PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale

Development

Development of PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale began in 2009 under the working title Title Fight. Originally intended for Naughty Dog, which was busy with The Last of Us, Sony Computer Entertainment formed SuperBot Entertainment in 2009 to work on the game. The creative team included members from several Sony and former third-party development teams, with Omar Kendall, formerly a designer on the UFC series and Backyard Wrestling franchise, serving as game director.

In early 2011, it was discovered that SuperBot, an independent studio based in California, was working on an unannounced combat-heavy multiplayer title for the PlayStation 3. Images leaked in November 2011 showed Sweet Tooth and Kratos, and claimed the game featured characters such as PaRappa the Rapper, Sly Cooper, Nathan Drake, Colonel Mael Radec, and Fat Princess. SuperBot confirmed it was working on a very amazing PS3 game for Sony Computer Entertainment America.

Job adverts sought a senior combat designer with fighting game familiarity and a lead designer with online mode and matchmaking experience. Sony declined to comment on rumors. Other developers including Santa Monica Studio, Bluepoint Games, Blind Squirrel Games, and Magic Pixel Games contributed.

Release

Originally scheduled for October 2012, PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale was delayed and released on November 20, 2012, in North America, with subsequent dates in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Ireland, and Japan on January 31, 2013. Pre-orders included a voucher for a downloadable content pack with exclusive costumes for all playable characters; third-party costumes were later offered as free DLC, while others became premium DLC. As part of Sony's cross-buy initiative, purchasers of the PlayStation 3 version received a free copy of the PlayStation Vita version.

On May 1, 2012, Sony announced the PlayStation Store Royale Contenders Sale, offering discounts on titles like God of War Collection and Killzone 3 Multiplayer. At Gamescom 2012, Sony announced the cross-buy program, with PlayStation All-Stars among the first games included. The music track Genesis by Justice was used in promotional material, and the game's opening uses the song Finale by Madeon. A television commercial was produced by the Robot Chicken creative team.

Reception

PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale received generally average reviews, with a Metacritic score of 74 for the PlayStation 3 version and 75 for the PlayStation Vita version. Critics praised the multiplayer and fighting mechanics but criticized the lack of content, still images in campaign mode, and few cutscenes. The super move mechanic, the only way to defeat opponents, received mixed reception: some found it lacking depth, while others felt it added strategy.

Two presenters of the video game talk show Good Games gave the game a 6 out of 10, praising combat mechanics but criticizing the super move system, noting that missing a super could erase all progress. The character selection was also criticized, with some feeling characters were chosen for marketing appeal rather than suitability for a fighting game. PaRappa character designer Rodney Greenblat expressed happiness at PaRappa's return but disappointment at his inclusion in a violent game, though he acknowledged the game was fun and hoped Sony would design new PaRappa games.