The PS5 has made a strong impression in the first three years of its active lifecycle, having already accumulated a solid library of excellent games, many of which have of course been exclusives- which is unsurprising, given Sony’s model. Interestingly, however, for the first time in what feels like quite a long time, there isn’t too much clarity over what we can expect from PlayStation exclusives in the coming years. The timing of a number of major Sony studios’ flagship releases has lined up in such a manner over the last few years that at this point in time, we know very little about what most of them have lined up for the future.
There is, however, always some information to go on nonetheless, whether that’s official or unofficial, which means we do have at least a vague idea of what the future is going to have in store for several studios that are working on PS5 exclusives. Here, that’s exactly what we’ll be talking about, as we take a studio-by-studio look at what exclusives Sony’s console has in the pipeline for the coming years, both first party and otherwise.
NAUGHTY DOG
Naughty Dog may have released The Last of Us Part 1 not too long ago, while The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered is also set to launch imminently, but really, it’s been close to four years since the studio’s last major new release – the latter’s original PS4 version – came out. That, of course, means we’re probably approaching the window where Naughty Dog and Sony will officially begin speaking about the developer’s next game- but what exactly is that game going to be?
At this point, we can say concretely that it’s not going to be The Last of Us Online, with Naughty Dog recently having confirmed that the multiplayer game had been officially cancelled. On the single player side of things, the question many have asked is if Naughty Dog is working on The Last of Us Part 3 or a completely new IP- though it’s now beginning to look like it might actually be both. Recently, in the wake of The Last of Us Online’s cancellation, the studio revealed that it had “multiple” single player narrative-driven games in development.
Now, assuming that The Last of Us Part 3 and a new IP are indeed in development simultaneously, which one is going to release first? We’re assuming the former will be the priority project right now, not just that because that’s what multiple leaks over the last year have insisted, but also because Sony and Naughty Dog will probably want to ensure that HBO’s The Last of Us series doesn’t get into a situation where it’s run out of games to adapt.
SIE SANTA MONICA STUDIO
With Santa Monica Studio, it’s much harder to figure out what the future has in store, because the developer has honestly not said much about where it’s headed in the wake of God of War Ragnarok’s launch in late 2022. It’s safe to assume that there will be another God of War game- one is probably in development right now, in fact. But what shape will that take? Are we going to get a smaller standalone experience, perhaps something similar to Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, in order to bridge the gap between the Norse saga and whatever comes next? Or is Santa Monica Studio just going to skip that step and move straight to the next flagship God of War game?
Interestingly, there have also been unconfirmed rumblings that Santa Monica Studio also has a new IP in the works, and some seem to think that that might be the project that God of War (2018) director Cory Barlog – who didn’t direct Ragnarok – has been working on. Whether or not that’s really the case or if he’s instead been focusing on getting the ball rolling for the next God of War saga behind the scenes remains to be seen.
INSOMNIAC GAMES
Through unfortunate circumstances, we know an awful lot more about Insomniac Games’ plans for the future than we did until not that long ago. Towards the end of 2023, the developer was hit with a ransomware hack that leaked a deluge of internal data, revealing what its roadmap for the next ten years is going to look like, based on which it looks like Insomniac is tripling down on the success it has found with Marvel.
Apparently, 2025 will see the launch of Marvel’s Venom, a smaller standalone experience similar to Miles Morales that will star the titular symbiote as a playable character, while Marvel’s Wolverine is seemingly targeting a 2026 launch. Beyond that, the leaks have revealed that Insomniac has multiple X-Men games planned to follow-up on Wolverine (at least two, but perhaps potentially even more), while unsurprisingly, Marvel’s Spider-Man 3 is also planned for 2028. Meanwhile, there is also evidence to suggest the online multiplayer components will arrive for many of these games at some point.
Insomniac additionally also has a new Ratchet and Clank game in development, according to the leaks, while the studio also plans on working on a couple of new IPs at some point after 2030. Of course, given the long-term nature of many of these plans, it’s safe to assume that many of these things either won’t pan out in the manner we might think they will right now, or won’t pan out at all. Either way, even in the absence of any official announcements, we do have a pretty clear picture of what the next few years are going to look like for Insomniac.
