It’s February, and you know what that means. No, not just the launch of big-name games like Resident Evil Requiem, but the first State of Play for the year. PlayStation has announced a pretty showcase to kick things off with over 60 minutes of news, announcements, reveals, and more from PlayStation Studios and third-party developers worldwide.
Obviously, you should never get too hyped and expect the impossible – like Grand Theft Auto 6, especially when Take-Two specifically said marketing would begin this Summer – but there’s plenty more to look forward to. Let’s dive into 15 potential announcements that could occur, starting with the most obvious…
A Hideo Kojima Trailer
Leave it to Hideo Kojima to effectively prove that a State of Play is happening soon through little more than photos of his workspace. The Death Stranding 2 director recently tweeted about editing a new trailer, his first in eight months, and at this point, it seems more than likely that the sequel’s PC version could get announced at last. But that’s too safe, so we’ll go all in and hope for something Physint-related as well. Give me Robert Pattinson in that leading role, Kojima. You know you want to.
Saros
After its previous delay, Housemarque promised it would have more on its roguelite shooter ahead of launch. We’re now a little over two months away, and there’s no better place, especially if the team wants to showcase some of the bosses that we’ll tackle on Carcosa. But I wouldn’t be surprised if a deeper dive was announced for a later date, as befitting a first-party title such as Saros.
Marvel’s Wolverine
It’s a long shot since Insomniac Games’ titles typically begin marketing closer to launch. But if Marvel’s Wolverine somehow launches in the last week of September, thus still hitting its Autumn window, it could mean earlier appearances. Regardless, it’s Sony’s first State of Play for the year, and what better way to go in swinging than with the best there is at what he does?
4:Loop
Am I saying you should look forward to 4:Loop, even if it’s from Mike Booth of Left 4 Dead legend? Well, no, but does that mean it won’t appear at State of Play? That’s a different matter entirely. But hey, if nothing else, Bad Robot Games could announce some playtest dates, and hopefully showcase the co-op title’s main hook (and why it won’t be immediately DOA on arrival).
Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls
Judging by the updated Steam page, which was quickly remedied, it seems that Arc System Works and Sony are getting to drop more details on the 4v4 tag fighter. Potential open beta? Maybe even a release date sometime in the coming months? Whatever the case may be, we’ve been itching to go hands-on with Marvel Tōkon since it was first revealed, and can’t wait to see more.
Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve
While it’s a multiplatform release, Bandai Namco titles have been regulars at State of Play. It thus wouldn’t be surprising for the next Ace Combat to receive some new details, maybe highlight the newer features or that sumptuous-looking aerial combat. Mayhaps it’s too soon for a release date, but then again, stranger things have happened in the world of Strangereal.
Crimson Desert
As we eagerly await the third Features Overview trailer for Crimson Desert, basking in even more details of its open-world excellence, would some new gameplay at State of Play be out of left field? Considering how many eyes would be on it, and the fact that the game is out next month, probably not. Maybe it’s a slight stretch, but there’s no better time for marketing.
Silent Hill: Townfall
Alright, Annapurna – you’ve had your fun and games, keeping Townfall on the download all these years after announcing it. With how biased Konami is towards State of Play and PlayStation in general with Silent Hill, it seems reasonable to expect an update on the next big game during the showcase. We’ll settle for anything at this point – a release window, gameplay, even just proof that the project remains alive.
Starfield on PS5
Long-rumored and potentially long-desired? That remains to be seen, but based on alleged retail leaks, Starfield could very well arrive this Spring for PS5, at long last. It stands to reason that Update 2.0, which could fix so many issues that we’ve had with the space-faring RPG to date, will go live as well, though the next story expansion seems far less certain. Either way, what better way to remind the world that Starfield is alive, to their humor or not, than at State of Play?
Marathon
Marketing has ramped up for Bungie’s problematic extraction shooter in recent months, and it’s somehow managing to look somewhat palatable ahead of its release in March. Given the trajectory of other titles, it only seems reasonable to host a series of open playtests for all platforms, and even more so to announce dates for the same during Sony’s own show.
Resident Evil Requiem
With Resident Evil Requiem out later this month, it seems only a given that State of Play should give us a new trailer. Maybe a little morsel of a tease, perhaps even a new character, really, anything, to keep the hype going. Granted, it seems a little late at this point to expect a free demo like previous entries and remakes, so we’ll have to be satisfied with something big.
Onimusha: Way of the Sword
Between Pragmata getting a release date and demo, and Requiem showing off Leon like he’s going out of style, Onimusha: Way of the Sword has been rather quiet lately. I don’t know if I could see the brave Musashi’s next totally historically accurate adventure getting a launch date this soon. Still, there could very well be other bombshell details waiting to be revealed.
Directive 8020
Remember Supermassive Games’ sci-fi horror title that seemingly dropped off the face of the Earth after its last delay? It appeared at last year’s State of Play, and if it’s launching anytime soon, then this is certainly a big enough occasion to announce it. How much more you could show at this point to get players on board, that too without venturing into spoiler territory, is anyone’s guess, but if it’s out anytime in the next few months, now is better than never.
Control Resonant
Between dropping bits and morsels about Resonant’s combat, level design, gameplay loop, and much more, Remedy Entertainment has stated that it will share more “soon.” And you can’t get much sooner than this. Whether the time is ripe for a release date announcement is another matter entirely, but more extensive gameplay, especially as Dylan rips and tears his way through Manhattan, will do just fine.
The Witcher 3 DLC
Another potentially out of left field announcement? Undoubtedly, but given estimates that it will launch in May – assuming it even exists – it wouldn’t be surprising if CD Projekt RED chose State of Play to kick off the hype train. Maybe you don’t need that much to really get people on board – it is The Witcher 3 after all – but with no other major showcases in the coming months, this may very well be the perfect storm.
