Playstation targets next generation of developers in uni with PS4 dev kits

Sony has announced it's seeking "Expression of Interest" from universities hoping to get their hands on a PlayStation 4 dev kit.

The dev kits are being awarded as part of the Academic Development Programme, which is an academic licensing programme for universities and academic groups that want to use PlayStation development tools as part of further education.

 "The [desire for the programme] came out of staff members also being graduates and wanting to give back," Maria Stukoff, Head of Academic Game Development, told Wired.co.uk. "We know the next generation of talent and the future indie game developers are in education. It's of huge strategic importance for Sony Computer Entertainment to provide an environment where this talent can actually choose the PlayStation as a platform to get their skills and to create and innovate on."

Current offerings as part of the programme include PlayStation 3, PSP, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation Mobile and Move.me. According to the official announcement, institutions currently holding one of the Vita licences qualify for a follow-on license for PS4. "The PS Vita is the one we want to champion right now and we just got permission to move up as a natural progression to PS4," said Stukoff.

 "I think one of the really exciting parts is that the SDK [software development kit] of PlayStation Vita has a lot of similarities in the operating system and the way it works to PS4." The compatibility of the systems is part of what Stukoff refers to as the connected experience where companies with multiple devices seek to use them in order to offer multiple access points to the same piece of content or experience.

 There are two types of academic programme offered by Sony. One is the dev kit programme which has been taken up by over 70 universities in Europe and is all about learning skills. Some of the courses using the dev kit program also set up student-based companies meaning artists, animators and producers end up with experience of the development pipeline. Stukoff also says that Sony offers support services to the students.

 The second programme is PlayStation First -- a partnership programme where the company works with universities that integrate PlayStation technology far more deeply into their courses. "This means they teach from the second year onward on our platform just like any other design school might choose Macintosh as their preferred computer or have a programming course choose to be PC-based," said Stukoff. "We get involved to support either their own IP to be self-published -- so we provide feedback and mentoring -- or we also work with particular prototyping labs at universities that help develop ideas that come from our studios and are linked to our studios."

 The business benefits to Sony from this arrangement are clear and Stukoff doesn't shy away from the fact. "Through PlayStation First we're able to offer these universities access to PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 4 dev kits because they are going to be the next generation of indie developers.

 "Our priority with our academic programme is to enable that talent to start learning the pipeline, getting their IP published and in that process we may find the next team that will take us on the long journey in the same way that thatgamecompany was able to do." Thatgamecompany being the developers that made PlayStation's Journey.

 When asked what happens to these student projects, Stukoff reveals several are on the cusp of publication. "We are on the verge of having our first PlayStation Vita game published. It's more than that actually. One is on the verge of being published and we probably have another five that will come onto our PlayStation Network soon. They're our flagship IPs to show what's possible. What I'm excited about is this will be the first time we really support our student developers to come onto our platforms. Hopefully they will set the scene for the future and become our next generation of indie developers."