account used to set up their PlayStation Network ID within 10 days of drawing.

4. ODDS OF WINNING: The odds of winning depend on number of valid entries received.

5. ELIGIBILITY: Open to legal U.S. residents 13 years or older. Return of any prize/prize notification as undeliverable will result in disqualification and an alternate winner will be selected. All unclaimed prizes will not be awarded. If the winner is a minor, then prize may be awarded to winner’s parent or legal guardian. By acceptance of prize, winner agrees to the use of their name and/or likenesses for purposes of advertising, trade, or promotion without further compensation, unless prohibited by law. Additionally, by acceptance of prize, grand prize winner agrees to release Sponsor, its parents, subsidiaries and affiliates from any and all liability, claims or actions of any kind whatsoever for injuries, damages or losses to persons and property which may be sustained in connection with the receipt, ownership or use of the prize or while participating, in any prize-related activity. Employees of the Sponsor and its parent, subsidiaries and affiliated companies and their immediate families are not eligible to participate in this sweepstakes. Neither the Sponsors nor its affiliates, subsidiaries, division or related companies are responsible for any damages, taxes, or expenses that winners might incur as result of this sweepstakes or receipt of prize.

6. WINNER LIST: To obtain a copy of the rules and/or the name of Prize winners, send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to: “Get The Loot” Attn: Promotions, 919 E. Hillsdale Blvd. 2nd Floor Foster City, CA 94404. Prize winners name request will be fulfilled within four weeks after prizes have been awarded. Requests for winner list must be received by April 30, 2010.

7. RESTRICTIONS: Void where prohibited or restricted by law.

8. SPONSOR: Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc., 919 E. Hillsdale Blvd. Foster City, CA 94404

For those of your who haven’t picked up your copy yet, we definitely recommend rushing to your favorite retailer (or mailbox) to get your hands on one of the most anticipated titles of 2010. If you’re still on the fence, be sure to download one of the hottest demos available on the PlayStation Store and see what everyone’s been talking about. Still not sure? Check out the reviews and you’ll see that it’s well worth it!

If you find yourself playing the game and tapping your toes to the music, you can head over to iTunes today to download your copy of the soundtrack, which will also become available for download from the PlayStation Store on March 18.

And we haven’t forgotten our promise to you, the fans. For those of you who prefer it, just follow the link below to download the European packfront image that you can print out and slide into your game case. I’d recommend printing it on an 11 x 17 and cutting along the lines so it fits just right.

Keep an eye out in the coming weeks as well as we unveil additional content through the PlayStation Store for Heavy Rain fans.

Happy gaming!