BEYOND: Two Souls was also featured yesterday on Tribeca Film Festival’s “Future Of Film” blog, and will be making ongoing appearances on their site as they continue the discussion around how BEYOND: Two Souls is further blending the worlds of film and gaming.

Everything you’re seeing in the gameplay shown at Tribeca Film Festival is under the control of the player in some way shape or form, and the story evolves based on decisions and actions the player takes. In the coming months, we’ll definitely be highlighting much more clearly just what that means, so stay tuned!

We hope you enjoy the show, and remember to get out and pre-order your copy today! Pre-ordering at GameStop will get you a nice package of exclusive goodies too.

“Presenting Beyond at TFF is a groundbreaking example of the potential in the marriage of gaming and cinema.”

Ladies and gentlemen of the PlayStation family, today at 6:45pm EST (Update: Show’s over! Watch the trailer above) we’re overwhelmingly pleased to bring you Beyond: Two Souls, live from our screening at Tribeca Film Festival, right here on the PlayStation.Blog.

At the two-hour screening, we will be debuting the official trailer for Beyond: Two Souls and a 35-minute scene from the game (we’re taking care to avoid many of the major, major spoilers for you), followed by a live panel Q&A with game writer/director David Cage, star Ellen Page, and supporting cast members Kadeem Hardison and Eric Winter – moderated by video game journalist Harold Goldberg.

The Official Selection by Tribeca Film Festival really is an exciting accomplishment for Beyond: Two Souls and the industry as a whole. Geoff Gilmore, one of the founding fathers of film festivals like Sundance and Tribeca, has described it as “a watershed moment in storytelling and media”, and it’s an honor that Beyond: Two Souls is getting recognized for its powerful story and presentation at such a high level.

For those in NYC, you can join us in person at the screening to take in the Festival for yourself. Tickets can be purchased here.

We hope you enjoy the show, and remember to get out and pre-order your copy today!

We worked together with the team at Quantic Dream to choose an image that we felt was both cinematic and in keeping with the emotional journey that the final game will take you on. We hope you like it.

Developing the pack front for a game like BEYOND is always an exciting challenge. BEYOND is so unique in the sense that it spans a character’s entire lifetime and takes place in such a vast array of locations and situations, that picking a singular image to represent the game effectively really does feel like digging for a needle in a haystack. What age do we want Jodie to be in the image? Do we include co-star Willem Dafoe? Do you show Jodie doing something dynamic or do we show her more at peace? These are all questions we had to ask ourselves throughout the process (among a great deal of other questions!).

Ultimately, we decided on the packshot you see above because it felt sophisticated, mature and different from most traditional game packaging, and it really captures the emotion Ellen Page conveyed in her performance as Jodie. The image of Jodie at peace in the eye of the storm really speaks to her constant battle with the incredible gift she’s been given.

Next week, on Saturday April 27th, BEYOND will be screened at the Tribeca Film Festival, followed by a panel featuring writer/director David Cage and actress Ellen Page. Stay tuned next week on PlayStation Blog for details of how you can watch this event via a live stream.

Any questions, please just ask away below.

Two weeks ago, Oscar-nominee Willem Dafoe was added to the cast of BEYOND: Two Souls, and we announced pre-order bonuses for North America. Today, we’re talking about how BEYOND is blurring the lines between film and gaming – BEYOND has been chosen as an Official Selection by Tribeca Film Festival, the first such selection of this kind for a video game.

On April 27th, we will be hosting a screening at the festival where we’ll show a new one-hour scene from the game, debuting a major trailer and a new behind-the-scenes look, alongside a Q&A panel with Ellen Page and director David Cage discussing the way BEYOND is pushing the boundaries of storytelling. The entire team here is hugely excited that Tribeca is recognizing the powerful story of BEYOND, its star-studded cast, and the stunning visual technology that have contributed to the game’s uniquely cinematic experience.

Earlier this week, 100 journalists from around the world visited Quantic Dream’s studio in Paris for an exclusive BEYOND event. In the surrounds of the very motion capture room where Ellen’s and Willem’s performances were recorded, writer and director David Cage showcased several new scenes from the game, featuring both the Jodie and entity gameplay.

