Lions Gate Bringing 12 More Flicks to UMD
A smattering of old and new releases for the PSP.
With a price tag not dissimilar from regular DVDs, UMD movies are by no means a sure thing, but that isn't stopping some companies from giving the new medium a go. The latest to sign up is Lions Gate Entertainment, which has confirmed that it will have 12 movies available for the PSP in the coming months.
The first batch of UMD movies includes recent releases like Saw, The Punisher and Open Water, but the company is delving into its back catalogue as well, bringing out such manly movies as Total Recall and Rambo: First Blood.
This represents a spark of confidence from the movie industry at large, as Lions Gate is the first company unrelated to Sony to support the new format.
"When we first saw the machine and started talking to Sony, we immediately decided it was going to be a winner, both from the gaming perspective and from the perspective of people watching movies on the go," said Lions Gate Entertainment president Steve Beeks in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter.
Meanwhile, despite the US release being only days away now, Sony is still mum on when Europeans will be able to pick up the PSP. Nintendo, the current forerunner in the handheld gaming arena, is set to release the Nintendo DS in Europe on Friday.
Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games