Sony brought an assortment of announcements to their latest State of Play presentation including three vibrant PlayStation 5 accessories and twelve development updates. The 30 minute broadcast was held on September 14th, 2023 at 5PM EST and featured Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 with Insomniac Games providing a look at the expanded map size and city exploration, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora story trailer from James Cameron’s groundbreaking universe, and PlayStation VR2 owners were represented with Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord launching later this year. Players will experience most of the projects before the end of 2023 and Sony has sold over 40 million PlayStation 5 consoles to date.
Hardware and accessories are often showstoppers and Sony delivered with the Deep Earth Collection of DualSense controllers and Console Covers which features metallic smooth finishes. Volcanic Red and Cobalt Blue will release on November 3rd, 2023 followed by Sterling Silver on January 26th, 2024 for $99.99 CAD (DualSense) and $69.99 CAD (Console Covers) respectively. Players will be able to pre-order the Deep Earth Collection beginning on October 4th, 2023 at participating retailers. Sony introduced PlayStation 5 Console Covers in 2022 with a space theme and developed versions for both Physical and Digital consoles which meant that everyone had the ability and option to customize their units.
SophistiGamer hand picked a few of our favourite announcements from State of Play – additional trailers can be found at the bottom of this article for those that missed the event. Sony was adamant to viewers that they would be focusing on indie and third-party partners this time around which means that developers operating under the PlayStation Studios banner would unlikely debut current projects with the surprise exception of Insomniac Games making a final push for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 before players suit up with Peter Parker and Miles Morales to take down classic villains in a few weeks.
Highlight – Baby Steps
PlayStation started State of Play with arguably the most peculiar yet intriguing games in recent years called Baby Steps – a walking simulator featuring a onesie-wearing protagonist. The indie game is being developed by Maxi Boch, Bennett Foddy, and Gabe Cuzzillo with Devolver Digital handing publication which is scheduled to launch in 2024 on PlayStation 5 and Windows PC through Steam – wishlisting for Baby Steps is now available on both platforms. The game utilizes a humorous control scheme which allows players to individually place each foot onto whatever surface they desire with Boch emphasizing that Baby Steps is not just about reaching the top of the mountain but also about the little stumbles encountered along the way… complete with a fully-dynamic onesie soilage system.
Highlight – Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora
Ubisoft made quite the splash with Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora taking a turn in the spotlight which introduces players to a previously unexplored region – Western Frontier – of James Cameron’s Academy Award winning universe. The game is scheduled to launch on December 5th, 2023 with PlayStation 5 owners receiving the Aranahe Warrior Pack at no additional cost which includes character and weapon cosmetic sets. Players control a Na’vi who was abducted by the antagonistic Resources Development Administration (RDA) as an infant and awakens as one of the last surviving members of the respectable Sarentu clan. A collector’s edition is available for $299.99 CAD while supplies last.
Highlight – Resident Evil 4 Separate Ways DLC
Rounding out our personal State of Play highlights is the Separate Ways DLC for Resident Evil 4 which shows the other side of the story from the perspective of Ada Wong who frequently crosses paths with Leon S. Kennedy on several occasions. Players embark on a parallel adventure where unanswered questions get answered including her mission to retrieve the Amber from the cult. Separate Ways was officially released on September 21st, 2023 for $13.49 CAD with base Resident Evil 4 game required in order for players to access. Capcom also announced that the immersive VR Mode for Resident Evil 4 will be available as a FREE download this winter – exact release date is currently unknown.
More State of Play Announcments
- Tales of Arise: Beyond the Dawn DLC | Available Now
- Roblox – PlayStation Version | Launches October 10th, 2023
- Honkai: Star Rail | Launches October 11th, 2023
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 | Launches October 20th, 2023
- Ghostrunner 2 | Launches October 26th, 2023
- Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord | Launches October 26th, 2023
- Foamstars | Launching Early 2024
- Helldivers 2 | Launches February 8th, 2024
- Final Fantasy VII Rebirth | Launches February 29th, 2024
Stay tuned to SophistiGamer as more information becomes available regarding these releases.