14 DAY TRIAL // Sony implies that, starting with January 2009, all the games which are trying to get certification to be published for the PlayStation 3 will need to have support implemented for the Trophy system introduced through a firmware update in July.
Sony told VideoGamer that the Technical Requirements Checklist, which needs to be passed by all games for the Sony made console, would integrate specifications related to Trophies in January. After the rumor appeared earlier this week, a Sony representative contacted the site and stated, “Yes, from Jan 09 all games must have Trophies”.
Sony is probably seeking to avert current situations where people need to go back and replay games in order to get Trophies added to their collection. The trend appears set to continue during this holiday season as some notable titles are getting launched without support for the Trophy system. There are some that say Trophies can be gained retroactively, but the procedure seems to be buggy.
Sony is also getting ready to release Home, its much delayed social space for PlayStation 3 users. The idea is that players will use Home to display the Trophies they gained for the games they own and play. Getting all publishers and developers to support them guarantees that there will be no gamers without a few Trophies to show off once Home is implemented. At the moment, Home is in a beta stage and Sony promises that it will be out by the end of 2008, which seems pretty incredible considering the delays plaguing the project.
Trophies are basically a response to the Achievements that Microsoft introduced for the Xbox 360. Studies have showed that people tend to be more interested in games which offer a big number of Achievements and Trophies; thus, Sony could be betting that sales of its games will increase after January 2009.