Press were shown the Aiden entity gameplay in a scene featuring a young Jodie taking part in a scientific experiment under the watchful eye of her mentor Nathan Dawkins (Willem Dafoe). And then they were treated to a full playthrough of what promises to be one of the most powerful scenes in gaming, which sees Jodie living on the streets, fighting for her life and those of the homeless people around her. David Cage also unveiled the brand new in-game user interface, which provides an even more immersive and seamless experience than the game’s predecessor Heavy Rain.

The new user interface allows for promptless contextual control in both general navigation and action sequence controls, while increasing the level of direct control the user has and opening the door for far more exploration than players experienced in Heavy Rain. To end the day, press were invited to be the first to play the game, and try out the new UI and gameplay for themselves.

All of the press write-ups should be going live, so keep an eye on the web for their reactions to Beyond’s new gameplay from this event.

Last year at E3 we announced the much anticipated title from Heavy Rain creators Quantic Dream and the mind of visionary director David Cage. BEYOND: Two Souls is a psychological action thriller starring Oscar nominee Ellen Page (Inception, Juno) in the lead role of Jodie Holmes and featuring Quantic Dream’s unique brand of gameplay.

BEYOND tells the story of Jodie, a young woman who’s known since birth that she is different from everyone else. She possesses supernatural powers through her psychic link to an invisible entity she calls Aiden, and this gift has changed her life forever. Playing through 15 years of Jodie’s life promises to deliver one of the most thrilling and powerfully emotional experiences on PS3.

Today, we’re pleased to announce that Ellen will be joined by another Oscar nominee in Willem Dafoe (Platoon, Spider-Man) who will star as Nathan Dawkins, a government scientist who works with Jodie to analyse her powers. At a later stage we’ll have lots more to reveal on the interplay between Nathan and Jodie in the game (no spoilers today!), but suffice to say they form a compelling bond and together deliver some of the most unique and powerful scenes yet seen in gaming.

We’ve got a gameplay trailer for you today showcasing an early scene from the game in which Nathan first meets a young Jodie (played by a child actress, not Ellen), and including some sneak peeks at other scenes from the game. Check it out at the top of the post, or right here.

And we’ve got an interview with Willem talking about his role in the game:

Willem’s exciting inclusion in the cast is just the tip of the iceberg for our announcements today though, as we are also pleased to announce that BEYOND will be coming to PS3 on October 8th, 2013.

Additionally, everyone who pre-orders BEYOND at GameStop (or EB games for our Canadian friends) will receive an exclusive 30-minute playable additional scene DLC. We’ll be announcing more details on what that scene entails in the coming months.

And while supplies last, everyone who pre-orders *at GameStop will also receive a free upgrade to the Special Edition of BEYOND, which includes:

• Exclusive Steelbook Premium Packaging
• Extensive Behind The Scenes Video Features
• Soundtrack
• PS3 Dynamic Theme
• PSN Avatar Bundle

*Steelbook art not final

Hopefully you’re as excited about BEYOND as we are, and remember to run out and pre-order early. We’ll have much, much more content coming down the line in the coming months, so stay tuned! Any questions, just add them below.

There are few forthcoming PlayStation 3 titles that are quite so keenly anticipated as Beyond: Two Souls, the latest project from Quantic Dream – the idiosyncratic French developer behind acclaimed 2010 adventure Heavy Rain. Following the story of young Jodie Holmes (played by Hollywood starlet Ellen Page) and her mysterious supernatural companion, Aiden, it lit up E3 earlier this year with its stunning reveal trailer.

We’ve not heard too much since, so we caught up with Quantic’s founder, David Cage, at Paris Games Week for a quick progress update.

We’ve not heard too much about Beyond since its E3 reveal back in June. Is development going well?
David Cage: Development is going very well. Indeed, it’s nice to go to all these shows but we also have to make the game! We’re advancing – we’re now a few weeks off the alpha version. It’s always a very critical moment in the development of a game since it’s the first time all the game data is assembled in a complete version. This first version is often not very playable, but it’s the first time you can see the “complete” game as a whole. After that we’ll move onto the beta version, which is when the game really starts to look like the final version.

