PlayStation State of Play recap - Everything that happened at the September showcase
Join us as we cover the September State of Play as it happens
It was short but sweet, but that's another PlayStation State of Play wrapped. It delivered what it promised, with games focused on Japanese partners with a few extras sprinkled in for good measure.
Here are the biggest stories from today's State of Play:
- New God of War Ragnarok trailer teases tension between Kratos and Atreus
- Limited Edition God of War Ragnarok PS5 controller revealed
- Tekken 8 is official, and coming to PS5
- Like a Dragon: Ishin is a full remake of a lost Yakuza game, coming in February
- Pacific Drive is a drive from hell
- Rise of Ronin is a new open-world game from Team Ninja
- Hogwarts Legacy gets a spooky new trailer and PlayStation-exclusive quest
Today's State of Play is two hours or so away, so it's time for the hype train to leave the station. Beyond its hints about the nature of the studios featuring in today's showcase, Sony's not given us much of an idea about what we can expect to see, but we can make some educated guesses. Between now and the start of the show, we'll be running through some of the games we're expecting to feature, and some longer shots we're hoping to see.
STATE OF PLAY VS PLAYSTATION SHOWCASE
Before we dive into it, let's just set our expectations a little. This is a State of Play after all, the Sony PlayStation showcases that are smaller in scale and tend to focus more on third-party titles than big first party titles. For example, we've had State of Plays earlier this year for Hogwarts Legacy and Gran Turismo 7 alone. But hey, we can dream.
GOD OF WAR RAGNAROK
This one seems like a pretty sure thing. We're less than two months out from Kratos and Atreus' return, so we're almost certain to see another trailer or some gameplay for God of War Ragnarok. Excitement is already building, not least because several high-profile figures from developer Sony Santa Monica have been eagerly sharing yesterday's State of Play announcement on social media.
RESIDENT EVIL 4 REMAKE
The long-awaited Resident 4 Remake is coming on March 24, 2023. Given that the title also falls within Sony's focus on Japanese devs at today's show, don't be surprised to see Leon Kennedy make an appearance. Given the success of the Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3 remakes, this is definitely an exciting prospect.
RESIDENT EVIL VILLAGE DLC
The indomitable Lady Dimitrescu headlines Resident Evil Village Winters' Expansion DLC set to launch at the end of next month. That's just in time for Halloween, if you weren't keeping track, but everyone's favourite Big Lady is just one part of a DLC pack that includes a third-person perspective, another game mode, and new story components. With a launch in just six weeks, a new trailer seems like a pretty safe bet.
90 MINUTES TO GO
We're just an hour and a half away from things kicking off! Set your timers folks!
STREET FIGHTER 6
After a surprisingly thirsty reveal back in February, we've learned a lot about Street Fighter 6 over the past few months from modes to the roster. There's a lot of excitement building already, so perhaps today's show will be the perfect opportunity to narrow down the 2023 launch window.
PLAYSTATION VR2
PSVR 2 - aside from the new PS5 DualSense Edge controller - is the next big hardware launch from PlayStation. It's currently without a release date but we know that it's going to be quite the feat. Dual 4K HDR displays, eye tracking, headset feedback, 3D audio, and a single-cable connection for the headset itself. That's combined with new Sense controllers featuring orb designs, finger touch detection, adaptive triggers, haptic feedback, and more. We'd love to see more games and get a better sense of when we'll be able to get our hands… or should that be head… on it.
HORIZON CALL OF THE MOUNTAIN
Sony's said that we should expect details about games coming to PSVR 2, and there's no more anticipated title for that new platform than Horizon: Call of the Mountain. We got to see some gameplay footage back in June, so perhaps more info - including a potential release date - could be on the cards.
1 HOUR TO GO
State of Play will start in one hour! You have been warned!
FINAL FANTASY 16
Another game expected in 2023, we still know relatively little about Final Fantasy 16 beyond the names of its central characters and its lack of an open world. Expected next summer and thought to be well through development, we might not get a full deep dive, but we should see a little more of Clive and company.
