Murmurs of a PSP edition of Evolution Studios' PlayStation 3-exclusive off-road racer MotorStorm have been circulating since November. At that time, a UK-based gaming blog was passed tips from an attendee of Sony Europe's Staff Annual Briefing, allegedly spilling the publisher's plans on a "more competitive" PS3 price point in March, Little Big Planet and MotorStorm for the PSP, and a sequel to Uncharted: Drake's Fortune.

　　Now, all of those events except for the PS3 price cut have come to pass. Sony announced today as part of its Destination PlayStation retailer conference that MotorStorm Arctic Edge will arrive for the PSP and PlayStation 2 this fall. Pursuit Force developer Bigbig Studios, a subsidiary of Sony-owned Evolution Studios, has been tasked with creating the racer.

　　MotorStorm Arctic Edge takes the franchise's signature off-road racing to the frigid wastelands of Alaska. The game includes the six vehicle classes seen in previous MotorStorm installments and adds two more specifically catered to Alaska's frozen tundra: the Snowcat and the Snow Machine. Vehicles will also feature an element of customization, wherein players can equip their rides with different parts or apply decals and stickers.

　　In the PSP edition of MotorStorm Arctic Edge, up to eight players can battle locally via the handheld's ad hoc mode, or online to place in global leaderboards.