Just how different is the gameplay and user interface from your last title, Heavy Rain?
David Cage: The game is very different from Heavy Rain, probably much more than people can imagine. The first obvious difference is that there will be two characters to control: Jodie and this entity that is Aiden. We can do some really interesting things with Aiden: fly, walk through walls and interact with matter or characters in a rather peculiar way. What we showed at E3 was in fact a working version based on the same interface as Heavy Rain, but it is not the final interface of the game.

The first elements of gameplay shown were focused on action. What else can we expect?
David Cage: It’s a balance that will be a little different from Heavy Rain, where we really aiming for the atmosphere of a psychological thriller. Beyond, of course, will also have these components of emotion, depth of characters, strong moments, but there will also be a more epic, dramatic dimension.

All this will be part of a story with a logical narrative following the philosophy that each scene must be unique and different. Take the forest scene for example. This is the only scene like this in the game. We will have more epic scenes and other action scenes, but they will be radically different and have nothing to do with each other in terms of environment and the type of action involved.

Our goal is not to release a game that will just please the fans of Heavy Rain and that we could say, “Ah, yes, it’s like Heavy Rain but a little better”. The idea is really to surprise players and show them that we can actually go much further with the concept of Heavy Rain.

Do any elements of Beyond: Two Souls echo your personal life?
David Cage: Absolutely. It’s a phenomenon that I’ve had with Heavy Rain when I became a father and I discovered the unique relationship one can have with their child. On Beyond, I’m drawing on another experience – one that’s less pleasant – because I lost someone very close in my family. This is what started it all – the desire to imagine that there may be an “after”.

Beyond is, of course, about death. But it is also about more positive things, like growth, change and learning to accept ourselves as we are. With Beyond, I really wanted to create a trip – something epic, emotional, and strong that the player will remember long after the end of the game.

Have you had much time to keep an eye on the competition? What games have you been playing recently?
David Cage: I loved a game that has not been discussed much – for anyone who loved Heavy Rain and is seeking different games made ​​by authors trying to express something that goes beyond bam-bam-boom-boom, it really is a game to try. I found it amazing, surprising and deeply moving. You can feel that there is a real author behind it – someone who has something to say. It is a game that really touched me.

Have you ever considered tackling something like this – a smaller scale PSN title?
David Cage: I have a huge problem. Every time I start writing… everything I do turns into an incredible historical epic. It depresses the team – they say they will finally be able to make an “easy” game and at the end they don’t! I dream of being able to make a PSN game, but I couldn’t do it even if I really want to.

Are you ever tempted to try your hand at shooting a movie?
David Cage: Quite honestly this is something that I do not feel capable of, and it’s not something I’m looking for right now, despite the few opportunities I have had. I’m happy to do what I do in video games. I’m not here by chance – it’s been 15 years since I chose to be in this environment. And even after 15 years, I do it with great pleasure, happiness and passion. To get up, go to work and to be with my extraordinarily talented team – year after year it still amazes me!

Do you have a message for prospective players of Beyond? How would you like them to approach the game?
David Cage: I think there should be no preparation for Beyond. You must go into the game trying to learn as little as possible!

Like other game creators, I wish I could say nothing and show nothing, and put a plain black cover on the shelves so that players start the game completely blank, with no information from trailers. This is something that is obviously not possible, unfortunately!

For people who trust us and who loved Heavy Rain – we will surprise you, we will give you something you expect without even knowing that you were expecting it! I think it will be a real experience. We believe in it and we’re working hard for it. We are really surprised every day to see the game being born on the screens; it’s a real treat and a real surprise. I hope it has the same effect on the players.

If sequels aren’t your thing, Quantic Dream’s Beyond: Two Souls and Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us lead off our look at 14 new PlayStation IP’s that promise to inject fresh ideas into gaming’s veins. We also sit down to chat with SCE Worldwide president Shuhei Yoshida for an update on Sony’s ace stable of first-part dev teams and all things PlayStation.

On the new games front, we’ve got our impressions on the gorgeous and enticingly mature-themed Star Wars 1313. We also go hands-on with sci-fi horrorfest Dead Space 3, stealth shooter Splinter Cell: Blacklist, and the war-iffic Medal of Honor: Warfighter. What was the unexpected surprise of this month’s previews? Metro: Last Light. We’re certainly going to keep our eyes on this atmospheric post-apocalyptic shooter.

