Hi, since I’m new to the blog I wanted to first introduce myself. I am the line producer on Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune and I work with Naughty Dog on a day-to-day basis and have been working with the team since Crash Team Racing.
We are pleased to see that there is so much interest out there in the Uncharted demo, and wanted to provide a quick update.
As many of you in Europe and Japan may have already learned, today’s demo is currently only available on the North American PlayStation Store, and will only work on PS3 units in that territory. As you may already know, North America is the first region to launch Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune (Monday, November 19th), and we wanted to be sure that we gave our North American PS3 players the opportunity to try out the demo prior to launch. Other territories are currently putting the finishing touches on the localization aspects of the Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune demo, and will release it in their respective PlayStation Stores in due course.
Unfortunately when attempting to download the demo, our friends in PAL regions or Japan may have encountered a bug in which you are asked to insert a disc. Please ignore this prompt and accept our apologies.
Thanks again for your interest in the game, we hope that those of you who do get a chance to play it get a taste for what we hope will become an action-adventure classic on the PS3.
..hmm, well they have edited the entry and removed the racist term…
HAHA, i live in America where Drake runs free
[…] asked you to insert a disc to play the game, essentially locking you out of the demo. According to SCEA Line Producer Sam Thompson, the prompt is an unintentional […]
@304
Amen, my friend. Haha, the guy in comment #237 should take notice of your post… maybe then he/she will realize how much of a mistake he/she has made, go back to wherever they sold their console to, and beg for it back.
[…] The official PlayStation.blog has a comment from Uncharted producer Sam Thompson who writes that “we have shared your […]
it does suck that some gamers need to wait. Maybe they should import a US PS3!!
@304
I pretty sure that if the show was on the other foot you wouldn’t be saying this.
Simple fact is someone screwed up and Sony have gotten burned, its only highlighting what a lot of PS3 gamers are feeling with the treatment they get from Sony
PS3 has a larger install base now than the US, the Playstation brand itself has always had a strong hold in Europe, in the past such mistakes may have been excused give the general structure of the Internet back then but in this day and age of super fast internet that such things are possible.
I struggle to understand how competitors can localise demos to many regions with out delay yet time and time again European gamers are been wait.
Sort it on Sony.
The Uncharted demo is great. Definitely a must-buy. The graphics are some of the best I’ve seen on a console (right up there with Gears of War). It plays kinda like Gears of War too, in a way. I really liked Drake as a character, he felt REAL…not super-human or anything…just like a regular guy. The AI seems really smart and it was actually a challenge. If the rest of the game is this good, I would give it a 95-100% rating.
@fuzzbuns: i think it’s pretty sad that you think Europeans don’t understand English. Many of us do very well. In general, i would always prefer an original version to translated ones if understand the language well and there is simply no reason not to give it to me. This kind of discrimination always backfires if there is a way to circumvent the “late release” or “we get less than you” problem. Just look at the movie industry and how they whine about lost sales because of movie downloads – they simply do not understand that this is also a result due to region coding. Times have changed and it is time those industries update their outdated distribution models. PSN is a prime example of this problem and the reason why fake accounts and many complainers exist.
@ 304: believe it or not my friend, we do speak English in Europe. Amongst other languages…
And no, it doesn’t really make sense what you’re saying about the fact the game is developped in the US and should go for the US first.
What’s the point of not releasing the demos globally when the demos are the same, no matter the regions?
You would be amazed to see that 11 years old kids, who speak no English become very fluent when it comes to video games…
Anyway, people at Sony should make up their mind about the 3 PS Stores. Either it’s one store for everybody. Or it is clear the stores are different.
304: I think the thing is, though, people want to make the choice for themselves whether they do or don’t play a demo. They resent being locked out of having the option of playing the game.
I know technically the US store is a ‘US’ store, but in real terms it’s not. It’s base has contributed to sales/online rep for PS3’s all over the world – and Sony would be well aware of this. It seems disingenuous to take advantage of it to bolster you online credit, and at the same time not allow for it ‘technically’.
