PlayStation holds its first State of Play since March 9 this Thursday. It comes just before the relaunch of the PS Plus tiers in the US and upcoming Summer Games Fest Kickoff Live. Check any social media site and you will find rumors, guesses, and jokes of what will be included in the showcase.
State of Play History of Reveals
If you look at past State of Play showcases, we can get an idea of what won’t be at the showcase. PlayStation uses the “State of Play” moniker for smaller events, reveals, and deep dives. Outside of the Hogwarts Legacy look, PlayStation revealed Exoprimal, The DioField Chronicle, and Returnal: Ascension update in March. That show ended with Valkyrie Elysium, the latest entry in Square Enix’s Valkyrie series. Little Devil Inside, an upcoming indie project, received the final slot for October. Star Ocean: The Divine Force would fill the biggest new reveal of that showcase. To be frank, State of Plays really only show big games when Sony announces it will center around that game. So those hoping to see God of War: Ragnarok on Thursday will need to ingest some copium to get through the day.
We also know a bit on what the showcase will focus on by its official blog post. We know the showcase will run for roughly 30 minutes. PlayStation also said it will “have some exciting reveals from our third-party partners, plus a sneak peek at several games in development for PlayStation VR2.” We can gauge at least 1/3 of the showcase will focus on the new VR games with the end of the sentence. Analysts point to PSVR 2 releasing in Q1 2023. Square Enix’s biggest titles, Final Fantasy XVI and Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 2, will be held for a major showcase. So I doubt these will be here. Square Enix also revealed today the next Star Ocean update will be in late June.
Now with all those, possibly, ruled out you might be wondering, what will be at this showcase? Here are my best guesses for the upcoming State of Play.
Likely Reveals at PlayStation State of Play June 2
Horizon Call of the Mountain New Trailer
This feels like a no brainier, but I feel it’s important to include. Horizon Call of the Mountain was shown earlier this year to help push the reveal that a new PSVR was in the works. The upcoming VR project from Guerrilla and Firesprite looks exceptional, but we haven’t seen just what type of game it will be. Early VR titles like Iron Man VR and Batman VR got people excited, but they are more like playable trailers than a full-fledged game. PlayStation says Call of the Mountain will “embrace a new level of immersion in an unique experience, designed to push hardware technology, innovation, and gameplay.” With a showcase looking towards PSVR 2, now would be the time to show it off.
Reveal Trailer for Haven Studios Project
PlayStation announced the acquisition of Haven Studios in March 2022, about a year after its formation. The Canadian studio headed by Jade Raymond hasn’t announced any project to this point and likely is years away from having something. This doesn’t mean the studio isn’t collaborating with another developer for a release. While this guess is far less likely than others, I feel it could be a good time to help show why Sony acquired the studio so early in its life cycle, even if it means the game is further down the road than most.
Little Devil Inside Release Date
PlayStation gave a closer look at Little Devil Inside gameplay at its October State of Play. The four-plus minute trailer concluded with at 2022 release window. The developers have been radio silent since. This could be due to development issues by the continued pandemic or it could be to give the date now. If GOW Ragnarok releases this winter, it would be primed to fill a summer slowdown or early fall release. The indie title captured the attention of many so far, so I know a number of gamers eagerly await the day they can scoop it up.
Update on Pragmata
Capcom revealed its newest IP back in June 2020 as part of the PS5 showcase. The reveal trailer looked fantastic and showed a 2022 release year. However, in November 2021 Capcom announced a delay to 2023 with a funny follow up trailer. I’d normally say a game like this would be held for another major showcase, but I feel an update trailer could still fit for the State of Play showcase. Pragmata‘s Twitter hasn’t posted anything since the delay, so this could ignite some life back into discussion circles and culminate with a release date later this year.
New IP From PixelOpus with Release Window
Gamers typically think of Naughty Dog, Insomniac, and Sony Santa Monica when they think PlayStation Studios. But there are plenty of other studios under the PlayStation umbrella. PixelOpus being one of them. The creators of Concrete Genie haven’t been vocal much since it released the PS4 exclusive back in 2019. A LinkedIn post back in 2020 revealed the company wanted to hire for a “new and exciting” PS5 adventure. This State of Play would be perfect to reveal just that. Could it be the long desired Sly Cooper revival? Probably not. While a dormant franchise, I believe PlayStation knows the excitement an announcement like that would bring. However, I could see a Concrete Genie spinoff of some sorts. It received generally positive reviews and could be a great title that can be played on the PS5 and the upcoming PSVR 2.
We won’t have to wait long to see what will be shown. The State of Play kicks off Thursday, June 2 at 3 p.m. PT/ 5 p.m. CT/ 6 p.m. ET. You can watch on Twitch and YouTube.
