What to expect at Sony’s PlayStation Showcase

It’s been 621 days since Sony’s last PlayStation Showcase, so expectations are understandably high for their upcoming presentation.

In anticipation of the livestream, I grabbed MobileSyrup‘s gaming editor, Brad Shankar, to pick his brain about what to expect at the Showcase.

Predictions

Chris Brown: We get so many Direct-style video presentations these days, but this one feels different. Could this be where Sony drops a bunch of new games that are coming out in the next year?

Brad Shankar: Yeah, it should be an interesting one. They’ve done a few smaller ‘State of Play‘ presentations, but this is the first ‘PlayStation Showcase’ branded event since September 2021. I think in terms of what we’ll see, the big one is Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. That was first revealed at the last PlayStation Showcase, but we haven’t seen anything from it since.

There’s some uncertainty regarding the flow of that game since it will feature both Peter Parker and Miles Morales as playable characters, so hopefully, we get more insight into that. I also can’t wait to see Tony Todd’s Venom!

Chris: I can’t wait to see Spider-Man built from the ground up for the new hardware!

Brad: 100 percent! One of the few PlayStation exclusives in the past three years to be developed exclusively for PS5.

Chris: And you think we’ll see it this year?

Brad: Yeah. Tony Todd accidentally leaked the September release window, so we’ll see if that’s shifted. I imagine we’ll get a release date during the Showcase either way!

Spider-Man 2: Pretty much guaranteed

Chris: Several other first-party studios have been radio-silent while working on their projects — we’ll get to them in a bit — but another project that’s been openly talked about is The Last of Us: Factions. It was originally supposed to be part of The Last of Us Part II, but Neil Druckmann said that it’s so big that it had to be spun off into its own game. Do you think we’ll finally get a glimpse of the game?

Brad: Yep, I think it’s time for that, especially since the first season of the show just wrapped a couple of months ago. PlayStation is preparing for a big push towards live-service games, so what better way to kickstart all of that than a new multiplayer game from Naughty Dog?

Chris: I never had a chance to experience the multiplayer back in the day, but I know people who cite it as one of the best multiplayer games out there. It’s definitely one to keep your eyes on if you’re looking for something different from the usual competitive multiplayer fare.

Brad: It was so good! I think that the slower-paced, tactical gameplay will stand out even more in this day and age of battle royales and Destiny clones.

The Last of Us Factions: Very likely

Chris: As you said, Sony has been pretty open about making live-service games a priority. We’ve heard rumours of a Horizon multiplayer game from the team at Guerrilla. Is there a chance we’ll see that as another one of those titles?

Brad: That’s a good question. The Horizon multiplayer game actually leaked and had an admittedly odd cartoonish art style. I think we definitely could see that, especially since Horizon Forbidden West‘s Burning Shores expansion is out now.

Horizon Multiplayer Game: Possibly

Chris: Could we see a new game from Bungie now that they’re under the PlayStation banner and leading the live-service charge?

Brad: I think we’re a while out still from seeing whatever Bungie’s working on, but Sony has said it’s planning to use that team’s live service experience to help with other online games. I could even see Bungie reps popping up in announcements or conversations with other PlayStation devs such as Naughty Dog or Guerrilla about their respective games.

New Bungie Game: Unlikely

Chris: In terms of other first-party studios, how likely are we to hear from Team Asobi? I know it was a glorified demo, but I still go back to Astro’s Playroom every now and then because it’s just so jolly.

Brad: Man, that game was such a delight. In my heart, I’d love to see a new regular PS5 game from Asobi, but my gut says that Sony probably has that team working on some PS VR2 stuff, which we know will feature at least somewhat in the show.

Astro’s Playroom 2: Unlikely

Chris: If you had to give an estimate, how much of the showcase do you think will be dedicated to PS VR2 content?

Brad: Probably not long. I could see them showing one prominent PS VR2 game (à la Resident Evil — maybe RE4 Remake‘s VR content?) and then doing like a brief sizzle reel for other VR titles.

Chris: Any chance that we’ll get Half-Life Alyx on PS VR2?

Brad: There were some sketchy rumours about it, but it just makes so much sense. You’d think they’d have announced it already to help PS VR2’s reportedly soft sales. So, hopefully?

Chris: I’ll take it!

Half-Life Alyx: Possibly

Chris: We touched on Spider-Man 2 already, but Insomniac also revealed that they are working on a Wolverine game. Would Sony show that game off at this point, or will they be saving that for after the release of Spider-Man?

Brad: I think they’ll just wait. Frankly, Wolverine was probably announced too early since they just wanted to drum up excitement for the future of PS5 in its first year. With Spider-Man 2 so close now, they can just wait for that to be out and show Wolverine down the line at a show like The Game Awards.

Wolverine: Unlikely

Chris: In that same vein, do you think Sony will show off Ghost of Tsushima 2 with Rise of the Ronin around the corner? They’re from different developers, but I could see them wanting to avoid oversaturating the samurai-action genre.

Brad: I forgot about Rise of the Ronin! Besides the reports that we won’t see Ghost of Tsushima 2 here, you make a good point about wanting to spread them out. Rise of the Ronin probably is more likely at the moment for the Showcase.