And there’s also the problem of non-US machines for customers living legitimately in the US. I wonder how much they’re fuming? However you cut it, locking people out of using a demo is bad news – there is no good side to it. If Drake’s wants more coverage leading up to different ‘area distribution/promotion’ releases, then make multiple demos – use different sections of the game if you want people to come at it with a fresh eye. But don’t gimp any game on this supposidly region free system – why i and a lot of people have bought it – to prevent people from trying these games in advance of a local release.
I want to know if i want this game, and i want to get it for Christmas. November 22/23 (by the time i’ve downloaded it – slowish connection), isn’t too bad, but it would have been nice to have had the oppotunity to have played it in advance of it’s (American) worldwide release. I mean, when you release a game system and games with the premise of no coding, the release date – at an online distribution level – is the same in all countries as it is in the first that it’s available essentially.
Hello – Please Sam and the team from ND and Sony,
make my dreams come true – let me play the demo this weekend again and again… Make it happen – make me and the rest of the world (with PAL) happy @ this weekend.
Greetz
Gb
ah, come on for christ sakes, i played english games since i was like 10 years old and I don’t give a [DELETED] about translations or other crap, Europe was always screwed with release dates, 50Hz back in the days or black boarders over the screen, SONY needs to rethink their strategy and give Europe at least the same content … and English is enough, if you don’t know English at least on elementary basis in our times, well… I have no words.
311: Make you wonder where he thinks the word ‘English’ comes from…
@315
LOL, indeed!
This Europeans vs US gamers talk is old. The EU consumers do have a reason to complain stop bashing them cause they do. However Europeans stop insulting every American cause you don’t get what you want. Just like its arrogant if the Americans due it to you it looks the same in reverse. I know this is blanket statement and many people on both sides aren’t being ignortant but damn am I sick of seeing this under most every blog post.
More on topic of the blog. Nice Demo ND bit short but I got the feel of the game well enough. I have played other games from your team and know you do great work. Please try to appease all the regions as soon as possible. It would be a shame to lose fans because of regional/localization issues.
subbed: Very well put.
Well I For once would like to post my thoughts on the demo. I*m pretty sure Naughty Dog is checking out this Blog to get feed back on the demo experience, not some debate in region locking(which I personally do think it was unffair). Every one should get the chance to play it.
To start off, I have to give Kudos to Naughty Dog for their extra attention to SOUND, by far this is the second title in the PS3’s library that incorporates DTS 5.1 Sorround sound, which really helps you get involved with the game. I wish more developers incorporated DTS over DOLBY DIGITAL its just much better.
On to the Graphics: The Water people the water, so reallistic, and the whole scenery feels like your watching a movie, The multiple animations used on Drake are very fluent, and you dont always see the same stance. Nice little details, like his pants soaking in water after traversing the small stream, the heavy breathing when he is in a gun fight. The fact that he is an average guy, not some super soldier really helps you appreciate the art engraved on the title.
I cant wait to play this application, even my brother liked it, and he nothing has appealed to him like this game did since GEARS OF WAR, and thats saying alot.
We are complaining about this demo not to americans why do you feel you should answer our complaint when they are not pointed at you americans. not a single person said anything about americans to start with you all took it upon yourself to start flaming us for complaing if you want the flame war to stop then stop ANSWERING our complaints and commenting on our comments SINCE THEY WERE NEVER POINTED AT YOU ALL ANYWAY they are to WHOM IT MAY CONCERN AND YOU ALL HAVE THE DEMO WORKING SO IT DOES NOT CONCERN ALL OF YOU AT ALL
Awww, everyone is mad because they downloaded an out of region demo from another continent in another language.
Get a life, guys, and quit destroying our bandwidth. You’ll get the demo soon enough.