The slow summer release season means the reviews section is a bit smallish this month, but some quality games lie within. Check out our in-depth analysis of the surprisingly evocative Spec Ops: The Line, and get other final verdicts on games like the mind-bending Quantum Conundrum, The Amazing Spider-Man, and LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes (which, ahem, I’ve Platinumed).

Dive into all the gaming goodness in the September issue of PTOM, hitting newsstands on Tuesday, July 31st. To become a PTOM subscriber, just head here and sign up.

At last week’s San Diego Comic-Con, I sat down with Academy Award nominee Ellen Page, who’s playing the lead role of Jodie Holmes, and Quantic Dream writer/director David Cage. How did the star of films like Juno and Inception come to work with Quantic Dream in BEYOND: Two Souls? And what does this level of talent mean for the game? Let them tell you:

To see more from BEYOND: Two Souls, and meet some of the game’s other talent (including Kadeem Hardison), catch highlights from the Comic-Con panel here.

Greetings! Yesterday was my first time at San Diego Comic-Con and I was amazed at the people I saw! What costumes! It’s great to see so many people embracing their passion.

After such an amazing E3, I was lucky enough to come here to speak to some incredible supporters of the game in a panel hosted by IGN’s Greg Miller. Joining me was the lovely and talented Ellen Page, who we are very lucky to have playing BEYOND‘s main character, Jodie Holmes. We had a great discussion about how we are combining the latest in performance capture technology and amazing acting talent in the hopes of creating a truly unique and emotional experience for all of you to enjoy. We were also happy to reveal additional talented cast members, Kadeem Hardison and Eric Winter, experienced actors who you may have seen both on TV and film.

Please enjoy a recap of our Comic-Con panel above. And on behalf of the team at Quantic Dream, thank you so much for your support so far. We are hard at work and look forward to sharing more about BEYOND soon.

‘Til then… Adieu!

Throughout Comic-Con, the PlayStation booth will be offering demos of the latest content from our upcoming titles for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita. Come over and check out PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royale (and make sure to pay attention at the panel for the game on Sunday, where two new combatants will be revealed!), Sports Champions 2, The Unfinished Swan, LittleBigPlanet Karting, Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time, Papo Y Yo, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and The Expendables 2. Attendees will also be treated to hands-on opportunities with new and upcoming PlayStation Vita titles like Sound Shapes, Retro City Rampage, LittleBigPlanet, Jet Set Radio, Guacamelee, Gravity Rush, Ragnarok Odyssey, and Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time. There will also be chances to check out cross-play features for PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royale and Street Fighter X Tekken.

A limited number of The Last of Us shirts also will be given out at the PlayStation booth throughout the week. Stay tuned for details on dates and times as we get closer to the show.

For anyone unable to get hands-on with PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royale at our booth, we will also have two gaming stations featured in the SPIKE TV booth (BOOTH#3729) for another shot to get your hands on one of the most exciting new upcoming PS3 games.

Excited for Comic-Con yet? Well, hang tight, there’s more. Below is a full schedule of our panel sessions that will be taking place for some of our highly anticipated titles, including Beyond: Two Souls, The Last of Us and PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royale.

Thursday, July 12 (12pm to 1pm) – Room 25ABC
Beyond: Two Souls
A New Breed of Interactive Storytelling from Writer/Director David Cage of Quantic Dream

Meet David Cage, the co-CEO of Quantic Dream and writer/director of the 2010 hit Heavy Rain, as he discusses his latest project — Beyond: Two Souls. David will focus on the concept of creating innovative gameplay experiences that are woven together with emotion and story. Beyond: Two Souls is prepared to deliver an immersive interactive and cinematic experience based on emotional involvement and interactive storytelling. In developing a unique “interactive drama” to engross the audience, David and his team have introduced the concept of Virtual Performance Capture to videogames, where actors play the entire role in development of the game (from motion capture to dialogue). The session will focus on techniques used to create an emotional and compelling experience, focusing on their award winning titles as well as provide a deeper look into their brand new project, Beyond: Two Souls. Join IGN.com‘s Greg Miller as he moderates with writer/director and co-CEO of Quantic Dream David Cage, and actress and academy award nominee Ellen Page as they explore the uncanny valley of bringing realism and emotion to this project.

