We all wanted a PlayStation Showcase, but we'll take a surprise PlayStation State of Play — kicking off today at 3 p.m. PT / 6 p.m. ET / 11 p.m. BST.
This announcement makes today quite a jam-packed one for game announcements, with the Nintendo Direct kicking off the day at 10 a.m. ET and Sony laying its cards on the table with a State of Play at 6 p.m. ET.
But what can you expect from PlayStation's stream, and how can you watch it? Let's answer these burning questions.
How to watch
This is the really simple one to answer. Sony always streams its PlayStation State of Plays on YouTube and you'll find it's already scheduled in the video block just above.
Set yourself an alarm, check back here, settle in, and get ready for some game announcements. If you miss it, don't worry! We'll have coverage of all the announcements and all the trailers will be posted on PlayStation's YouTube channel afterward.
What to expect
Let's start with what's already confirmed — on the PlayStation blog, Sony has stated that you can expect about "20 minutes of reveals, new updates and fresh gameplay footage for 10 games coming to PS5, PS4, and PS VR2."
Furthermore, tying in with Tokyo Game Show (TGS), Sid Shuman, Senior Director of SIE Content Communications also confirmed you can look forward to "great updates from our amazing Japanese partners, along with a few other surprises from developers all around the world."
The safer bets include new looks at the Resident Evil 4 Remake, more Horizon Call of the Mountain VR gameplay, and maybe a new gameplay glimpse of God of War Ragnarök. There will also be a slew of games from Japanese developers too — the likes of Street Fighter 6, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion, and Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake come to mind.
Finally, what does "few other surprises" mean? If this was a PlayStation Showcase, I would be able to safely say Marvel's Spider-Man 2. But it's a State of Play, which has always been a slightly smaller occasion.
That's not to say I could be proven wrong (the June State of Play defied all expectations), but that makes it a really hard event to predict.
Wild predictions
That's exactly what we're going to do — make some wild predictions.
This is a TGS-centric show, so let's take a look at some of the bigger announcements that are looking likely from Japanese developers.
- Metal Gear Solid Remastered Trilogy announcment: I made this prediction for the Showcase. But since Konami is revealing a new game in a “world-loved series” at Tokyo Game Show (my bet, Silent Hill) and there are increasing reports of a remastered Metal Gear Solid trilogy, this would be a great time to announce it.
- Final Fantasy VII Rebirth gameplay: This has already been announced as part of the Square TGS line-up, but since it's a PlayStation-exclusive and we are talking about a State of Play here, my spider senses are tingling for a quick glimpse with some gameplay, too.
- More Japanese PlayStation classics: Now is as good of a time as any to try and get more people subscribing to PlayStation Plus Premium, and what better way than using this State of Play to announce some Japanese PS1 and PS2 classics for the service. I'm talking games like Arc the Lad, Guilty Gear X, and maybe even the Dino Crisis series.
- Persona trilogy coming to PS Plus Premium: Finally, as Persona is going through a rebirth on Xbox Game Pass, while also coming to Nintendo Switch, it's going to be that first option that is going to sting for PlayStation fans. I don't think it's too far out of expectations to see Sony and Atlus quickly make a deal and make Persona 3, 4, and 5 available on PS Plus.
Outlook
I've seen some deflated reactions to the State of Play, and I get it. We expected a PlayStation Showcase, but got a State of Play instead and the immediate response is "we're not getting a Showcase."
First off, PlayStation has really upped its State of Play game over recent iterations, so don't count it out just yet. And second, just because that's what is happening today, doesn't mean the Showcase is off the cards. It's just not happening as soon as we thought.
Sony has a habit of trying to keep us on our toes and with this new information in mind, I'm willing to bet we may see the Showcase in October. But for now, enjoy the show!