@iapetus: The fact that you’re still in here attempting damage control is commendable. Perhaps a bit head-desking, forehead smacking masochistic, but commendable nonetheless.
What I wouldn’t give for that much patience and willpower.
any hope that they will fix the problem and provide a new download…
To all the European Playstation fans, I don’t envy that you guys are missing out on the demo. Hopefully Naughty Dog/Sony can come up with a solution so you can play the demo. It is definitely worth checking out when available in your region, though. I suggest trying not to look at the videos showing footage of the trailer, it’ll be more exciting for you when you play it for yourself. But that’s just a personal preference of mine. Anyway, hang in there guys!
I still hope they’ll fix it, today – and gives us the solution we deserve! :)
Just canceled my Uncharted order. I prefer to give my money to the developers that respect their users. Anyhow that doesn’t mean I wont play Uncharted, but I will wait until I find a used copy for cheap price.
@ saunderswan
Are you taking offense that I am sick of both sides of the aurgument? I am just as sick of the americans tell you to F’off as I am the europeans saying that americans are ignorant. I stated you have every right to complain, and said the Americans should stop bashing you because you have a complaint at Sony/devs. I am agreeing with you a global store is what is needed. People are going to have opinions whether or not your comment is directed at them. I haven’t been part of either side I am just saying enough is enough. I doubt it will end but its my opinion.
so basically you lied. There is no way around this. Sony said region free. Developers said region free. So this is just pure disrespect for users worldwide.
Sony not only is your PSN lacking some basic functions like text chat or in gamer IM to mention few basic ones but now this. Get your act together and do something for your fans that support you. Europe gives you by far greatest profits yet gets least for that.
At least be enough of a human being and come openly to say WE LIED!
325: Yeah, you got no idea how many ‘out of region’ demo’s i’ve downloaded from the internet. On the PC. Things from America, from UK, from all over Europe. I’ve ‘stolen’ so many things from outside my own ‘region’. What a naughty boy, i know. Anyone remember what WWW stands for? Something about ‘world’ in there, isn’t there?
As to this game, i’ll likely be buying the American version. I’m not 100%, because i’d like to play it first. Would have been nice to have played the demo and put in a pre-order, but i’ll have to wait and see if i still want it after it’s release; hope they’ve got enough stock somewhere that there’s one left once the ‘local’ demo gets here. If it spills into December, may or may not be here time for Christmas (mail order’s hell approaching Christmas). See. I’m not going to spit the dummy, but delaying putting an order for an international – potentially hard to get title – until late November is dicey…
Whatever the case, i absolutely refuse to pay twice the price for the eventual local release. Resent being cornered into buying it locally for convieniance (sic) and delivery because of delay’s getting a chance to take a look at it. Which you sort of want to do first, being a completely unknown/new franchise.
quote from Sam Thompson
“Naughty Dog is a studio that listens to gamers”
edit
“Naughty Dog is a studio that listens to SOME gamers”
[…] el enlace al blog oficial de PlayStation: Uncharted: Drake’s Fortue Demo Update Volver […]
Hey dudes.
So will the Region 1 version of the final game still play on PAL systems like most games?
You guys need to chill out. The final game will be region free as all PS3 games are (AFAIK. However, that decision is always left up to the publishers). The demo is just an exception.
I’m hard on Sony, but even this is nothing to get up in arms about.
@darsh
You are wrong. Region free was one of the selling points of PS3.
Divided PSStore was first blow
Not accepting credit cards from different state then users in combination with not supporting many of the countries and not providing alternate way of paying was next one
And now region lock is just about final.
basically they are saying “BEND OVER, WE NEED SOME LOVIN’ BABY”
Come on, Naughty Dog, give us peace ;)
Please update the demo-file… or give us a patch tonight…
Please…
Gb
SAM WE’RE STILL WAITING TO GIVE US AN UPDATE OVER THE SITUATION!
