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Kotaku.com today blogged about a rumor they had received about the PS3’s online community features dubbed “Playstation Home” which are not unlike the features available currently on the wii.

Quoted from the blog:

Basically, you get to make an avatar for your console (like a Mii) and this avatar has a room. As you play games and accomplish certain tasks, you will receive items with which to adorn the room that are specific to the game (achievements). The kicker is that this is going to be a new requirement for every PS3 game…

This also sounds kind of like it could fulfill the promise Sony made at last year’s GDC keynote to bring social networking to the PS3.

So we move from product based to service based, starting with packaged product augmented by downloadble content. We’ll enhance this with social networks, the MySpace experience, this will be a key part of the PlayStation3 going forward. What brings it to life is the voice chat, the text chat, the video, the social features we’re building in for the future.

Obviously this was and still is an unconfirmed rumor. Kotaku did try to get a response from Sony before posting but were met with a cold ‘Sony doesn’t comment on rumors’ and do not post this rumor. Kotaku decided to go ahead and post the information. They received an email from Dave Karraker the Sr. Director, Corporate Communications of Sony Computer Entertainment America:

I am very disappointed that after trying to work with you as closely as possible and provide you and your team with access and information, you chose to report on this rumor…. I can’t defend outlets that can’t work cooperatively with us.

So, it is for this reason, that we will be canceling all further interviews for Kotaku staff at GDC and will be dis-inviting you to our media event next Tuesday. Until we can find a way to work better together, information provided to your site will only be that found in the public forum.

You can read the full post here.

Also Gizmodo has done a write up Playstation Blacklists Kotaku for Responsible Journalism

Sony really have lost their marbles. Creating a buzz about new features before launch helps spread the word even if it does turn out not to be true its the type of free advertising and hype you can’t get even if its paid for. Sending out a response banning Kotaku and asking back for the ps3 which was loaned to them is just corporate bullying and at a similar level found in school playgrounds. In the end it has just helped to create a negative vibe about Sony.

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