Rumor: Trophies may become mandatory in 2009
by Andrew Yoon 
{ Jul 18th 2008 at 6:00AM }
Trophies are rather new for the PS3 audience. In fact, only one game on the market right now supports them. But, will things change in the future? The answer looks to be "yes." First party titles are all required to have Trophy support, but in 2009, all Trophies may become "mandated." One major developer told Joystiq that Sony may require Trophies in all third party games.In addition, Trophies may be required to be different from Xbox 360 Achievements. "We've heard some things that make it sound like we will have to do some unique to PS3 Trophies ... this is all very new to us." It won't be long until more games release, and gamers flock to get the highest PlayStation Level possible.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
stargateheaven @ Jul 18th 2008 6:06AM
only first party?
ultima_omega @ Jul 18th 2008 6:32AM
Read it again,
stargateheaven @ Jul 18th 2008 6:46AM
oops. yeah i read it again. sorry lol.
Moe @ Jul 18th 2008 6:13AM
Trophies should be mandatory now. But better late than never.
Jerses @ Jul 18th 2008 6:55PM
Trophies...DELAYED! hahaha classic.
Aex @ Jul 18th 2008 7:34PM
Well, to make them mandatory now, may incur a delay for companies not expecting them in their product development plan. The last thing Sony would want is to force a delay for a game due to a new feature in the xmb. By giving the companies time after release, before making it mandatory, they can possibly avoid some ire and stink eyes.
Not to mention, it may be troublesome to change the contracts for all titles in development now to reflect the new requirements.
What I'm trying to say, is it probably isn't as easy to just say "It's Mandatory now" in the business world and they didn't want to delay the Trophy's or Game's releases :p
Brodie-san @ Jul 18th 2008 6:18AM
"May"?
Must.
I got my second trophy last night. :)
GridloQ @ Jul 18th 2008 6:22AM
I have no interest whatsoever in trophies.
WHAT NOW BYATCHES?!?!?!?!
gilbert @ Jul 18th 2008 7:25AM
whats the game with the trophies?
Lorcav @ Jul 18th 2008 7:35AM
Super Stardust HD
sean @ Jul 18th 2008 7:54AM
super stardust HD
Aznsupastar @ Jul 18th 2008 7:59AM
Super Stardust HD
Chris @ Jul 18th 2008 8:40AM
Super Stardust HD
Archon @ Jul 18th 2008 9:10AM
Super Stardust HD
NinjaAntonio @ Jul 18th 2008 9:56AM
I'll say it in spanish now...Fabuloso Stardust HD!!!!
SuburbGuerrilla @ Jul 18th 2008 9:55AM
I think its SSBB
Jerses @ Jul 18th 2008 11:31AM
In spanish it will be " super estrella polvo Alta Definicion"
deaftly @ Jul 18th 2008 2:53PM
Superstern-Staub HD
Mo @ Jul 18th 2008 6:00PM
god(*#$ it!!! ive been playing this fucking flow for days and *thats* why i dont have any mother#*&$(#ing trophies yet!!!! for #$&*# sake!!!!!
gilbert @ Jul 18th 2008 7:25AM
what game has trophies?
boltu222 @ Jul 18th 2008 9:29AM
Super Stardust HD
SparkyJ23 @ Jul 18th 2008 7:11AM
Trophies should have been mandatory from the moment Sony thought of putting them in - if Uncharted can do it so can everyone else. Just more half baked after the horse has bolted thinking from Sony....
ChodalBerryWagon @ Jul 18th 2008 7:17AM
I want some friggin' trophies!!!
Release those god damn Uncharted and Warhawk patches already!!!!
adolson @ Jul 18th 2008 9:09AM
Buy SSHD already! It was awesome before it got Trophies, so I don't know why anyone wouldn't own it. Unless twin-stick shooters killed your dog or something.
John @ Jul 18th 2008 7:37AM
Thats right lets make the development process more demanding and longer for developers, maybe that way developers will stop complaining about the complications about developing on the ps3. I'm the type that wants the developers to concentrate on the game not achievements or trophies.
Neo Senku @ Jul 18th 2008 8:26AM
I'll back you on that. It really just seems to me that trophies and achievements are just a way to make it seem like a game has more replay value than it really does. I'd rather Dev implement real stuff into the game to make it longer, or have better replay value.
boltu222 @ Jul 18th 2008 9:31AM
I agree with you guys...
rockmanjoey) @ Jul 18th 2008 8:11AM
I am only one trophy away from getting my Platinum trophy. That Destroy 10 Nukes is amazingly difficult and I managed to pull it off with 3 lives and 7 Bombs to spare!
Now its the Bomber, that ain't going to be easy! I feel it should be mandatory from now on!
ultima_omega @ Jul 18th 2008 8:42AM
Sorry to tell you this but PSN do not have platinum trophies.
rockmanjoey) @ Jul 18th 2008 6:55PM
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
Crap.....crapsticks
Chris @ Jul 18th 2008 9:06AM
Ultima_omega: http://playstation.joystiq.com/2008/07/08/2-41-brings-new-look-platinum-trophy/
Archon @ Jul 18th 2008 9:12AM
Owned!
DeforMAKulizer @ Jul 18th 2008 9:35AM
I think what he meant to say is that Super Stardust HD doesnt have a platinum trophy... They didnt include one in it nor will PAIN have one either... I read it once here on PS3Fanboy...
XeroKool @ Jul 18th 2008 10:41AM
PSN Titles do not give platinum trophies once you get to 100%. Hope we didn't crush your dreams. You seemed really excited about it.