SUCKER PUNCH
We know next to nothing about Sucker Punch’s plans right now, but of all the major first party Sony studios, it’s probably the one that those plans are the easiest to guess for. In simple terms, it’s going to be Ghost of Tsushima 2. Yes, there are still plenty of inFamous fans out there, but after the tremendous critical and commercial success that the first Ghost of Tsushima – which is also being made into a movie – enjoyed, we would be shocked to learn that Sucker Punch hadn’t instantly moved on to its sequel. When exactly that sequel will come out is, of course, the pertinent question here. Ghost of Tsushima will be four years old in July, so might a 2025 release be on the docket?
GUERRILLA GAMES
Guerrilla Games has gone all in on the Horizon franchise, and sure enough, it looks like it has multiple Horizon games in the works- two of which it has officially confirmed it’s working on, even if they have yet to be formally unveiled. One of them is a co-op multiplayer game that Guerrilla has confirmed will feature a “unique stylized look”– this one may finally be the Monster Hunter-style Horizon game fans have been asking for for so long. Meanwhile, the studio has also confirmed that it’s working on the next big single player Horizon game that will star Aloy as protagonist once again.
Beyond that, leaks have also previously claimed that Guerrilla is collaborating with NCSoft on a Horizon MMO, and with Sony having announced a strategic partnership with the Korean company, it’s looking like there might actually be something of substance to those leaks.
SIE BEND STUDIO
With SIE Bend Studio, unlike a number of other first party Sony developers, we actually know in pretty clear terms what it is that the studio is working on- a new IP. It’s an open secret by now that Bend’s pitch for a Days Gone 2 was rejected by Sony (in spite of the fact that the first game actually sold quite well in the end), and though the studio reportedly did some work on a potential Uncharted project for a while, it ultimately shifted all of its attention to something all of its own in an entirely new IP.
Little is known about the project right now, though it has been previously confirmed that it will be another open world game that will build on the systemic strengths of Days Gone, while Bend also revealed in 2022 that the game would include multiplayer. When exactly will we know more about the project? That remains to be seen, but with Days Gone now nearly five years old, one would assume that it won’t be too long before Bend is ready to talk about its next game.
BLUEPOINT GAMES
Bluepoint has done some incredible work with PlayStation in the past with the likes of Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection and its remakes of Shadow of the Colossus and Demon’s Souls, but it looks its first project as a first party PlayStation studio is going to be quite different in nature from the ones it has traditionally worked on in the past. It’s been previously confirmed that Bluepoint Games’ next project is going to be “original content”– though what exactly that means is still something of a mystery. Will it be a new IP? Will it be a new instalment in an existing franchise? With Bluepoint’s last game now over three years old, hopefully it won’t be too long before we start getting answers to those questions.
MEDIA MOLECULE
Media Molecule has spent the last few years focusing on supporting Dreams, but with Dreams now officially dead, it’s time to look ahead to the future- and sure enough, the studio did confirm in April of 2023 that work was underway on its next project. That next game isn’t going to be related to Dreams, according to Media Molecule, but will still continue to focus on “bringing joyful, playful, innovative experiences to players”, as the developer puts it. But will it be a new IP, or is Media Molecule perhaps ready to return to LittleBigPlanet? That remains to be seen.
TEAM ASOBI
Sony’s Japanese first party pipeline took on a very different shape when the company essentially made SIE Japan Studio defunct and instead refocused its efforts in the region around Team Asobi. Japan Studio is, of course, a massive loss, with the studio having delivered a number of standout classics over the years, but thankfully, in Team Asobi – the team that brought us Astro Bot Rescue Mission and Astro’s Playroom – Sony does still have an incredibly talented Japanese studio at its disposal.
Work on Team Asobi’s next game has been underway for a while now, with job listings emerging as far back as 2021 confirming that the studio had started working on its next game. The developer has said its next project will be its biggest to date, while it’s also been confirmed that the game it’s working on belongs to a “franchise for all ages”. That does seem to suggest that Asobi is working on the next Astro Bot game, and there has, of course, been plenty of demand for a full fledged console instalment in the platforming series, so hopefully that’s what we’ll get from the studio next. Interestingly, leaks have also claimed that a PS VR2 port of Astro Bot Rescue Mission is also in development.