ELDEN RING DLC
It's a long shot, but Sony has specifically mentioned its Japanese partners as a focus for this State of Play, and it recently purchased a decent chunk of Elden Ring developer FromSoftware. We've already had a look at what players think might be Elden Ring DLC, and six months on from launch, 2022's biggest game is prime for some new content.
SPIDER-MAN 2
Another longer shot, but Peter and Miles are set to return to our PlayStation consoles in 2023, and all we've had so far is a Venom-and-Kraven-focused teaser trailer. We're probably at least 12 months from an actual release for Marvel's Spider-Man 2, but maybe that means it's time we learned a little more about the web-slingers' next outing.
30 MINUTES TO GO
Just 30 minutes to go until State of Play. Time to gather your snacks.
FORSPOKEN
Forspoken's not had the easiest run - a couple of delays have pushed it all the way from this summer to January 2023. Despite that, the game's made recurring appearances in Sony's marketing efforts over the past few years. While there's not too much more to learn, with 10 games to show off, it's a relatively safe bet that we might get a brief peek at Frey's adventure.
We go hands-on with Forspoken
Forspoken's combat is a barrage of layered spells that reflect the best of Breath of the Wild
15 MINUTES TO GO
That's your 15-minute warning klaxon, so get comfy now!
SOMETHING FROM KOJIMA
If we are talking about Japanese developers that are friends of PlayStation, surely the mind immediately jumps to Hideo Kojima. Not only has the auteur said he's got a few projects on the go, he mysteriously tweeted earlier this week that he was "editing". Could this be the first teaser for whatever the next Kojima Productions title is?
Editing. pic.twitter.com/F7R95tmfllSeptember 12, 2022
UPCOMING GAMES
We're just minutes away from the PlayStation State of Play kick-off now, so let's sit back and take a walk through all the confirmed new games for 2022 and beyond to get excited about.
And we're off! PlayStation State of Play is live now on the official PlayStation YouTube and Twitch channels
I will never tire of that PS5 glow. So stylish
Here we were thinking Street Fighter would be a strong contender for a first up, but Tekken 8 is literally kicking things off here
"In development for PS5"
Tales from the Galaxy's Edge in development for PSVR 2 there
We've also got another PSVR 2 game confirmed here, which is a miniature-inspired / tabletop battler called Demeo.
Obviously no dates on any of these yet, as we're still waiting for a PSVR 2 launch window
Next game is being rebuilt from the ground up and is coming to the west for the first time - it's the samurai Yakuza game
Like a Dragon: Ishin coming February 2023.
Hogwarts Legacy with another new trailer ahead of its February 10, 2023 release date, again very much honing in on the darker side.
We got confirmation of a PlayStation exclusive quest there too.
Here's what looks like something new - road trip game of some sorts by the looks of the car, a garage, and the road. Although, also clearly something horror-esque too
The pimped out car is tracking something ploughing through the ground, while other things are bouncing through the forest.
It's called Pacific Drive and it's coming in 2023
PlayStation Stars - a new free loyalty scheme outlined there where you can complete quests to earn special items. Rolling out to certain territories soon.
Synduality coming 2023.
That's a brand new game from Bandai Namco.
Now we're on a PS5/PS4 console exclusive.
It's coming from Second Shift Studios and is set in a city built below a wasteland.
You'll be fighting monsters seemingly called NA:tives.
Weaponry seems to be able to fuse to the characters, which is interesting.
It's called Stellar Blade (Project Eve).
PS5 console exclusive apologies, and it's dropping in 2023.
Now we've got a new title from Koei Tecmo.
It's called Rise of the Ronin - and it's a PS5 exclusive dropping in 2024.
It's a sprawling RPG from Team Ninja.
God of War Ragnarok special edition DualSense controller revealed
aaaaaand there's the new trailer. Very much focused on the dynamics between Kratos and Atreus - clearly some angry and resentment the duo are going to work out.
The giant wolf we assume is Fenrir there again, along with some amazing scenery, out of this world locations, and giant jellyfish.
Thankfully that November 9 release date is staying firm!
You can watch that trailer in all it's glory below:
And we're done! My goodness 20 minutes goes by fast doesn't it!
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