We noticed a lot of you asking about WipEout HD's whereabouts, so we corned SCEE's Charlotte Panther in the Sony room and demanded an explanation. Apparently, WipEout is still in development to add "extra features." Satisfied?

As revealed earlier in Sony's E3 press conference, popular platforming pair Ratchet & Clank are to embark on a $15 PSN adventure sometime this Summer. The cheaper, bite-sized game will serve as a "great introduction to what R&C is all about," depicting the adventures of the Lombax and robot following Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction's climax.

For those excited by the news but alarmed by the lack of a physical disc to cherish and smell when nobody's looking, SCEE president David Reeves has promised a Blu-ray disc version of Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty, just for PAL territories. There will also be PSN version, but we all know that'll look completely rubbish in your sprawling disc collection.

If there's one thing that we want to know about Siren: Blood Curse it's what's it going to cost us to play. You see, while Sony is releasing the game in Japan in both downloadable and Blu-ray formats, it's straight up "episodic" on PlayStation Network for both the European and North American markets. While we don't have the price for North American gamers just yet, ThreeSpeech says the European version will be £4.99 (about $10) for a "chapter" containg three episodes, or £19.99 (about $40) for all four chapters. (Sorry, no prices in Euros).

If there's two things that we want to know about Siren: Blood Curse, it's the cost (see above) and when we're going to be able to play it. ThreeSpeech says all four chapters will be released on July 24th in Europe, meaning you could just buy the whole thing on day one or, alternatively, buy each chapter as you get to it. Don't like the first chapter? Don't buy any more. Don't have time to finish the game right now? Buy the rest when you're ready; it's the same price either way. A novel concept, but we can't help but want a Blu-ray release alongside it, what with our PS3s filling up and all.

[Via PS3 Fanboy]

Speaking at Sony's Devstation developer conference in London last week, SCEE president David Reeves affirmed that admitting a problem can be the first step in solving it. "There is a piracy problem on PSP," Reeves told an undoubtedly shocked MCV. "We know about it, we know how it's done." Ah, so they have internet access then.

It's not all bad news, however, as Reeves pointed out that piracy "sometimes fuels the growth of hardware sales," even if, "on balance," it makes Sony unhappy. PSP sales have given the manufacturer a lot to smile about, especially in Japan, but piracy takes its greatest toll on software, an equally important source of income. According to Reeves, new plans are already afoot to clamp down on digital swashbucklers, though given how quickly said plans are usually foiled, we imagine new strategies (and firmware updates) are constantly required.

Sony Europe has allegedly canceled the Sony Cambridge-helmed Heavenly Sword 2, while the first game's developer, Ninja Theory, has been said to be generally unhappy with the company. Kotaku reports an "inside UK source" said the game was killed after months in development because it was no longer commercially viable.

Meanwhile, Ninja Theory, which has offices in the same building as HS2 developer Sony Cambridge, is apparently moving out following "increasingly bitter" treatment by Sony. We've contacted both Ninja Theory and Sony for comment. If true, we'll never underestimate Sony Europe's game culling ability again.

Update: Sony informs it will not comment on the Heavenly Sword 2 rumor. Ninja Theory's official statement is after the break.

To be honest, when we first heard about Shuhei Yoshida – Phil Harrison's replacement as president of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios – we didn't like him. Sure, he's probably outrageously qualified for the gig, but we feel like we went through hell with Harrison, deep in the trenches on the front lines of a nasty console war. So, basically, we're saying that we haven't bonded with Yoshida. Yet.

In an interview with Develop Magazine, Yoshida comes semi-clean on Sony's seemingly swift decision to can Eight Days, one of the two London Studios games cancelled earlier this month (the other was, of course, The Getaway). The main culprit: a "key" corporate focus on "online technology and PlayStation Network" ... sort of. Actually, Yoshida safely says the decision was really about budget and how the game fit into their publishing portfolio, but with the aforementioned focus on the PlayStation Network and games that utilize it (like LittleBigPlanet), Yoshida conceded that a lack of online content in Eight Days "was part of the consideration." See, that was a tough call but we made it through together. We feel closer already.

Sony Europe announced today that production at the Sony London Studios for PS3 titles Eight Days and The Getaway has ceased. The company says the decision was made after an internal review found that resources would be better allocated to enhance the "incredibly strong list of exclusive first party titles" coming in the near future.

GI.biz reports that The Guardian recently ran a piece that Eight Days was going into full production. The game had not been seen -- or really heard of -- since a debut trailer back at E3 2006. The Getaway was apparently going to be the studio's next project after Eight Days. No word yet what'll happen to those who were working on the title.

Though things have certainly quieted down on the Home front, work on Sony's (overly?) ambitious project continues. Most recently, the service's beta testers were invited into a new location – the "Media & Events Space." As a test run, Sony recreated their PlayStation Day event from earlier this month, complete with photo galleries and a jumbo screen broadcasting speeches from the event (seen above: Big Brother, aka SCEE's David Reeves). Going forward, both Sony and third-party developers can use the "virtual arena" to host "everything from new game unveilings to sports events to fashion shows." Fashion shows? For the PS3 gaming crowd? We smell killer app.