SIE LONDON STUDIO
From EyeToy and SingStar to Wonderbook and Blood and Truth, SIE London Studio has traditionally been focused on developing games that leverage PlayStation’s flagship accessories, but with its next game, the developer is pivoting to something different. As confirmed in 2022, London Studio is working on a co-op multiplayer game for PS5. Set in a fantasy version of modern-day London, is being built on the studio’s in-house Soho Engine, and could potentially launch simultaneously for PC as well. As for when it will be unveiled or when it will launch? There’s still no clarity on that front, but with Blood and Truth now nearly five years old, it shouldn’t be too long before we start hearing more about what comes next.
FIRESPRITE
Acquired by PlayStation in 2021, Firesprite has already put out its first title as a first party Sony studio in Horizon Call of the Mountain for PS VR2, and apparently, it’s got plenty more in the works. For starters, if leaks are to be believed, the developer is working on a reboot of the Twisted Metal franchise, having reportedly taken over the project from Destruction AllStars developer Lucid Games. Beyond that, job ads have suggested that Firesprite is also working on a AAA narrative-driven survival horror game, which, according to an alleged leak in 2022, is codenamed Heartbreak, is being built on Unreal Engine 5, and will release for PS5 and PC.
FIREWALK STUDIOS
Firewalk, which was acquired by PlayStation less than a year ago, is one of few first party Sony studios that has officially revealed an upcoming project. Sci-fi live service PvP multiplayer shooter Concord was announced in May last year, and though not much else is known about it, we do know that it will be releasing for both PS5 and PC. Firewalk has also said the game will feature a “unique universe of vibrant worlds” and a “rich cast of colorful characters”. Concord is scheduled to release sometime this year, so we’ll probably be hearing more about it in the coming months- unless, of course, it gets hit with a delay.
HAVEN STUDIOS
Founded in 2021 and acquired by Sony the following year, Haven Studios confirmed pretty much right out the gate that the game it was working on – which would release for PS5 and PC – was going to be a live service game, and in May, it was formally unveiled as Fairgame$, a squad-based competitive PvP heist game that will, according to Haven, make use of “emergent sandbox gameplay”. We’re still yet to see actual gameplay for the shooter, while there’s also no word yet on when it will actually launch.
HOUSEMARQUE
Housemarque absolutely knocked the ball out of the park with 2021’s Returnal, and after what may very well be the studio’s best game to date, there’s no shortage of excitement around whatever it is that it ends up doing next. Housemarque has confirmed that its next game is going to be a new IP, and that it will be another old school arcade shooter, while the studio has also said that its next project will be even bigger in scope than Returnal. With Returnal still a relatively recent game though, it seems unlikely that we’ll be hearing anything about Housemarque’s future in 2024.
SECOND PARTY EXCLUSIVES
In addition to all the projects that its first party teams are working on, Sony is also collaborating with a number of external developers to release so-called “second party” exclusives under the PlayStation Studios banner. In that group, there are four that we know about in an official capacity. Closest to launch is Helldivers 2, with Arrowhead Game Studios’ multiplayer shooter set to launch for PS5 and PC on February 8. It will be followed not long afterward Team Ninja’s open world action RPG Rise of the Ronin, which is due out in March, while 2024 is also set to see the launch of Korean studio Shift Up’s action-adventure game Stellar Blade. And then, of course, we have Kojima Productions’ Death Stranding 2, though there’s been no word on when we can expect it to release. Given that the first game came out nearly five years ago in 2019, could we expect a 2024 release for the sequel? One can hope, at least.
THIRD PARTY EXCLUSIVES
Sony has made it a habit to tap up some pretty significant third party games as PlayStation exclusives (or, at the very least, console exclusives), and there are a few of those lined upfor the coming year as well. For starters, we obviously have a couple of megatons in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, which is releasing on February 29, and Bloober Team’s remake of Silent Hill 2, which is also scheduled for a 2024 release. Beyond that, PS5 users also have a few other relatively smaller but still notable third party exclusives to look forward to, including the likes of Ironwood Studios’ driving survival game Pacific Drive, which is out on February 22; S-Game’s semi-open world fast-paced action RPG Phantom Blade Zero; Sword of the Sea, the next game by Giant Squid, the studio behind Abzu and The Pathless; and Square Enix’s Splatoon-inspired multiplayer shooter, Foamstars.
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