PlayStation State of Play Event: What to Expect from the 15+ Games Reveal

PlayStation State of Play Event: What to Expect from the 15+ Games Reveal

PlayStation just raised the stakes for their first State of Play presentation of 2023. In the announcement, they promised over 15 game reveals coming to PS5 and PS VR2 over the next 40+ minutes.

This sets expectations high for one of their biggest new game showcases ever. Let’s break down what announcements seem likely based on rumors and speculation leading up to the January 31st broadcast.

PlayStation Overview of the Upcoming State of Play

For context, Sony’s “State of Play” events represent pre-recorded streams focused on spotlighting upcoming PlayStation titles through new trailers and gameplay footage reveals.

The formats provide important spotlights for both blockbuster first party Sony titles as well as interesting indies headed to their platforms. They have become a key part of the marketing hype cycles in the gaming industry since first launching in 2019.

In their teaser for this January 2023 State of Play edition, Sony promised:

  • Runtime over 40 minutes – Their longest show in recent memory
  • 15+ games featured – Enormous lineup signalling big reveals
  • Focus on PS5, PS VR2 titles – Next-gen showcasing envisioned

With those high expectations set, let’s predict which already announced PlayStation projects seem ripe for updates along with speculation around surprise reveals.

Locked-In PlayStation Title Contenders

First, in terms of PlayStation 2023 heavy hitters already confirmed for PS5 previously, a few big names stand out as guarantees to reappear.

Final Fantasy XVI

The next mainline single player Final Fantasy remains slated for summer 2023. So new story or gameplay footage feels very plausible given past marketing cycles for FF titles.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

A short teaser trailer exists for the 2023 sequel but details remain vague. Expect new combat or open world Manhattan reveals to wow fans.

Forspoken

Delayed to late January 2023, the fantasy action RPG publishes right after State of Play making new trailers or character spotlights highly probable.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League

Rocksteady’s 1st non-Batman DC game since 2015’s Arkham Knight releases only a couple months after the presentation making more hype-building a lock.

Fresh Announcements Rumored to Debut

Beyond sequels and titles announced previously, State of Play events often integrate surprise new game reveals into the mix too.

In terms of speculative announcements that industry insiders leaked or heavily rumored lately, possibilities include:

Silent Hill 2 Remake

Konami seems poised to resurrect its classic psychological horror franchise with a ground-up PS5 remake of the seminal PS2 title in development by Bloober Team.

Death Stranding 2

Hideo Kojima himself stoked rumors of an enigmatic sequel unveil coming soon to the 2019 action title that could make an appearance.

Sonic Generations Remaster

Outlets reported Sega plans a current-gen graphics overhaul to the beloved 2011 anniversary game perhaps timed with Sonic Frontiers’ success.

New Until Dawn Game

Supermassive Games might unveil their next cinematic horror narrative experience taking Until Dawn’s iconic formula into new settings and stories.

Wildcard Reveals That Could Shock Fans

Rounding out the event, Sony often integrates 1 or 2 megaton shocker reveals building hype. Our speculative guesses for bombshell announcements include:

Insomniac’s Secret Multiplayer Project

Job listings last year hinted the Spider-Man and Ratchet & Clank developer experiments with online and co-op mechanics that could emerge.

Returnal 2

Housemarque found a surprise first party publishing hit with 2022 roguelike Returnal making a rapid sequel plausible with PS VR2 support.

SOCOM Revival

The classic tactical shooter series produced hits on PS2 and PSP over a decade ago. Rumblings around Sony reviving dormant IP like SOCOM persist.

New Japan Studio IP

PlayStation’s own internal studio rebuilding after high profile departures might unveil its PS5 project in collaboration with external partners.

The Road Ahead After the Showcase

Whatever ends up comprising the full slate of reveals, State of Play’s sheer size clearly signals Sony’s aggression asserting PlayStation 5 momentum accelerating in 2023 off a slower than expected 2022 first party content slate.

And the presentations’ rare mid-week debut compared to their normal Friday windows suggests ample reason for scheduling adjustments.

Perhaps Sony strategically positions this deluge of PS5 and PS VR2 game footage unveils to counter or limit impressions around Xbox’s Developer_Direct 2023 showcase coming only weeks later.

Flooding fans with exciting exclusive sequels, new IP prospects and remakes before competitors get similar facetime seizes attention in a crowded entertainment landscape. The console battleground continues expanding across both traditional fall peaks and now year round reveal events like this.

But no matter the business positioning behind the scenes, at the end of the day players win thanks to receiving a bounty of upcoming PlayStation 5 releases to populate wish lists and dominate discussion both today and all year long.

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