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As 2018 ends, it's time to look towards the year ahead. 2019 is surely going to be one of the most fascinating sets of 365 days for the PlayStation brand, and there's a multitude of reasons why. Every man and his dog knows that the PlayStation 5 is on its way, but when will it be announced and subsequently released? How will Sony make up for the loss of its E3 press conference and show floor space? And where do the games already announced for PS4 fit into all of this? We're going to take a deep dive into every factor that will play a part in the story of PlayStation in 2019, telling you what to and what not to expect from the Japanese giant.

PlayStation 5: 2019 vs 2020

It's the biggest and most important question on the mind of every PlayStation fan at the moment, will the PS5 launch next year or will Sony wait for 2020? For the record, us lot at Push Square think the system will launch in 2020, but there are interesting arguments for a release in either year.

The most substantial reason for a select few believing that the system will release in the next 12 months is routed in the actions of Sony itself. After cancelling 2018's PlayStation Experience, and then following that up with the confirmation of a no-show at next year's E3, some theorised that the company was gearing up for a PlayStation Meeting-like event in order to announce the next generation console. Sony wants to reveal the console on its own terms, and without having to worry about providing content and announcements for a certain week in June, that could happen. However, we don't think that line of thinking has a chance of becoming reality.

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Quite simply, there's already far, far too many games announced for the PS4 that have yet to be released. By announcing a PS5, Sony would be hindering the sales of some of its biggest exclusives that haven't yet launched. Of course, remasters and cross-gen titles are now a thing, but if we take a look back at the transition from PS3 to PS4, the number of games that appeared across both systems pretty much dried up after the first year. Combine that with the fact that the likes of Death Stranding and The Last of Us: Part II are still a long ways off, to the point where a 2020 release is very likely, and you can see where holes begin to appear in the argument for a PS5 launch in 2019.

On top of that, industry sources are fully on board with the notion of a release in two years time. Kotaku's Jason Schreier reported that a 2020 launch is most likely following discussions with developers: "It’s also yet another hint at the timing of Sony’s next PlayStation. Based on conversations with developers across the industry, I expect the PS5 to be released in 2020, and the publisher skipping E3 2019 certainly points to that."

This doesn't entirely rule out the possibility of the PS5 being announced in 2019, though. In fact, we can infer a lot from the timing of its reveal. If Sony does catch everyone off guard and announces a PlayStation Meeting in the first few months of the new year, then a release around October or November is all but certain. That's not going to happen, though, so the publisher still has some breathing room in order to finalise its plans. If the announcement and launch of the PS4 is any indicator, the next-gen system will hit the market in the same year that it's revealed, which in our opinion rules out a PlayStation 5 appearance over the next 365 days entirely. Taking everything into account, we expect Sony to keep the focus on PS4 and PlayStation VR for almost the entirety of 2019, while others fuel the rumour mill. A PS5 in 2020 makes the most sense.

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The E3 Replacement

The other hurdle that Sony will have to tackle in 2019 is its withdrawal from E3. When the announcement was made, the platform holder stated that the company is looking into different ways to interact with its community. "As a result, we have decided not to participate in E3 in 2019. We are exploring new and familiar ways to engage our community in 2019 and can’t wait to share our plans with you." It's this here that fascinates us the most, because without the usual E3 slot in June to fill, Sony can spread its wings a little and begin to surprise us with unexpected events and live streams filled with reveals, trailers, gameplay, and announcements.

It's something that Nintendo has absolutely nailed. Usually two to three days prior to the event, a tweet will go out teasing the next Nintendo Direct, alongside a short sentence stating what to expect. It's a very exciting time for that community, and it's something we hope PlayStation adopts.

Taking up a lot less money and time, the pre-recorded videos allow the manufacturer to craft its message down to the letter, cutting out any potential technical hitches or performance issues that a live event could bring with it. And with multiple streams presumably planned across the year, Sony could shine the limelight on smaller titles while also promoting its next blockbuster games.