XeroKool @ Jul 18th 2008 10:47AM
I hope that people can recognize the difference when I say PSN Titles (ie. the ones you download from the PSN store) vs disc-based games.
Albanian_Killa @ Jul 18th 2008 8:41AM
I think this is great because 2009 is just around the corner (in terms of games, not time :P). I mean, I'll only be getting SOCOM, LittleBigPlanet, and Resistance 2. Maybe FIFA 09, I'll think about it. But those 3 titles I stated will have Trophies. I'm happy Sony is mandating Trophies. I gotta say, they made me realize how great Super Stardust HD was.
What I'm curious to know is what are Home Trophies and how will they work? I think they should just ditch that idea and put Platinum Trophies on display for Home to not complicate things that much.
admgamer @ Jul 18th 2008 8:53AM
This is a rather harsh requirement by Sony tbh.
Trophies are extras, why the hell should they be mandatory now that they decide to release a firmware with trophy functionality.
I'm all for trophies but i think its a bit of a dodgy demand on developers.
Oddface @ Jul 18th 2008 9:07AM
Well, Microsoft does it...
Albanian_Killa @ Jul 18th 2008 10:32AM
Well then, how about no developer uses Trophies, OR rumble. How about no developer uses SIXAXIS. How about they make their games on CD instead?
Kspraydad @ Jul 18th 2008 9:01AM
About time SONY started DEMANDING things to create a consistent feel amongst games. Now that they have lowered the OS requirements they should be making in-game music and chat mandatory too.
Chris @ Jul 18th 2008 9:02AM
I have always thought trophies are a waste of space. Can anyone tell me a good enough reason why they're not?
I'll tell you why they are:
1. Games haven't been about scoring points since playstations came out. Why go back to the past? There's a reason we got rid of "rewards" and that's because we don't need them at the end of the game any more, telling us we did well, or that we enjoyed the game.
2. Sometimes single player games are just single player games, and I don't care if my friends can do it better. These games aren't about bragging rights and should not have trophies.
3. I want to enjoy the games as the developers wanted them to be enjoyed. Not with extra pop-ups that "add replay value" (read: "get in the way"), which ultimately change the way you play the game and destroy the atmosphere. Think: instead of roaming around on adventure, you find yourself looking under every rock and stone to get the looked-under-every-rock-stone-and-house achievement, which takes twice as long as actually playing the game.
4. This feature has only been brought on because of desperate Xbox fanboys (and girls) shouting about how us PS3 owners can't "enjoy" achievements, and were stupid for buying the wrong console, and the Sony fanboys (and girls) who were daft enough to listen to them. Unfortunately, Sony has indulged these people and not its actual consumer base who just want to play the games rather than shout and argue about them.
5. As John said, it's a waste of resources for developers. They could put actual cool stuff in games (think along the lines of the Playboy magazines in Metal Gear).
6. It's a waste of Sony's resources. They could be adding other cool stuff, like, I dunno, taking screenshots of 1080p videos for use as wallpapers, or... letting us access files on a PS3 over a home network... releasing more PS1 games... scouting the market to secure actual exclusive titles... fixing the lag of remote play... adding more flexible context (triangle button) options in the XMB. Do you need more?
Wake up people.
wisznia @ Jul 18th 2008 9:26AM
good talking man. you should write some letter to Sony.
: )
Brodie-san @ Jul 18th 2008 9:35AM
I'll keep my answer short: I got a new trophy last night and it was fun.
Fun.
It's added fun. You don't HAVE to do it. It's not mandatory. Some people will not care about trophies. Some people will. Now that they're there, the people who do care - don't miss out. Simple as that really. No conspiracy here.
As for resources, if it's designed as part of the game from the start, trust me, it's not a major tax on resources to support trophies. Retrofitting them in on the other hand is slightly more complex.
ultima_omega @ Jul 18th 2008 6:55PM
The platinum icon is displayed on every game. I assure you PSN games don't have them.
ultima_omega @ Jul 18th 2008 6:55PM
PSN games do not have trophies i assure you. That same graphic will be displayed in every trophy supported game wether it has platinum or not. Do a bit of searching online and you will see it is true.
ultima_omega @ Jul 18th 2008 9:34AM
PSN do not have platinum trophies! If you don't believe me unlock everything on SSHD and see for yourself. You must live in a cave because this is well known now.
Chris @ Jul 18th 2008 9:37AM
As the book I just wrote says, I don't care about trophies and so don't know much about them, but there are obviously platinum trophies. It must just be that they are not unlocked the way you think they are.
ultima_omega @ Jul 18th 2008 9:39AM
Yes there are Platinum trophies but only in disc game's. i wasn't saying there aren't any at all. You just wont find them in downloadable games.
Chris @ Jul 18th 2008 9:41AM
Oh, I thought you meant PSN as in XBox has it but PS3 desn't. Sorry about that.
Nate @ Jul 18th 2008 6:55PM
I like the idea of trophies. I admit that I was one of the ones that thought achievements weren't a big deal at first, but the more I heard about them the more interested I got. It's a fun way to compare your experience playing a game with a friend. "Hey, you got that trophy that requires you seduce the Wookie? Dude, you're sick!" It doesn't have to be about purely adding to your score, which is why I like the ability to do a game by game comparison with your friends.
I'm not 100% sold on mandating trophies in games, but given how multiplatform devs seem to like to skimp on the PS3 version's features (no voice chat in Rock Band, for example), then maybe it's not a terrible idea.
Implementing trophies is NOT tough. It's the kind of work you give to the junior developers while the senior guys go work on the hard stuff. It's not like it's going to add months to development time or anything, especially if the developer knows from the beginning that he's going to need to support them.