Sony Announces New PSN Promotion

With little to no marketing budgets and a sea of intense competition, getting a leg up in the downloadable game space is always a challenge. Taking a page from Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade playbook, Sony is lending a helping hand to a few deserving studios with its new PlayStation Network PLAY campaign. These four titles have been vetted for quality by Sony and deemed promising enough to earn a place in the first annual promotion. Here is the first lineup of games with their corresponding release dates:

Street Fighter III Third Strike Online Edition – August 23

The Baconing – August 30

BloodRayne: Betrayal – September 6

Renegade Ops – September 13

Each game will cost you $14.99. Like the current Xbox Live Summer of Arcade promotion, if you pre-order or purchase each of these games Sony will throw in a fifth game, PayDay: The Heist (a $19.99 value), for free. Consumers will also receive a free gift with every purchase, and an exclusive PS3 theme for every pre-order. PlayStation Plus subscribers will receive a 20% discount on each purchase as well.

If this peaks your interest, check out the official webpage here. To learn more about this game lineup, read our interview with the creators of The Baconing, Adam's PayDay: The Heist preview, Tim's first look at Bloodrayne: Betrayal,  and Kato's quick take on Avalanche Studios' promising Renegade Ops.