Sony will take the field this Thursday with its in-house digital format, the now classic State of Play. Between independent and AAA games, console exclusives to be released during the year and long-term projects, the event has already crystallized many expectations among players, as well as within the editorial staff of Clubic.
We will try to sum it all up for you.
- when: Thursday, February 25 at 23:00 p.m. (Paris time)
- Where: on Youtube (video above) or Twitch
- What : 10 games presented
- How long : about 30 minutes
A little context
Sony has multiplied releases in recent days, no doubt to prepare the ground and guide the expectations of its community. Between the announcement of PSVR2, the postponement of Gran Turismo 7 and the upcoming release of Days Gone on PC, the manufacturer has slipped the arrival of a new Play At Home operation which will offer several games and discounts on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 , starting with the Ratchet & Clank released in 2016 on PS4.
We also know that the conference, which will last about thirty minutes, will stop on 10 different games (already announced or not) and will not contain any material or marketing announcement, type studio takeover. Game, and nothing but game for this first State of Play of the year, the manufacturer having not communicated via this format since last October 15. It was to present the interface of the PlayStation 5, so this episode promises to be a little richer in content.
We believe in
If Capcom has already largely occupied the ground a month ago with a long segment on Resident Evil Village, accompanied by a playable demo on PlayStation 5, the publisher could accentuate its communication with a new trailer, since its title comes out May 7 on all current media (PC, Xbox, PlayStation). On the exclusive side, it would not be surprising to see Deathloop (release scheduled for May 21) and Ghostwire Tokyo (October 2021) appear, like a snub to Microsoft, which has since acquired Zenimax / Bethesda. The upcoming release of Returnal, Housemarque's sci-fi roguelike game, almost guarantees it a place in this State of Play, unless Sony seeks to reassure players disturbed by the lack of visibility on the PlayStation 5 catalog in the medium term.
In terms of measured expectations, let's also mention Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, whose release date was recently set for June 11. Sony could make people happy by confirming the release this year of Horizon: Forbidden West, which could be the ideal Christmas AAA to satisfy the happy owners of PlayStation 5. It would also put us in our place: we recently bet on a release in 2022 for the open world of Guerrilla Games. Faced with the lack of first party games to get their teeth into this year, Sony could take advantage of the event to show more about the independent games unveiled last year, such as Stray, Kena Bridge of Spirits (still planned for the first quarter 2021) or the intriguing Little Devil Inside. New announcements are also expected on the indie side, and Sony should not hesitate to announce some PS5 patches for PS4 hits, such as The Last of Us Part II or Final Fantasy VII Remake.
We believe in it less (but we dream about it a little)
Square Enix does not seem ready to drop too many cookies on Final Fantasy XVI, apart from a few elements skilfully distilled in a Japanese podcast. It is hard to see the publisher splitting a new trailer, even if it could reassure many players about the good performance of the project. God of War Ragnarok also seems out of reach, especially since a game of such magnitude deserves a dedicated event. On the side of pious wishes, which probably have more place in an E3 conference than a State of Play announced 24 hours in advance, something new on Elden Ring - the collaboration between From Software and George RR Martin - or the announcement of the next Kojima Productions feature prominently at Clubic.
Even further, Konami's announcement of a new Silent Hill would fill yours truly with joy and trepidation, but seems highly unlikely, as would WipEout's return with a surprise Daft Punk tracklist. A remaster of Bloodborne, coupled with its release on PC, and a teaser of Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 2 or information on Project Athia illuminate Clubic's feverish Discord conversations. The mention of a Days Gone 2, again by Bend Studio, politely raised a few eyebrows, nothing more. As for the availability of the console...
