The highly anticipated game revival of the hit 1984 movie franchise has already suffered a tortuous path to release.
Originally intended for an October 2008 debut, Ghostbusters was dropped into the gaming netherworld after Activision (bought up by initial publisher Vivendi) nixed the title from its line-up.
'80s gaming icon Atari fittingly came to the rescue of developer Terminal Reality's action game by picking up the publishing rights, but the company delayed the title's release to this June in order to sync up with the original film's 25th anniversary.
Now, with just over a month to spare, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe announced a bold move to take over publishing duties for Ghostbusters in Europe - and with it comes yet another delay.
Shock Move Makes Ghostbusters a PlayStation Exclusive in Europe
The deal, negotiated with Atari, would see Sony - the owner of the Ghostbusters property - publish and release the game exclusively for its PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 2 platforms in Europe on June 19.
The game is reportedly still slated to be released by Atari on all other platforms (which include Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii), albeit later in the fall.
This means fans who've waited months to strap on their own proton packs and bust some heads (in a spiritual sense, of course) will have to continue waiting, unless they own a Sony system.
Atari assured its publishing plans for the game in North America remain unaffected by this latest move. The game is still set for release in the U.S. and Canada on June 16 across all platforms.
Move Designed to Bolster PlayStation 3 Sales
While it remains unclear whether Ghostbusters can be a system-seller a la Metal Gear Solid 4, there's no doubt this surprise move for timed exclusivity is designed to leverage one of Sony's own properties to maximize console sales.
The PlayStation 3 has recently fared better against the Xbox 360 in Europe compared to North America, and it would appear Sony is banking on the hype generated by Ghostbusters to continue this trend.
“We’re committed to bringing the PlayStation family the biggest and best gaming experiences first,” said Mark Hardy, European Product Marketing Director at Sony Europe, in a news release, “and it doesn’t get any bigger and better than this blockbuster title."
In addition to the game, Sony is set to release a Blu-ray version of Ghostbusters in June for the film's anniversary - a move that could see yet more fans snag up a PlayStation 3, which already comes equipped with a Blu-ray player.
According to an article by gaming industry news site MCV, Sony also confirmed a PlayStation Portable version of the spook hunting game is under development and should be released by fall.
