District 9 Blu-ray to include God of War III demo
PHYSICAL: Sony says movie/videogame hybrid on same disc is a first
By Susanne Ault -- Video Business, 10/28/2009
OCT. 28 | PHYSICAL: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment’s Dec. 29 Blu-ray Disc release of District 9 will include a demo of the upcoming PlayStation 3 game God of War III on the same disc.
District 9 will come to DVD and Blu-ray on Dec. 29.
The studio and partner Sony Computer Entertainment America are touting this project as the first time a major game demo has been offered in such hybrid fashion on Blu-ray. This latest installment of God of War, which will hit shelves next year, is part of a high-profile exclusive franchise for the PS3. Previous God of War games have collectively sold 8.7 million units to date.
After playing the God of War demo on the District 9 Blu-ray, users will be able to unlock an exclusive making-of featurette of the game.
Although Blu-ray’s 50GB capacity makes film/game combo discs possible, such products are rare. Midway Games released a special edition of PS3 game Stranglehold with the inclusion of John Woo film Hard Boiled on the same disc in October 2007. This past July, Warner Home Video bowed its Watchmen director’s cut Blu-ray with the PS3 videogame Watchmen: The End is Nigh in the same package but on two separate discs.
“The combination of District 9 and the game demo of God of War III is an unprecedented home entertainment offering,” said Lexine Wong, senior executive VP at Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. “We are thrilled to give consumers not only an incredible high-definition presentation of District 9 and the wealth of bonus material about the movie, but also a taste of what is destined to be the biggest videogame of 2010. This pairing of the movie and game demo is just another example of what is possible with the Blu-ray format.”
Peter Dille, senior VP of marketing and PlayStation Network at Sony, said, “Blu-ray functionality has long been a differentiator that separates the PS3 from other home entertainment systems. Through this collaboration with Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, we're able to create a unique experience only available on the PS3 system that blends two of the most popular entertainment options available, watching District 9 and playing God of War III off the same disc.”
District 9's Blu-ray disc also will include an exclusive interactive map, which Sony says is a bonus-feature first for the studio.
