SingStar Extras to offer new game modes News

Sony plans to launch a new section of the SingStore called "SingStar Extras" soon and use it to distribute paid-for or free gameplay updates for its monstrously popular music game series.

Series director Dave Ranyard revealed the plan in a wide-ranging interview with Eurogamer exploring the series history and Sony's ambitions for it in the future.

"I'm happy to say we'll look at new gameplay modes... The Store as well - as far as I'm concerned that can benefit from feature development just like anything else, so as content increases we may well work on the storefront," Ranyard told Eurogamer.

"We do have a new section to the storefront coming called SingStar Extras where you can buy, or get for free, other things than just songs, so that's where you might buy features in the future, or you might get the features for free. So we are looking at the storefront in that way. Basically, the Store's going to evolve as it gets bigger, and it is getting bigger by the day."

Asked when we might see new gameplay feature announcements, which Ranyard said could happen after the launch of wireless microphones last month and voice controls in late April, he said: "I think E3 is a good place to watch."

Ranyard also spoke about the series' relative popularity in Europe compared to the USA, where it has a harder time replicating the huge PAL sales. Over here we've bought over 16 million units, compared to fewer than 2 million in the US.

"When we look at the States, we launched SingStar a lot later, and actually, if you look at it for how many units it's sold for the time it's been out, it's not actually that different to Europe, believe it or not. People forget - it was a little bit of a slow-burner in Europe to start with," he said.

"Obviously I'd love it to be doing exactly the same business, and you see a lot of music game business in the States, but I do have confidence that things that we're doing on the content side and the feature side will elevate its status in the US in the next 12 months."

For more on SingStar, including how songs are licensed and implemented, accusations that the SingStore focus is too narrow, and how the community impacts the game's ongoing development, check out today's SingStar: Past, Present and Future feature.