[Via PS3F]

It seems that you residents of Europe itching to go on an exotic wildlife safari will either have to import a copy of the PlayStation 3's Afrika, or have someone push you through the downtown supermarket on a trolley. And hey, if you have extra money lion around, you could pay a visit to the real Africa (the one with a "c") and snap some pics of those really tall horses.

Speaking to Eurogamer, Sony has declared that its plans to publish the nebulous Afrika in Europe are currently non-existent. It was confirmed that the game would still be coming out in Japan, however, with zebra new teaser website promising something "soon." We'll keep our ears to the ground, listening for that stampede of information.

Really real driving simulation news now, with Sony Computer Entertainment Europe and Nissan launching GT Academy, the competition that will put two of Europe's best Gran Turismo 5 Prologue players inside rapidly moving hunks of metal. If you happen to live in the UK, Ireland, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria, Finland, Sweden, Norway or Denmark, and have always wanted to go hurtling around a track at terrifying speeds, now's your chance.

The GT Academy website is already up and running, with the first, seven-week long stage of the competition following on June 2nd. You'll have to register your PSN ID on the site during that time and set your fastest lap around the Eiger Nordwand track in a Nissan Fairlady 350Z. Following that, you'll need to come out tops in a national final held in July, and finally, avoid crashing on the real life Silverstone track in August. Easy peasy.

While confirming Home will "definitely be coming out in Autumn," SCEE president David Reeves said that "maybe we were too ambitious with the non-gaming applications within Home, getting sponsors and stuff like that." In an interview with CVG, Reeves continued to say, "In that sense we were deserting gamers. So, we're concentrating on the gaming by launching games in Home."

The closed beta for Home is still ongoing. Earlier today, EA Sports president (and former Xbox executive) Peter Moore said he was interested in the service but "disappointed" by its delays. Home producer Daniel Hill told our friends at PS3 Fanboy that game spaces will be shown later this month.

SCEE President David Reeves has indicated that PlayStation 3 owners may be able to enjoy some Grand Theft Auto IV downloadable content, after all. Speaking to VideoGamer at yesterday's PlayStation Day, Reeves said, "Well I think you probably will see it, it's just that a deal obviously was struck between Microsoft and Take-Two to do that, and if that's what they want to do, I think that's the last shot they have."

Of course, executives are known for their superhuman ability to talk a lot of hot air, and Reeves is no exception. The deal Reeves refers to is the $50 million Microsoft reportedly gave Take Two for exclusive GTAIV "episodes." It's unclear if Reeves is hinting at that DLC coming to Sony, entirely new DLC (also of questionable exclusivity) or absolutely nothing tangible at all.

Serialized spookiness news now, with Sony Computer Entertainment revealing that survival-horror franchise, Siren, will be coming to the PlayStation 3 this Summer in gruesomely severed chunks. Or "episodes," if you prefer. Documenting the inevitably harrowing experiences of an American TV crew in the cursed village of Hanuda, Siren: Blood Curse hopes to be "the most terrifying game in the Siren series to date." The game marks the return of the "Sight-Jack" system, which allows you to peer through the eyes of enemies and be right on the money every time you scream, "It's behind yooouuuuu!"

Following Blood Curse's debut this Summer, Sony promises to eek out the series with 11 more episodes via the PlayStation Network. Let's just hope the gaps between the gasps are small.

If Hollywood has taught us anything, it's that the best entry in a popular franchise will always have a stylized "2" somewhere in its title. Oh, but not Paul Hollywood. Noooo, he's saying that Motorstorm's first sequel won't be distinguished by a number, but rather its "Pacific Rift" subtitle. Also, you'll notice it has a lot more trees than the last game.

Speaking at Sony's PlayStation Day 2008 event, the creative director at Evolution Studios talked up some of the features in the upcoming Motorstorm: Pacific Rift. Boasting twice the number of tracks and four times as many racers in local multiplayer (total: four) than the PlayStation 3 launch title, Pacific Rift puts racers in a tropical locale, one filled with interactive vegetation technology. It's a fancy way of saying that when you're playing chicken with a rather large tree, you'd best be inside one of the game's new monster trucks. Another benefit of hurtling through lush island terrain can be found in bodies of water -- splashing through them can cool down your engine temperature.

We're sure to learn and see more of Motorstorm 2 Motorstorm: Pacific Rift closer to its planned Fall release.

Umm ... is this really a good idea? Sony Computer Entertainment Europe and Nissan seem to think so, having announced "the ultimate competitive driving test" in the form of "GT Academy." The eight-month long European competition will see two obsessive Gran Turismo 5 Prologue players win a four-month training programme to "earn their racing licenses" and, consequently, discover that the ol' mid-turn bump-and-go isn't advised in real life. Following the training, the winners will be granted the opportunity to drive a Nissan 350Z in a 24-hour endurance race in Dubai in January 2009.

To get your foot in the door of GT Academy, you'll first have to keep it planted on a pedal as you face "a series of elimination-based competitions on and off the racetrack." Before that, you'll have to qualify in an online GT5 Prologue tournament on the PlayStation Network, details of which will arrive when GT Academy goes live at the end of May. We wish the entrants the best of luck and remind them that the damage modeling in real-life, 80000p racing is totally awesome.