Syberia 3 announced for PC as Sony gives Microïds the cold shoulder

Written by Jack Allin — April 17, 2009 at 11:55

Following a rather ill-conceived April Fool's "announcement" of Syberia 3 for the PC and PlayStation 3 by Microïds, and the subsequent some-of-it's-true-but-some-isn't confirmation from the company, today the news of a PC sequel to the popular series has become official.

Today's revelation actually comes in the form of an unusual "letter to players and professionals of the video game industry". In stating categorically that “Syberia 3 is not an April Fool's joke", Microïds President Emmanuel Olivier confirmed that the game "will be released on PC for sure."

Where the issue gets more complex is the game's availability on the PlayStation 3, as originally rumoured on April 1st. Microïds would clearly like to include the PS3, and more importantly to all adventure gamers, states that in order to ensure the high level of quality we've come to expect from the acclaimed series, "it is essential to develop it for multiple platforms, PC and consoles." Unfortunately, Sony has yet to approve such a project, and having previously denied the release of other Microïds titles on the older PlayStation 2, the prospect of Syberia 3 doesn't look particularly hopeful for the next-gen console. Microïds is also balking at the high royalties charged by Sony, citing earlier payouts on past adventures for the company's investment limitations this time around.

To that end, Microïds is asking all Syberia fans to participate in an appeal to "convince Sony to change its rules" by sending emails of support to: supporToSyberia3PS3@microids.com.

In any case, Syberia 3 is indeed coming, and all that remains to be decided now is the scope of the project. Plus, of course, all those other little details like what the game is actually about. But like all Syberia fans, we'll be closely following the progess of this game, and no doubt we'll be hearing much more about it in coming months.