E3 2011: Dust 514 Announced by CCP for PS3, Ties into EVE Online on PC

Sony E3 2011 press conference was home to some really interesting announcements, chief among which being the new Dust 514 "persistent shooter" exclusive to the PlayStation 3 from CCP, the studio behind the massively successful EVE online PC MMORPG.

Sony is trying to make its PlayStation 3 more accessible to multiplayer-only titles, with the release of online games like Free Realms or DC Universe Online.

Now, with Dust 514, the company is partnering with CCP to deliver a new sort of experience, which isn't confined to the PS3, but also branches into EVE Online for the PC.

“The ability for Sony Computer Entertainment to partner with a developer like CCP, known for pushing the boundaries of creativity and innovation in the MMO genre, holds tremendous potential for the PlayStation 3 community,” said Rob Dyer, senior vice president, Sony Computer Entertainment of America.

“We anticipate that Dust 514 will transform the landscape across PlayStation 3 and the PC, ushering in a new era of shared cross platform gaming.”

The game's biggest innovation is that the actions in it, meaning the battles and online shooter matches, take place on the planets made by EVE Online PC players, and can result in the colonies being overtaken by enemies or rebelling from their current owner.

"With Dust 514, EVE's starship pilots can forge alliances with Dust 514 mercenaries to engage in fierce surface firefights to conquer territories on the planets of New Eden, which are common to both games," CCP said.

"The actions of ground troops and orbiting attack fleets are tightly interwoven, with the real time actions of players in one game directly affecting the other. A single bullet fired on the planet below can pivot the balance of power in EVE Online. Every action has consequences, and every reaction has the potential to topple empires."

Dust 514 will be digitally distributed through the PlayStation Network and will feature support for the PlayStation Move motion control system, as well as the Sharp Shooter peripheral. Over time, CCP promises that the experience will be extended to other services like the PlayStation Home or platforms like the PlayStation Vita.

Profit is set to arrive from microtransactions of virtual goods through the in-game currency or even through real money from the PlayStation wallet service of users.

Overall, Dust 514 is definitely something new that, if successful, might lead the way for more MMOs similar to EVE Online to see spinoffs be released in other genres.

Check out a few screenshots and a video of Dust 514 in action below.