Sony’s PlayStation 5 received a number of new details today, including confirmed PlayStation VR support, specs, and much more. However, one other interesting bit came up when Wired spoke to lead system architect Mark Cerny about backwards compatibility. Cerny said that the transition from PlayStation 4 to next-gen would be “gentle”, and that several games would launch on both platforms.
Which makes sense, considering the PS4 had a number of cross-gen games in its first year. However, when asked about how Kojima Productions’ Death Stranding will fit in, Cerny apparently just smiled and said nothing. A spokesperson reiterated that the action-adventure (we presume) title would be coming to PS4, but that’s pretty much it.
You could theorize several different things from this exchange. Death Stranding could release for PS4 first and then eventually come to PS5. Alternatively, it could release for both platforms at the same time and serve as a launch title for the PS5 (which would put its release date somewhere in 2020, if Sony’s next-gen console is indeed out then). Of course, there’s also the possibility of Death Stranding releasing for both consoles some time after the PS5’s launch.
Much of this is conjecture at this point, and there isn’t a whole lot to discern from Cerny’s response either. As for Death Stranding, it will be discussed by director Hideo Kojima and actor Norman Reedus at the upcoming Tribeca Film Festival.