Friday, July 13 (5pm to 6pm) – Room 25ABC
The Last of Us
Behind the Scenes with Naughty Dog

Join Creative Director Neil Druckmann and Game Director Bruce Straley of Naughty Dog, along with actors Troy Baker (Fullmetal Alchemist, Batman: Arkham City) and Ashley Johnson (Marvel’s The Avengers, The Killing, Ben-10: Alien Force) in a discussion about the upcoming post-pandemic, survival-action PlayStation 3 game The Last of Us, from the developers of the critically-acclaimed UNCHARTED series. Panelists will provide an exclusive reveal of a new in-game cinematic featuring a special guest in this Q&A session moderated by Adam Sessler (veteran videogame industry journalist). Guests will also receive a limited edition The Last of Us poster.

Saturday, July 14 (11am to 12pm) – Room 7AB
The Unfinished Swan
An Art-Infused Adventure: Giant Sparrow Talks Art and the Inspiration Behind One of the Most Unique and Anticipated PlayStation 3 Titles

The Unfinished Swan presents an art game like no other before it. For many years, a debate has raged over whether or not videogames can be considered art. In 2012, The Unfinished Swan will address the issue head on, both in terms of its experimental nature and its focus on the art of painting. Attendees will have the opportunity to get an up-close look at the art within the game, discuss games as art, and chat with Giant Sparrow about the creative inspiration behind developing one of the most beautiful and intriguing games on the PlayStation 3.

Sunday, July 15 (11am to 12pm) – Room 24ABC
PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royale
Tapping into PlayStation History: The Emergence of PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royale

Chan Park, President of SuperBot Entertainment, provides a look into the creation and development of PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royale, where the team has tapped into 17 years of PlayStation history to create a brawler with top PlayStation characters and environments. Learn about decisions faced in selecting characters, how the team implemented the idea of mash-ups, and how players can engage in cross play to challenge one another, regardless of whether they’re playing on PS3 or PS Vita. The team will also unveil the two newest characters in the series at the panel. Q&A session to follow. IGN.com’s Greg Miller will moderate a panel featuring Chan Park, President of SuperBot Games and Omar Kendall, Game Director of PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royale.

Looking to become a professional race car driver and the next GT Academy winner? Phase 1 of the GT Academy National Finals is coming to Comic-Con!

This year’s GT Academy National Finals will be taking place on Friday and Saturday, July 13 and 14, at Jolt’n Joe’s in the Gaslamp Quarter, a short distance away from the San Diego Convention Center. The nation’s top 32 drivers will take part in a live head-to-head competition, battling it out for the opportunity to move on to the next phase and get one step closer to becoming the winner of Season 2’s GT Academy.

NEW TWIST ADDED: This year, everyone at Comic-Con has a chance to secure a spot in the National Final. This “wildcard” will compete with the 32 finalists, fighting for the chance to move on to the final phase of the competition. Anyone (pending eligibility) can register at the Oasis Bar inside the Hard Rock Hotel in downtown San Diego on Thursday, July 12th from 10am to 4pm Pacific time and compete for top lap time in Gran Turismo 5. The top competitor of the day will walk away with a one-of-a-kind GT Academy 2012-designed HumanRacing® GT Chassis equipped with the Thrustmaster T500RS wheel and pedal set. Additionally, the winner will earn a 33rd spot in the Finals competition, becoming “Racer X” and earning a chance Friday morning July 13th to knock out and replace any of the top 32 finalists.
So for those who didn’t make the top 32 within the online competition, this is your second chance to fight for a spot in the National Finals! Just be sure to show up early as the competition will be first come first serve, and will only be running from 10am to 4pm.

Once within the National Finals Event, the 33 contestants will be divided into individual groups and race in a series of live head-to-head races in Gran Turismo 5. Racing Nissan vehicles, each contestant will earn points based on the place they finish in. As race difficulty increases, the contestants with the fewest points at the end of each round will be eliminated until only 16 remain. These final 16 contestants will move on to Phase Two in GT Academy, taking the racers away from their PS3 consoles and onto the track, behind the wheel of real race cars, for a chance to become a professional race car driver and the official GT Academy winner for the U.S. The winner will have the opportunity to train with an elite racing team and will work towards a debut as part of a professional team. The competitors’ road to victory will be documented in an innovative new series airing exclusively on Spike TV in late 2012.