SAM WE’RE STILL WAITING TO GIVE US AN UPDATE OVER THE SITUATION!
SAM WE’RE STILL WAITING TO GIVE US AN UPDATE OVER THE SITUATION!
SAM WE’RE STILL WAITING TO GIVE US AN UPDATE OVER THE SITUATION!
WICKED DEMO!!!!
@ darsh because you have the demo already. if you could not download it because of an error in the us demo you would also complain.
@278 Richmond
No i won’t play uncharted but i will play Mass Effect(with already having Gear of War and BioShock, soon Halo3, etc), so don’t you worry about me.
You are very ignorant btw, that not working demo was not only reason why trade happened, i wrote in blog bellow this one what are reasons and i am not going to repeat them. It is nice that you are happy with your PS3, but you should not insult others that decide to go other way, you ended up being [DELETED] for writing that stuff about me.
give me one good reason to region lock a demo.
so assuming that this is what you claim is a bug (and i dont believe that for a second) and you’re not going to fix it, are you then expecting the localisation teams to fix the bug?
so coding is an additional skill sony localisation team member possess? hope theyre better at that than they are at coding cos it’s taken them six months to still fail to localise tekken 2.
do us all a favour and come out and admit it, people think you’re discriminating against any non americans anyway, get some points back for honesty if nothing else.(because believe me you have no idea how much ill will this debacle has generated in europe, especially with the level of service (though service is really the wrong word to use here) we’ve been getting from sony in europe so far, this might be the straw that broke the camel’s back for many people)
@314
I never said anything about Europeans not understanding english (it’s the primary language in some, secondary language in many others). I am saying that for some people it is not their primary language, and they have some difficulty with the jargon. I understand some other languages too, but that doesn’t mean I would want to play a game that’s in Spanish if I can’t easily follow the story, no matter how good it is. The point I was trying to get across is that there will most likely be demos formatted in other languages if someone needs it and that people are complaining because they tried to download a game demo from the US store. Who’s fault is that?
This ‘bug’ is unprecedented.
ND apparently know what makes gamers tick, the enormous anticipation a demo like UDF will garner. Everyone, not just NA, has been waiting WEEKS for this, and hardcore PS3 gamers WILL have access to foreign accounts. It’s just the way things are.
At the very least we could have been forewarned. It’s quite something, 1.2 gb later, to be genuinely gutted that you can’t sample such a beautiful looking game, and what’s more to think maybe your PS3 is broken as a consequence of dl’ing a demo. :(
[…] Full Article […]
Can you update us on the situation please? I wanna play this demo, a UK demo in 2 weeks isnt good enough
fuzzbuns: If you don’t want to play a demo in Spanish, don’t. If you *do* want to play a demo in Spanish, do. Isn’t free will a wonderful thing?
And even if we accept your laughable position, how about those people in Europe for whom English is their first language, or who speak it better as a second language than you do as a first (people who know what apostrophes are for, for example…)?
@Sony/Naughty Dog
One of the things that has really made me proud to be a PS3 ower is the fact that PS3 games and demos are not region-locked. (unlike M$’s box)
However, I have watched from across the pond how you guys seem to not care a all about your European customers.
They have supported you FAR more than we Americans have even though you charged them US$100-$200 more than us for an inferior version of the console. You have also charged them US$5-$15 more for games and yet they STILL support you more than us M$ Americans.
Despite all this almost fanatical support of the PlayStation brand, Sony always seems to be, so to speak, “biting the hand that feeds you.”
You give them less demos and games and if you EVER release games in Europe, you do so LONG after you give them to us Americans. And now this demo thing……….I’ve got to hand it you Europeans, you guys are REALLY loyal and we Americans appreciate it
Sony, you need to reward them for their loyalty. NOW
demo in 2 weeks is unaceptable
second paragraph: …care AT all…
I hope to God Sony isn’t banking on this game being their #1! Give us SOCOM!