EU PSN Store Still Having Starhawk Problems

A week ago, Starhawk launched on the PSN Store or at least it was supposed to have launched. Instead, European users were greeted with what looked like an incomplete update. Upon visiting the PSN Store and clicking through to the Starhawk section, it seems that the majority of content is unavailable with eight out of twenty items not being selectable, or even displayed.

Soon after last week’s update, Dylan Jobe, President of Starhawk’s developer Lightbox Interactive, Tweeted that SCEE were aware of the issue and working on resolving it.

To get around the issue, users still need to search the store for “Starhawk” and then the three different versions of the full game along with all the DLC is available to download. Don’t forget Starhawk DLC will always be free to PlayStation Plus subscribers, and new maps will always be free to everyone making it a great value proposition if you do download it from the store.

[drop2]Having to search for the content in order to download it may not be the biggest issue to fans of the game who will more likely persevere to get what they want using the “workaround” to download the free and premium content, but a store isn’t just a repository for obtaining the items you know you want, it’s obviously a storefront too, where browsers turn into buyers. It also seems bizarre that Starhawk hasn’t been added to the PlayStation Plus section of the store, somewhere many people probably visit on Wednesdays to see what new content is available to download as part of the subscription. In short, a great promotional area of the store.

Starhawk’s ‘missing tile’ issue, and the seemingly unavailable content it causes alongside the lack of advertising of Starhawk in the PlayStation Plus section all add up to another missed opportunity for a Sony published product. This comes a week after ex-PlayStation PR staffer, Will Powers accused Sony of sending first party titles out to die.

Whilst that’s not linked to SCEE in any way it just adds to the overall perception that when it comes to promoting their own titles, Sony’s efforts sometimes fall short.

This isn’t the only issue facing the EU PlayStation Store at the moment, as there’s the ongoing mystery surrounding absent titles such as Counter Strike: Global Offensive – a situation not helped by a continued lack of communication from the team. It’s this kind of thing that ensures SCEE aren’t often cast in the best light.

16 Comments

  1. Oh, come on SCEE…this is in no way acceptable. What is it, the 5th incident in a month’s time?!

  2. Was going to write this after a couple of days last week, then I thought I’d wait for a further store update just in case their inner works & limited manpower only allowed them to get grips with issues on update day.

    I don’t know what what’s going off, but not being in the PS+ section, not having the range of content displayed properly in the normal section is pretty poor form after such a long time.

    This comes after SCEE could have done a better job promoting it, in the buildd up to launch every retailer had a different release date listed showing perhaps a lack of communication for the game’s distributors (SCEE).
    On the promotion front I think there was one online ad somewhere, certainly wasn’t widely visible, hardly got any coverage on the EU blog, which didn’t even get all the US articles ‘cut&paste’ across.

    When it did launch it was out of stock everywhere in the launch week with a lack of copies going around and then when it did get back in stock the buzz had gone and another product was obviously flavour of the week

    And now this less than brilliant support…

    Anyway ignoring SCEE’s involvement (or lack thereof), it’s turning from a good game, into a great game… the recent 1.4 updates which added more modes has also contained lots of balancing tweaks which is obviously contributing to even better balancing, a key problem some people had in trying to get into the game. Then with the news that all maps will always be free to everyone & all DLC will be free to PS+ users it’s a great value multiplayer game to get yourself into which of course is now only £15.99 on the store… and the singleplayer (which I haven’t even played yet) is of course free.

  3. There’s quite a few blank boxes on the store right now? Not just on Starhawk either, it’s quite worrying nothing seems to be done to fix things?

  4. there redoing the store so guess it will all be fixed then until then just search starhawk you will get it all that way.

  5. what a foocking shambles the store is right now!

  6. Really hope that new store launches soon, I’m picking up a new HDD for my PS3, but now until there is a new store with a proper download-list/section.

  7. I noticed this last week. I only discovered the additional content in the recommendations list to the right of the download/ preview buttons etc. Then doing a search of freebies on Plus brought all the additional DLC. Except, strangely, the soundtrack which is also free to Plus subscribers,

  8. I wouldn’t mind about these store issues if the team at SCEE would be more…. Whats the word… Transparent in their responses, “we’re looking into it” or “no news on the issue at he moment” has enraged the community.

    So despite the official blog, forums and twitter accounts no one at SCEE has the stones to say “sorry we let a complete arse burger fondle with the store and now we broke it”

    I’ve been a very happy customer up until late but with slapdash excuses and vaguely worded statements I can’t help but feel we as customers are being taken for an epic ride.

    After the hack scandel last year you’d think they would have learned to communicate with their customer base, also stil no counter strike :-( “still no news at the moment”

  9. As great as the content on the PSN Store is nowadays, getting to it is always a problem for me. Slow store loading times, general locking up and broken/missing image tiles are things that I encounter more than I should. When stuff like this happens too, where it looks like they gave up half way through the update, it makes you wonder what’s going on behind the scenes.

    You would think that after 5 years issues like this would long be history.

  10. I wrote this in another article and still feel the same way:

    just bought the MP and have to say I’ve experienced some of the WORST MP I’ve ever come across. The amount of base ravaging that goes on in this game is a joke.

    It’s seriously imbalanced as well. I actually joined a game where the score was 153 to…wait for it…3. Yes, 3! I left it immediately, thinking “What’s the point?”

    I’ve never come across such a point disparity in any online game. Unfortunately, having just had a kick-ass deal (and it really is a good one) it’s a shame to still see so few players on it. I played BF3 the other night after a hiatus and it was packed.

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