What PS5 Game Reveals Could Sony Be “Holding Back?”
Today, Eurogamer’s Tom Phillips shared in a couple of tweets that according to him, Sony has held back a few reveals for PS5 (or PSVR) games from its June showcase.
While many of Sony’s wholly owned first party studio’s current projects are known, there are still a few, including one not often discussed, that still have unknown projects coming likely after the launch of the console. What might we see at August’s State of Play? Lets take a look.
SIE Worldwide Studios
At this time, we know of the following in development titles:
Guerrilla Games - Horizon: Forbidden West
Insomniac Games - Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Ratchet and Clank: A Rift Apart
Japan Studio (ASOBI) - Astro’s Playroom, Assisting with Demon Souls Remake with Bluepoint Games
Polyphony Digital - Gran Turismo 7
Lets toss out Media Molecule, Naughty Dog, Pixelopus, and Sucker Punch as these 4 have either just released a game, or will very soon. That leaves us with…
Bend Studio
Sony Bend released Days Gone in 2019, to average critical reception but generally positive player reaction and sales matched the latter. It’s widely assumed a sequel is next on Bend’s docket, so some kind of short tease would make sense. While I wouldn’t expect the follow up to release before 2022, a shorter development time is likely. Days Gone was developed with Unreal Engine 4, so porting assets and systems to Unreal Engine 5 shouldn’t be too difficult.
London Studio
Relegated to VR content these days, Sony London’s next project will most likely be revealed alongside a PSVR2 announcement, if one is coming. If the August State of Play is to be the coming out party for PSVR2, expect London to show up as well.
Sony San Diego
Here is where things get a little more interesting. Sony Santa Monica is rumored to have two games in development. The widely expected sequel to 2018’s God of War, and another game. The name Legendz was thrown around in January of this year, stemming from a 4Chan leak that got a few things right about the PS5 reveal (although the February date was way off).
Thor appearing during a secret ending to 2018’s God of War, likely a tease of where the story will head next
God of War 2 is almost a given, though probably will head up the fall lineup in 2021 or 2022. Could Legendz be the multiplayer game rumored to be coming for launch?
San Diego Studio
MLB The Show 21. The interesting thing is when it comes. Typically announced around the playoffs, and released to coincide with spring training, it will be interesting how this season will change these plans, if at all.
San Mateo Studios
San Mateo is in an assist role it seems, its latest project being work on Marvel’s Spider-Man. I would not expect a game announcement from them.
The Often Forgotten, Project Siren Studio
Japan Studio has a couple divisions under its care, Team ASOBI and Project Siren. Project Siren (or Team Gravity as they are also known, for good reason) released their last game, Gravity Rush 2 in 2017. They are due to show off their next project. GR2 did not do great numbers, so I think a new IP is in the works. I think this might be the “big unrevealed game” that has been speculated after the PS5 reveal in June. Gravity Rush 2 was a critical darling, and the team is more than capable of bringing a great AA game to PS5.
3rd Party Partnerships
Sony has shown a desire to bolster the PS5’s lineup with 3rd party console exlusives, whether timed or otherwise. The August State of Play could be the place to show another of those.
Square Enix
Two already announced games with little to no information are Babylon’s Fall and Granblue Fantasy: Relink. We might see one of these in August, having moved to PS5 exclusively.
Final Fantasy XVI is another game that, while not exclusive to the console, would elicit great reception from fans with a showing. Perhaps still a ways off, Square is never one to keep Final Fantasy close to the vest.
Capcom
Street Fighter 5 went on to sell 4.5 million copies across its iterations, and with a middling launch to boot. Could Sony partner with Capcom again for Street Fighter 6?
What to expect in August’s State of Play
At this time, I believe the safest bets come out of Sony Japan, with a partnered game like Everybody’s Golf, as well as Project Sirens next game. Still possible are Sony Santa Monica’s God of War 2, and whatever other IP they have cooking as well. Lastly, I believe a Square Enix published PS5 exclusive will appear, and Final Fantasy XVI has a good chance of finally being revealed.