Sportsfriends Update: New BaraBariBall Arenas, PAX Tournaments

HELLOOOOO AGAIN OFFICIAL PLAYSTATION BLOG! Last time I posted here I introduced BaraBariBall and the Sportsfriends collection. Go check it out if you’re curious about what the game is, or click here if you want a more in-depth look at its systems (tldr version: it’s a fun new fighting game, with a ball).

Since then we’ve raised enough funding to bring Sportsfriends to PS3, poured a ton more work into all four games, and played BaraBariBall with thousands of people at dozens of events, including UFGT, Magfest, PAX, Apex, two EVOs and many more.

We’ve been fortunate to have the opportunity to continue to tune and refine BaraBariBall for this long (thanks, Kickstarter supporters!) and there’s still lots to do before we’re ready to launch, but until then, I’m here to bring you up to speed on some news.

First, we’ve put together an exciting new trailer that shows off some of the new features and arenas in BaraBariBall. Watch it here.

Next, BBB will appear at PAX, in a serious way. Sportsfriends will be featured at the PlayStation booth, and the Indie Megabooth, so stop by and say hi if you’re going to be there. We’re even running free tournaments for all four games (you can pre-register for the BBB tournament here). Also, advice – if you’re too scared or too fragile to enter the JS Joust tournament, at least try to come watch the finals. The teams tournament at PAX East was really incredible.

Speaking of tournaments, there’s a bunch of good footage from BBB at EVO and UFGT.

I also wanted to include a couple screenshots of two new arenas that we’ve been working on:

Rainbow Ruins is a simple, flat island, with plenty of space for players to duel in the air or on the ground. One of the characters in the game has a special ability that lets her cling to any wall, but the curved surfaces in Rainbow Ruins can make this difficult. Also, everyone likes blue skies in video games right? Finally, a pleasant destination!

King’s Bell is a tight, close-quarters arena, favoring players and characters that like to fight for the ball. The bell itself creates a choke point in the center, meaning that the only way to get to the other player’s goal is usually directly through the other player!

Thanks for reading!