"God of War: Ragnarok." Image: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Sony’s 40-minute showcase of upcoming PlayStation games was highlighted by reveals of big Marvel superhero surprises and the first gameplay of a "God of War" sequel.
Why it matters: Sony hasn’t run a major gaming showcase in over a year — due to COVID-19 and a de-emphasis on the E3 trade show — but filled Thursday afternoon's event with major announcements.
- In the PS4 era, Sony generated some of gaming's biggest blockbusters and has positioned its new console as a host of another line of major, exclusive (or semi-exclusive) projects.
- Many of the games shown will also run on PS4, but Sony showed them running on PS5.
The highlights:
- A remake of the classic 2003 Star Wars role-playing game “Knights of the Old Republic,” which was a signature game back on the original launch Xbox. (It’s a PS5 console-exclusive at launch, but no release date was given, meaning it’s probably far from done.)
- “Forspoken,” a major new PS5 and PC action game from the developers of “Final Fantasy XV,” got a spring 2022 release date. (It was one of several games to showcase a Black female character in a prominent role, which has been rare in gaming.)
- A remastered version of “Uncharted 4” and its “Lost Legacy” spin-off is set for PS5 and PC in 2022.
- Sony confirmed the next “God of War” will be subtitled “Ragnarok," but did not provide a release date. (Note: It's previously been announced for PS4 and PS5)
- “Gran Turismo 7,” the latest in PlayStation's iconic racing series, will be out in March of next year, for PS4 and PS5.
- Insomniac Games, creators of two acclaimed “Spider-Man” games already, is making a third for 2023. It’ll feature the Peter Parker and Miles Morales versions of the hero.
- And Insomniac is also making a game about the X-Men hero Wolverine.
Plus one notable delay: Rockstar’s remake of “Grand Theft Auto V” and “GTA Online” has slipped from this November to March.
- The game would have been one of the biggest next-gen Xbox and PlayStation releases for the holiday season but has been postponed in a year plagued with understandable production delays.
The big picture: Exciting as Sony’s event was, it was mostly about games for 2022 and beyond.
- The PS5 launched last November and immediately got a slew of impressive new games.
- But the releases have slowed since June, and Sony is releasing no major PlayStation exclusives during the busy holiday season.
- Plus, a pattern continues to emerge in the gaming industry, like Hollywood before it: Lots of Marvel and Star Wars. Big-budget gaming is Disney’s playground these days.