Topic: Playstation Summer Showcase 2024 (Thoughts, Predictions, Discussion)

@KilloWertz @CJD87 Yeah, I’ve come to the conclusion that my default response to any hype or rumors is to expect nothing. The Astrobot reveal is a nice bit of news, to be sure, but I’ve been conditioned at this point to be expect no single player announcements from first party and then I can be pleasantly surprised when they do eventually come. Because they will, but it might be 2025.. 2026… 2027… PS6…? I do think some of these studios may be working on PS6 launch games, as depressing as that sounds.

Edit: And I am not usually hyper-critical, and so hopefully this doesn’t come across as bitter or dramatic, but I might be more excited about the Xbox studios games than the PS Studio games. The sad reality is we might get Hellblade 2, Indiana Jones, Avowed, Blade, etc. on our PS5’s before we get anything from Naughty Dog, Bluepoint, Guerilla, Bend, Sucker Punch, etc.

Well that was quite possibly the worst State of Play I have ever watched. Silent Hill 2 looks great though and Astro Bot is looking to be the Super Mario Galaxy 3 I've wanted for a long time now. Definitely buying both of them on day one. The second half of 2024 is shaping up quite nicely.

Is September 6 too early for Astro to be a PS5 Pro launch title? 😆

Honestly, I feel apathetic towards Sony atm, Until PlayStation show us something tangible or tease some new titles I'm just going to assume all things hardware are delayed until GTA6 releases, and all things software are delayed until GTA6 is well out of the way (((

Thank God for Ubisoft and Warhorse actually pushing for 2024 releases to make up for it

@Th3solution I agree with everything you've said. Likewise, I am far from a negative individual.... but it seems like all of "the big 3" are in strange places right now. It almost seems like 'tomorrow' is taking precedence over 'today' - and I wonder if all 3 are now looking towards the scope for new hardware and the possibilities that may open?

For me personally, I would love to see/experience something new and fresh. Don't get me wrong, I've played some immaculate games in the last couple of years.... but very few have captured me in the same way that something like 'Inscryption' did for example.

Lets see what the rest of this year has to bring

@Th3solution Obviously this isn't directed towards you, but it would be inexcusable on the part of PlayStation and the developers if the likes of ones such as Naughty Dog, Sucker Punch, and Bend Studio sit out the whole generation. I don't think that is true at all even though it seems like they've been doing nothing for years. If Insomniac can put out 3 games already, the other developers could at least put out 1 new one. Using the excuse that games take longer than ever as to why, while true to an extent, would be just like companies after the pandemic with their excuses for prices and availability. If they still don't release anything anytime soon that is. Also, as a side note, I do think the PS5's life cycle will be longer than normal, so I don't think they are making PS6 games yet.

It's not all doom and gloom for me. I still like my PS5 and I will be using it a ton over the rest of it's console life cycle. There have been some great games and there will obviously be several more, but at some point enough is enough with PlayStation's silence and their 1st party studios being invisible.

Sorry guys but I think the days of E32015/2016 level showcases are behind us now. Maybe when it's time for the PS6 Future of Gaming Showcase.

@CJD87 2024 is pretty clearly an EoL year for the Switch, which is almost always rough. The system has had an incredible release cadence until now. I'm guessing we're going to see a blowout year for the successor in 2025 like we did for the original in 2017.

Microsoft... leadership has failed that ecosystem and its developers spectacularly. Phil Spencer's expensive Game Pass project and laissez-faire attitude to management has sunk the brand badly. He was the wrong man for the job.

Sony has been going through a bit of an identity crisis, it seems, since the late Ryan era. It definitely seems like the live service push messed up their release cadence fairly thoroughly. They also have the problem of not managing budgets well and games taking too long to develop. That said, there's no reason to think world-class developers like Naughty Dog and Sony Santa Monica won't produce great experiences later in the generation, but the PS5's first-party lineup fizzled badly after that (shockingly excellent) first year and has yet to recover. And without the diversity of software provided by some of the excellent smaller studios they've closed.

@Ralizah I agree with all your points above... although I am (naively!) optimistic that Nintendo may have 1 final ace up their sleeve for Q3/Q4 2024, and possibly drop a 'big-hitter' reveal at the rumoured June direct - perhaps Prime 4? Or even a new DK game, spiritual successor to DKC? I can but hope... The Switch's lifespan has been incredible, but I'd hate to see it 'fizzle out' in the final year without one last hurrah.

XB is perhaps the most interesting case, still seems they are figuring out what they want to be & how they want to fine-tune their approach to the industry/business. Do they want to still stand by the 'XB ecosystem'? Or bow out completely and push for GamePass to become multi-platform and/or more accessible?

