Feature: What Will Sony Announce at PlayStation Experience?

The problem with video games is that everything interesting tends to happen at once. Think about it for a second: all of the big blockbusters either deploy before the end of the fiscal year in March, or in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Meanwhile, there are three major gaming conventions in the medium’s calendar, and two of them – Gamescom and the Tokyo Game Show – occur within weeks of each other. With the appetite for the industry remaining insatiable all-year round, it seems strange to focus on these very specific timeframes.

Sony cottoned onto this a few years ago, injecting some enthusiasm throughout the slow summer months with Game of the Year winners like The Last of Us, and giving fans something to keep them warm through the winter with December reveals such as Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. This year, however, the platform holder’s going all out, running a two-day fan event in Las Vegas named PlayStation Experience. The company has promised big reveals during the convention, which will likely materialise during its keynote on Saturday.

So, what should you anticipate? The manufacturer’s got things locked down tighter than a nuclear missile deployment panel, but we have got some thoughts about what the firm may or may not show in Las Vegas this weekend. You’ll be able to join us from 18:00PM GMT (13:00PM EST/10:00AM PST) to watch all of the action unfold live, but do indulge us while we make some predictions, too – after all, we’ve got a good track record with these kinds of things.

The Dead Certs

Sony’s playing its cards so close to its chest that it’s really challenging to come up with some certainties for this weekend’s show, but we do reckon that the following will make an appearance in some form.

Uncharted expectations

Naughty Dog’s been saying for a little while that we’ll be seeing more of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, and there’s no better place than PlayStation Experience to show it. We actually think that some kind of new trailer will be teased during Geoff Keighley’s The Game Awards showing, with an extended version to follow during Sony’s keynote the next day. Don’t expect to see any gameplay footage in this clip, as we reckon that that will be saved for E3, but we wouldn’t be surprised if favourites like Sully and Elena put in a fleeting appearance as part of some kind of cinematic.

The first-party lowdown

It’s been a barren end to the year for PlayStation 4 exclusives, with DriveClub the only noteworthy name if you discount the likes of LittleBigPlanet 3. We reckon that Sony will want to remind people that it’s still a first-party powerhouse, then, so expect big info drops on two of its forthcoming titles: Bloodborne and The Order: 1886. With both releases due out in a matter of months, we should be privy to almost final builds of these anticipated escapades. The showing will be particularly important for Ready at Dawn, as its historical adventure has come under fire a little of late.

Holy macaroni, Batman

In both Watch Dogs and Destiny, Sony’s made some extraordinary co-marketing bets this year. Microsoft dominated this domain in the previous generation, but the Japanese giant’s beat the Redmond firm at its own game of late, successfully attaching two of the year’s biggest releases to its brand. It’ll want to continue that in 2015, and Batman: Arkham Knight is looking like its big third-party bet. Warner Bros has already confirmed that new gameplay will be shown during the event, so let’s hope that it’s a better trailer than the previous one.

Look to the No Man’s Sky

Hello Games must be pinching itself right now. While the rest of the indie development scene battles against a pejorative perception, the Guildford-based indie seems to have somehow eschewed the hostility, and landed a place on mega publication Game Informer’s cover with No Man's Sky. It’ll be stealing the spotlight this weekend, too, with a world premiere trailer during The Game Awards, followed by some sort of special panel at PlayStation Experience. Our guess? A gameplay playthrough teamed with some kind of 360-degree projector. We’ll see.

El Jaffe

We knew that David Jaffe wouldn’t stay away for long. The man behind Twisted Metal and God of War bleeds Sony blood, and while he may have seemingly severed ties with the manufacturer following the former’s reboot early last year, it’s no surprise to see him and his new company – The Bartlet Jones Supernatural Detective Agency – on the shortlist for some kind of reveal. While there’s a lot of speculation that he’s working on a horror game, the foul mouthed executive stresses that his next project will actually belong in the action genre.

The Possible

There are a few rumours doing the rounds regarding PlayStation Experience that we reckon are feasible – even if we don’t think that you should put too much stock into them. We’ve included those below.

Qwark you might mention this

Alright, we started this rumour – but it makes too much sense to overlook. Way back at E3 earlier in the year, an elated Andrew House announced that Insomniac Games was working on a ‘re-imagining’ of the original Ratchet & Clank for the PS4 that would tie into the upcoming movie. That flick is due out early next year, and it stands to reason that the platform holder would want the game to accompany it. Why haven’t we seen the title yet, then? Well, because the developer has been busy promoting a certain release for a competing platform. Now that that’s out, though...