We think this is the best route for PlayStation to take, and honestly, it sounds even more exciting than the annual E3 extravaganza, but of course the hardware manufacturer itself may think differently. Whatever happens, though, we know that something is planned to take up the baton, be it a PlayStation twist on the Nintendo Direct format, better communication from Sony executives, or something completely off the walls. And with Shawn Layden tweeting that we'll see him in the New Year, it may not be too long until we find out what it is.

The Games Keep on Coming

Amongst all the hullabaloo of the PS5 and an E3 alternative, there's still an absolute ton of PS4 games planned for release in 2019. The year kicks proceedings off with the highly anticipated Resident Evil 2 and Kingdom Hearts III, and the exclusives aren't too far behind either. Days Gone will land a third of the way through the year in April, while the likes of Dreams and Concrete Genie are sure to release at some point in 2019.

What has us just as excited, though, is the sheer amount of multi-platform experiences set to take the platform by storm. Metro: Exodus, ANTHEM, Devil May Cry 5, The Division 2, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice are just some of the hotly anticipated games set to land on PS4, and that's before we even reach the halfway mark of the year. A next-generation console may be on the horizon, but that's not stopping nearly every game under the sun choosing to launch on a PlayStation console.

Elsewhere, PlayStation VR is set to continue its upward trajectory with another slew of promising titles set to take the headset by storm. Blood & Truth looks set to be the centrepiece, but with the likes of Star Child, Ghost Giant, and Vacation Simulator on hand to support it, 2019 is sure to be another exciting year for PSVR.

PS4 is going to continue being the place to play games for the foreseeable future. Sony's commitment to a vast library of current and upcoming exclusives, the continued push of PSVR, and relationships with third-party publishers are factors that will once again come to fruition in 2019 in the form of games, games, and more games. And honestly, that's all we want, isn't it?

In terms of first-party announcements, though, we expect the year to be slim by way of PS4 reveals. We're sure that Sony has a few tricks up its sleeves for the planned E3 alternative, but when it comes to its major studios, they must surely be developing next generation games at this point. However, history has proved that PlayStation doesn't even need to be present at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in order for games to be revealed for its platform. We're certain the third-party conferences and Microsoft's E3 event will provide more than enough multi-platform titles for PS4 players to sink their teeth into. We may be looking ahead to next-gen, but the PS4 still has a very bright future ahead of it.

Services Play Their Part

Interestingly, services are going to play a large part in the story of PlayStation for 2019. With major changes planned for PlayStation Plus, cross-play functionality, and the ability to finally change your PSN name, the way we interact with our systems and what they can offer is going to be different.

Most importantly, PS Plus will drop its monthly selection of PS3 and PS Vita games in March. This is the biggest shake up of the service since multiplayer was brought behind the paywall back at the PS4's launch, and so it's ramifications are fairly major. The biggest sticking point for many, though, is that more current-gen games will not be made available in replacement, and so it's understandable to feel like the service is losing value as a result. The amount of people downloading and actually playing those older games has to be incredibly low by now, but still, it's something that's being taken away from the service that has been there since its inception.

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It's going to be interesting to see how Sony tackles this perceived loss of value. Does it begin to offer better quality games across the board, or is another service drafted into the monthly payment in order to justify the price? We'd love for every month of PlayStation Plus to match March 2018's line-up of Bloodborne and Ratchet & Clank, but we don't see that happening on a regular basis. How PlayStation goes about remedying this may turn out to be more important than it initially seems.

Sony's stubborn stance on cross-play was finally lifted late last year, which brought with it a Fortnite beta that allowed users to play alongside Xbox One players. It's an important step forward for the company, but without any word on what's happening with the aforementioned test nor the possibility of other games being added to the program, PlayStation needs to follow up on its change of heart for an early dose of goodwill.

And of course, we'll be able to finally, finally change our PSN name. It's not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but after years of questioning, the likes of Xxx_69rudeboi_xxX have had their wish granted. Let's get that scheme out of beta and into the hands of everyone as soon as possible. It's even free the first time!

What excites you about PlayStation in 2019? Do you think we'll see the PS5 this year, or will we have to wait until 2020 for the reveal? Give us a list of your most anticipated titles in the comments below.