PS SoP was definitely a Jim Ryan hangover....a swamp of chasing live-service models and hero-shooters. A great analysis by the WhatCulture podcast in the UK

• very balance/fair but also rightly critical (https://open.spotify.com/episode/6lireI20QlnegGoqy0gdrR?si=d083500cfe514e55)

@Ralizah That’s a really accurate and astute description. All of the big three have been stumbling lately. Fortunately we have third party to keep things afloat this year. I think 2025 is looking to be insane though and could be a dynamite year.

@Th3solution only if everyone can get their games out way before GTA 6 💀 otherwise it might be the most tentative "will they, won't they" year in history.

Elden Ring, Star Wars, Assassin's Creed and the Main Event: Kingdom Come Deliverence II ain't a bad finish to 2024 though. Third parties be praised

Oh... and Black Myth: Wukong... the game that is genuinely coming out soon... 👀😁 but to be fair, the next trailer might announce you can buy the game, I suppose.

Summer Game fest will absolutely determine how excited we can get for this year. And I think we all need that boost 😁

@Ravix Yes, the GTA6 elephant-in-the-room is a legit factor which affects all 2025 release schedules. Depending on if they stick to schedule, I think it’s supposed to drop in Fall 2025, so games will likely try to clear away from that launch window. Especially since that’s when COD and Madden come out too. That could mean some games get delayed to 2026 to avoid being head-to-head with GTA, but a wiser move would be to try to squeeze in before GTA6, since the game will have long legs and take up gamers time for many, many months.

But yes, 2025 will hopefully at least bring Wolverine and Death Stranding 2, and maybe a couple of the games we think Sony has in the oven like Ghost of Tsushima 2 (or “Ghost of wherever”) and Uncharted 5 (or Uncharted: “fill in the subtitle”), and certainly Fairgame$, maybe Marathon. We’ll surely see Switch 2 which will create a huge buzz in the industry, and on the Xbox side I think maybe Blade could show up by late 2025, who knows and maybe Fable 4…? Third party will probably bring big games like Judas, Dragon Age Dreadwolf, at least one of the gazillion Assassin Creed games announced (… Red, Hexe, Infinity… ?? I’ve grown complacent with all their announced releases), MGS Delta, Monster Hunter Wilds. Maybe some third party surprises like 007, Persona 6, or Mass Effect 5…? Those last three are doubtful but 18 months is a long time.

Honestly, I’m not sure which of these would consider themselves as direct competitors to GTA6. Many of these games’ audience will buy them regardless of GTA. I know I’m not a GTA guy and almost certainly will skip it, but I realize I’m in the minority. But we’ve seen time and time again that good games can get overshadowed and overlooked if they don’t release strategically.

Edit: oh and yes, for me I’ll probably get Star Wars Outlaws this year if it reviews well. Otherwise I’m not sure there’s anything else. I need to play the base Elden Ring before I worry about Erd Tree and also need to do the first KCD, presuming it is narratively linked to the sequel.

@CJD87 Oh, Nintendo 100% has more to reveal this year. They've made a habit of dropping trailers for upcoming first party games half a year or less before they're set to release. We know they'll actually sit on finished projects until they think it makes the most sense to release them, so I imagine they probably have a couple of surprises for the last half of the year. Like Sony with Astro-Bot.

It feels like the asian gacha games are going to be a fixture of Playstation going forward. They seem to have invested heavily in Chinese and Korean developers, who are primarily going the F2P route with their games, since that's the model that's most lucrative in those regions.

@Th3solution Console launch years are always exciting. I'm fully expecting 3D Mario on the Nintendo side. And RE9 and Monster Hunter Wilds from Capcom. Maybe even, dare I dream, Ace Attorney 7? Probably also some major release from Sony.

@Ralizah I think I saw a rumor from a supposedly “good source” that Capcom is going to do RE0 and Code Veronica Remakes before doing RE9. Either way, Capcom will bring the goods, for sure.

And I am really curious to see what Switch 2 is like. I would suspect it’s just going to be a more powerful version of the Switch, ie. still a hybrid portable, etc. I can’t imagine that they screw with that golden egg. But I’m curious how powerful they can get the machine. Presumably 4K resolution docked? 60 fps for even the larger games? It’s gotta be backwards compatible, right? Can’t imagine them flubbing that.

Looks like everyone is on the same page so far. Concord was strange, SOP overall underwhelming, and Astro Bot was great

Summer Games Fest will take care of the rest until Sony’s (rumoured) next showcase in September. We’ll go wild with predictions here if/when that occurs.

We also have Xbox and Nintendo shows coming. Excited for both as they will demonstrate their first party work as well as third party coming to PS5 as well. Lots to look forward to!