Inevitable indies

This seems like it should be in the previous category, but Sony has been so busy revealing new indie titles over the past few weeks that we’re not sure it could possibly having anything left to show. That said, in addition to the 80 or so titles set to put in an appearance on the show floor, we’re fairly confident that the platform holder will have a handful of new releases to reveal. Perhaps best the best thing about this part of the industry in particular is that it’s almost impossible to predict, so we’re just hoping to see some cool things from creative people.

Finish the project

We already know that Project Morpheus will be present at PlayStation Experience in some capacity, with attendees encouraged to get eyes-on time with the ambitious virtual reality helmet. However, with the device surely nearing completion, there’s a possibility that the platform holder might attach a commercial name to the product – and even a release date. To be honest, we’d settle for a mere update on the peripheral’s progress, as it seems like an eternity since Shuhei Yoshida pulled back the curtain on the illuminating instrument.

Uncharted: Master Thief Collection

Sony’s said that it doesn’t want to crowd the market with PS4 re-releases, and it’s stayed true to that word. Sure, there have been plenty of PSN ports this year, but they’ve all factored into the firm’s cross-buy initiative, so you can’t really gripe at that. However, with so many new consumers adopting its next-gen format, it’ll be missing a trick if it doesn’t give fresh fans an opportunity to catch up on Nathan Drake’s exploits, so some kind of Uncharted compilation should do the trick. The platform holder will get bonus points if it calls it the ‘Master Thief Collection’.

Topsy-turvy world

It was cruel how Sony released a teaser trailer for Gravity Rush 2, only to never mention the title again. We know that Keiichirō Toyama is working on this out of Japan Studio, and it’s probably safe to assume that it’s a PS4 title now – but everything else remains more or less a secret. PlayStation Experience would be a strange place to properly unveil this, but Kat has been fondly embraced by fans of the brand around the globe, and this would likely be a crowd pleaser. Probably best to not hold your breath, though.

The Unlikely

The build up to these kinds of events always gets out of control, and that often leads to outrageous expectations. There are dozens of rumours doing the rounds pertaining to some pretty specific game announcements, but here are a few that we reckon are particularly unlikely.

The comeback of Crash

Fans really want Sony to re-obtain the rights to Crash Bandicoot, and we’re right there with you. Confirmation that the platform holder is working on a fresh entry in the platforming property would be the ultimate 20th anniversary gift, but Activision doesn’t seem keen on selling the brand anytime soon. Even though it’s doing nothing with it, a savvy Bobby Kotick will know that this series holds significant value to the Japanese giant, and sadly we can’t ever see the company regaining control of this once classic franchise. We bet that discussions have taken place several times, though.

Never bet on The Last Guardian

It’s the old go-to at every PlayStation press event: The Last Guardian is going to get announced. We firmly believe that this game is still in development, and an announcement in front of fans at PlayStation Experience would probably make sense – but we don’t think that it’s going to happen. For starters, this seems like the very definition of a holiday game, and we reckon that Sony would be eager to avoid a lengthy PR cycle for this product after what happened last time. Save your hype for this one until E3.

Monkey business from Guerrilla Games

Guerrilla Games is a studio that feels like it’s been teetering on the brink of a breakthrough for some time. Killzone 2 was an early PlayStation 3 showpiece, and an excellent title in its own right, but subsequent entries have failed to capitalise on the second title’s success. Perhaps the company needs a new avenue with which to unleash its talent, then, which will almost certainly be its not-so secret role-playing game. Leaked artwork of this looks wildly ambitious, but with the Dutch developer being one of Sony’s first-party powerhouses, we just can’t see this being unveiled until E3.

What’s going on in Guildford?

Much like Guerrilla Games, quirky British studio Media Molecule hasn’t been shy about mentioning that it has a secret PS4 project in the works. The bulk of the studio has been working on this for years, while a splinter group busied itself with Tearaway. However, with the PlayStation Vita exclusive set to make the transition to Sony’s home console next year, we suspect that the Guildford-based outfit will focus on that for the time being, as opposed to muddying the waters with the no doubt wacky primary project that it’s spent the last three or so years dreaming up.

Er, everything else

While it seems that Sony may be ready to make a few announcements, we just can’t see third-parties breaking their traditional marketing schedule for this event. The likes of Batman: Arkham Knight, Destiny, and Battlefield: Hardline are sure to put in appearances during PlayStation Experience, but we’re not expecting any major unveilings outside of the obligatory co-marketing mentions. The one curiosity is confirmation of Peter Moore’s presence, which could lead to something from EA Games. Is it too early for an enhanced Titanfall port?

What do you think will be announced at PlayStation Experience? Do you think that our predictions are way off base? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.