Multiple PS Store updates make some devs uneasy

Sony is planning multiple updates per week once the PlayStation Store comes back, but Edge reports that some developers are expressing concern that their games will get lost in the shuffle.

One developer, speaking anonymously, said he feels "sorry for those that are attempting to launch games in the days following the outage, as there will likely be such a backlog of traffic that it may be hard to be noticed in the flurry of 'get everything back up and running'." He also revealed that the downtime may have slowed development on online games that rely on PSN, since those features couldn't be tested.

Ilari Kuittinen, CEO of Housemarque, is concerned that the Outland may be overlooked, especially in light of the free giveaways in Sony's Welcome Back program. "My biggest concern is whether people will come back to use the system and browse the PlayStation Store," he said. "On top of that, the second issue is that everyone now gets games for free (including our Dead Nation and Super Stardust HD), so people might just play the free games for a while. By the time they are ready to buy something, Outland is maybe old news."

A more optimistic perspective comes from Seed Studios, which announced the (now defunct) May 3 release date for Under Siege just days before the network went down. "We are all concerned with the overall situation, but we think that despite all the delays and multiple releases Under Siege will stand out on its own," said producer Filipe Pina. "This is a game about continuity and building a community; while other games focus on sales for the first weeks we focus on the longer run with support for users with more content and continuous updates."

We aren't sure when the PlayStation Store will return. A reportedly leaked memo claimed we'll see updates starting Tuesdays and Fridays next week, but Sony's Patrick Seybold was quick to say the company has "not announced a specific date."