Here's the fact Sony will handle the sales and distribution of Codemasters' DiRT 2 for the PS3 and PSP.

Axel Herr, senior VP of publishing for EPAC, Codemasters, uttered, “To have Colin McRae: DiRT 2 represented by the platform holder during the new PS3 system’s launch window is testimony to the strength of the game and its commercial relevance. The Colin McRae series has enjoyed a great affinity with the PlayStation brand in PAL territories for over 10 years and we’re proud to have the support and ambition of SCEE behind it during this key time for both the PS3 and PSP.”

That's all very nice - and meaningless - but what Herr didn't say was why Sony's selling and distributing another publisher's game.

The last time something like this happened was when Sony published Ghostbusters as a timed exclusive, with the spectre of Atari's move out of Europe lurking in the background.

Before that we saw Midway's Wheelman get picked up by Ubisoft. But Codemasters isn't having the kind of financial trouble Midway was having back then... is it?

Of course, there was mention of "the new PS3 system’s launch" from Herr. A PS3 DiRT 2 bundle wouldn't be all that surprising.

DiRT 2's due out on September 11th.