There isn’t a lot of joy to be found in game showcases these days. Layoffs are just a fact ofworking in the games industry now, considered an inevitability no matter what role you work in, and studio closures are so common that you never know which game is going to be a studio’s last. It’s hard to enjoy a peek into the future when you know so well that things could go bad at the snap of a finger.
All the same, I watch these showcases, and in a largely futile attempt to make myself look forward to them, I play a game. It’s not much of a game, really, I just make predictions about what we will and won’t see and then laugh later at how wrong I was. My hit rate isn’t great. I did this forThe Game Awards in Decemberand was wrong on every count apart from one confirmed appearance (Mafia: The Old Country), so, you know. Take this entire list with a pinch of salt. I’m really bad at this game I made up for myself where I have no competition, but it’s fine.
Anyway, an insider has hinted thatPlayStation will be hosting a State of Play showcasesome time next week, so I’m playing the game, based on the assumption that a showcase is going to happen at all.Recent State of Plays have been a little lacklustre– we’ve been seeing a lot of live-service games (in keeping with Sony’s live-service ambitions), ports, sequels, remakes, and a handful oflargely disappointing VR games. That said,PlayStationdoes actually have some cool stuff slated for a 2025 launch, so… Fingers crossed?
I Think So, But I’m Always Wrong
Death Stranding 2: On The Beach
This is one of the most obvious choices, considering that it’s a sequel to a wildly popular (and highly contentious) PlayStation game, it’s meant to release this year, and we somehow didn’t see it atSummer Game Festor The Game Awards despite both shows typically being aKojima-fest.Death Stranding 2might get a release date at the State of Play, or at the very least a narrowed-down release window.
Ghost of Yotei
If all goes well, thesequeltoGhost of Tsushima, another popular PlayStation property, should also be released this year. While I’m not sure we’ll see a concrete release date, we haven’t seen any gameplay out of this game, and with Summer Game Fest quite a ways away, State of Play is where we’re going to see a gameplay trailer if we indeed see one in the first half of the year.
Astro Bot DLC
I’m fairly sure that we’ll be getting more post-launch content for last year’s GOTY winner, it’s just unclear exactly when, or what we’ll be getting. I have a feeling it’ll be paid DLC, unlike the free levels that have already been added pre-Christmas, but that’s not going to stop us from running to beat them the moment they drop.
Sony’s Live-Service Games
Knowing Sony, we’re almost definitely going to see some of these.A few projects have been cancelled after Concord’s failure, so it’s unclear what’s still in the works and what isn’t –FairgamesandMarathonseem to still be in the running, as is a Horizon co-op game developed by Guerrilla (separate from theHorizon MMO that was apparently cancelled). Maybe we’ll get our first look at that last game?
Phantom Blade Zero
The studio behindthe wuxia-themed action-RPG, S-Game, released a trailer two weeks ago for the Lunar New Year, displaying new gameplay footage and saying that a release date will be announced this year. That’s not a definitive sign that we’ll see the announcement at the upcoming State of Play, but maybe.
Xbox Ports
I mostly meanIndiana Jones and the Great Circle here, but I’m hedging my bets. Xbox has already said that the game willrelease on PS5 in spring of 2025, which is quickly approaching. I know, nobody wants to think about the passage of time, but here we are. We might get a firm release date at the State of Play.
Probably Not, But I Guess You Can Dream
Grand Theft Auto 6
This seems like a stretch.Rockstar is really good at shutting up and letting the hype build itself, and I’m not sure we’ll see more ofGTA 6until closer to the end of the year, when it’s projected to be released. I love some copium as much as anybody else, but I fear we’ll have to keep cooking up conspiracy theories for the time being.
Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet
I’m sure this is a lot of people’s most anticipated first-party Sony game, but it’s too soon. We only just saw a trailer at The Game Awards. I’m predicting we’ll have to wait a year to see any more, maybe longer than that.
Marvel’s Wolverine
I don’t think we’ll be seeing this, but I’d love to be wrong. I doubt production is far enough along that we’ll be seeing any sort of gameplay, but a moody story trailer would beverywelcome, and could change the mood around the game after gallons of unpolished leaks.
Some Other Kojima Stuff
Hideo KojimaisPlayStation’s baby, after all. OD? Physint? An update on that Death Stranding movie adaptationthat I desperately don’t want Kojima to be overly involved in? I don’t know. Once again, I mostly just want to see more of OD so I can appreciate Hunter Schafer.