Chris: I’ve really liked Team Ninja’s latest games (Nioh and Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty), so I’ve been waiting for more gameplay footage. I’m really hoping to see a release date for it!

Brad: I have a soft spot for Strangers of Paradise: Final Fantasy as well. [laughs in Chaos]

Chris: We love Final Fantasy spinoffs ’round these parts!

Ghost of Tsushima 2: Unlikely

Chris: This one feels too soon to me given that Returnal came out in 2021, but is there a chance we might see something from Housemarque?

Brad: Oh yeah, Housemarque. I’d bet we don’t see them since it’s not long after Returnal.

Housemarque game: Unlikely

Chris: I’ve probably missed a few, but that covers most of the first-party studios. That’s not to say that’s all we’ll be seeing, though. There have been a bunch of games shown at their past Showcases and State of Play presentations that we haven’t heard from in a while. Do you remember Pragmata?

Brad: Ah yes, the Capcom game that looked a lot like Death Stranding!

Chris: Death Stranding in space!

Brad: That’s a good one to show up here because a lot of people (myself included) probably don’t really know what this game even is. But a new Capcom IP is certainly intriguing!

Chris: As the biggest (and only) Death Stranding fan in the world on the team, I’m all for weird new projects!

Pragmata: Likely

Chris: Speaking of Death Stranding, will Death Stranding 2 make an appearance?

Brad: No way. Kojima is too much of a bro with Geoff Keighley. We’ll surely see him in some form at Summer Game Fest, even if it’s for a new podcast instead of an actual game!

Chris: I definitely didn’t listen to that. [Editor’s note: he did.]

Death Stranding 2: Unlikely

Chris: For most people, Kojima’s name is still synonymous with the Metal Gear franchise. There have been rumours flying all over the place about a Metal Gear Solid 3 remake. Do you think there’s any truth to them?

Brad: Good segue! Yes, I think all signs have been pointing to MGS3 Remake being at the PlayStation event. Whether we get actual gameplay or just a CGI teaser is another story — hopefully, the former!

Chris: Fingers crossed!

Metal Gear Solid 3 Remake: Very likely

Chris: We’ve seen this one, but do you think we’ll finally get a release date for the Silent Hill 2 remake?

Brad: Yep, that’s probably a good call. There’s a lot of apprehension towards that one, especially since Bloober Team isn’t exactly a beloved developer, so I think they need to give it a strong gameplay-heavy showing regardless.

Silent Hill Remake: Very likely

Chris: Did I hear beloved remake? I’m so glad you brought up Final Fantasy VII Rebirth! Square Enix is probably holding off until after FFXVI has been released, but is there any chance we could see it?

Brad: Man, as a VII stan, I hope so — it’s been almost exactly a year since that was revealed and it’s in the vague “late 2023/early 2024 window” that is “winter.” Some people are really believing it’ll be there, but I’m keeping expectations in check. As you said, they have XVI out in a month, so there’s not really a reason to show it now.

Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth: Unlikely

Chris: There’s one last remake we need to chat about, though: Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. I’m skeptical and hopeful in equal measure. We’ve been hearing that development has been rocky on this one, so it feels like this one could still be a few years off.

Brad: I’m torn, too. At best, I could picture getting another CG trailer or even a brief update from a developer. The 20th anniversary is actually in July, so they might even hold off on an update until then. But even 2024 is apparently “wishful thinking” for a release (per Bloomberg‘s Jason Schreier) so I’m not expecting anything extensive.

Chris: I’m always on team “wait until it’s ready.”

Brad: Yeah, it’s gone dark for nearly two years now, so what’s a little longer?

Knights of the Old Republic Remake: Unlikely

Chris: Alright, I’m going to run through some quickfire possibilities. Let me know whether we’ll be seeing these or not. Will we get a release date for Stellar Blade?

Brad: I completely forgot about that game. Maybe?

Chris: How about Little Devil Inside?

Brad: That’s been at a couple of State of Plays, so I wouldn’t be surprised!

Chris: Will we see a trailer for Dragon’s Dogma 2?

Brad: I would be very surprised.

Chris: Will we see Monster Hunter World 2?

Brad: Hmm… I’d say 50/50?

Chris: Will we hear about anything from the teams at Atlus? Either a new Persona game or the new IP they’ve been developing?

Brad: Hmm… my feeling is they released all of those Persona ports recently because they know we’re a while out still from new games. So probably not.

Chris: With Sony teasing “spellbinding” games at the showcase, could we see From Software’s long-rumoured Spellbound?

Brad: Nah. Between the new Armored Core and Elden Ring DLC, I doubt From Software is ready — or even needs — to show a new game.

Chris: Okay last one… Will we hear the word “Bloodborne” in any capacity?

Brad: Ha! That would be great. I’d say a remaster or port is reasonably likely. It’s been long overdue! I doubt we’re getting a sequel though.

Chris: I’ll take a port at this point! That’ll do it. Thanks for going along with all of my flights of fancy. We’ll find out tomorrow if any of these are right!

Brad: Thanks! That was fun. Should be a good show either way!

PlayStation Showcase date and time

You can watch the PlayStation Showcase at 4pm ET/1pm PT on PlayStation’s YouTube and Twitch channels.

For all of the news coming out of the Showcase, follow MobileSyrup on Twitter.

Image credit: PlayStation