While it’s been a dismal start to the year for PlayStation news, we at least had a Sony sizzle trailer from CES 2021 to exhaust our collective editorial effort on. In it, the platform holder included some small print which included target dates for a ton of titles, including Pragmata and Kena: Bridge of Spirits. While we didn’t expect many of the intended windows to stick, it was interesting to know what kind of schedule developers had attached to the projects.
The platform holder must have gotten a few dissatisfied calls the next day, however, as its YouTube upload of the same trailer has removed all of the target dates from the end of the clip. Gematsu spotted the change with its eagle eyes:
So, what does all this mean? Well, nothing really. The dates were always just internal targets, and while they could be taken as an indication of roughly when to expect the games, they were never intended as confirmation. Like we said at the start of this article, it’s been a slow month so far, but we’re hoping things will pick up in the coming weeks.
[source youtube.com]
Comments 51
First the FFXVI PC debacle
Now this
Sony really need to up their stealth stats, Snake is running circles around them
If your game doesn’t have a firm targeted release date, don’t put out a trailer. Extended periods of hype never result in a widely acclaimed game. I’m getting rather sick of games being announced far too soon.
I find it weird sony release their games release date without hype, so it's just an internal date.
This kind of scrambling to scrub evidence away is why I still believe Demon's Souls Remake is coming to PC at some point.
@RBMango I thought that was explained it was text from FFXVI put on the wrong trailer.
@AdamNovice Actually, to be more precise, that text was from Deathloop, put as you have rightfully said, in the wrong trailer.
Shocking (not really). I figured it would be their next trailer before the dates changed/got removed. This is at least the second time they've had release windows/dates for games and then changed them or removed them, but at least it wasn't until their next one before release windows for games like Ratchet & Clank all of a sudden were no more.
Sony really needs to get their act together. I know it's not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but as solid as their trailers/commercials are, they don't seem to know what to do about actual useful information like release dates. Like somebody else said, just stop doing it for now if you have no idea when most of these games are coming out.
someone got a disgruntled email me thinks
@nessisonett
Honestly these were my exact thoughts when the Hogwarts game was delayed earlier this week lol
Well damn!!! That sucks!
It’s gonna by one of those years with Covid about so strongly as well. Some of my departments work from home and it is not as productive and doesn’t flow as well.
Also as the PS5 was about to release and the hype of ratchet and clank, HZ Dawn and Gow was rolled out, it was obviously PR business.
Will probably only get ratchet and clank this year out of those 3.
Halo from Microsoft.
Nintendo maybe the surprise this year 2021.
They stating strong with 3D world with Bowers Fury, I know a remake but not many had a Wii U.
Watch it fly of the shelf’s like the Switch does.
I have never known the UK buying into Nintendo this much ever.
Sony should had waited till November this year to release the PS5.
@Dezzy70 And what about new advanced Switch that will be this christmas... @eltomo exactly...
If the dates were expected to be accurate, wouldn't they be shown in a much larger font?
@djlard
Will be interesting to see if the Switch Pro is real.
Though current Switch sells out in UK as soon is stock is available and if they release BOTW2 etc
They don’t seem to need a Switch Pro, so why go through the hassle, especially with current manufacturing Covid issues etc.
If we actually look at the new generation consoles. PS5 And Series x.
Not counting games on PS4 and Xbox one and backwards compatibility.
There really are not any next generation exclusive games. I think Demon souls is next generation exclusive and that’s it for big games.
Both PS5 and Series X came out to early.
It’s amazing why people are rushing out to buy these next generation consoles.
For me I always do, it’s a nice to have, but being honest it’s likes owning a fast sports car but you can only drive at 70mph on the roads.
@nessisonett I agree with you wholeheartedly.
Why don’t they just make the entire game without telling anyone and then just leave it to rest for a bit.
They can then release a trailer and even though the game is finished, just wait 3 months to release it (or more) while they hype people up with ACTUAL gameplay trailers and first looks.
I’m sure movies are finished a year or so before they release. Games should do the same.
They put the dates in the trailer to ensure people had a reason to buy a ps5. If the ps5 released in late 2020 but there were no games scheduled for release until 2022 no-one would have bought the console.
Also covid has no doubt impacted the dates.
@nessisonett I dunno. Breath of the Wild was revealed, delayed, delayed, and delayed. That turned out to be a success.
It's all about how you manage expectations.
@RBMango And if you've ever been involved in this kind of marketing, these things go through multiple levels of checks over and over so I find it very hard to believe all these were legit accidents.
@nessisonett It's gonna be hard to sell a new console if you can only show the 4 games coming out on launch day that and I'm sure the ongoing pandemic has made things ever harder, some date could have been met if that whole covid died down but it seems to be going even stronger, some studios were probably back in office when they were sent back home again. And after that there's a lot of unknown when working on a game, sometimes releasing a trailer early has helped shaped games for the better (and sometimes for the worst). But I understand the sentiment and I hope we'll have less Cyberpunk debacle in the future.
@Kienda Movies don't follow the same process as games and yes they're usually finished for release (The first Hobbit film or Transformers Revenge of the Fallen were famously finished hours before Premiere and then you've got Cats that was released unfinished). But studios still reveal teaser and trailers long before post production is done.Blockbuster films are usually finished weeks before release or maybe a few months. A studio rarely sit on huge blockbuster a year after completion without telling anybody about it.
@Dezzy70 I don't think we can simply remove the cross gen titles, the PS5 and Series X were built around Backward compatibility in part to help the transition, Sony has +100 millions PS4 in the wild, it would be stupid to focus on the few millions that managed to get a PS5, it the console didn't have backward compatibily, I'm sure some of the cross gen titles would have simply been PS5 exclusive to help sell the console.
Glad i haven't bothered with the PlayStation 5 yet. Well i tried on launch month but now its meeeh i'lll get one when i get one
@Katsuhono
That’s true, I’m just used to more like the nes to the SNES to the N64, when generations meant more and showed more improvements.
We are definitely now probably this next generation more than ever due to PS4 pro and x box one x getting diminishing returns, compared to say the SNES to N64 Mario 64 and Wave Racer 3D gaming, water effects etc.
New TVs the top grade ones really take some of the 1080p to 4K away as they up scale themselves so well.
@eltomo sure. and give xbox a year of avantage? they are more prepared than ps4 time. Did you see the meh games they got out in the 1st year?
@Dezzy70 If horizon and god of war gameplay trailers don't wow me, no game will this gen in terms of graphics.
It's January 2021, I don't want to see anything about any game not expected to come out until 2023, which probably means either canceled or delayed until 2024. So I'm more than fine w/ Pragmata being removed.
Waited 5 years on Dreams and it's now going on 8 years for Deep Down.
I like hype, but no game needs more than a year of it. If it gets delayed it gets delayed, but don't announce it unless you at least think it will be coming out in the next 12 months. I'll go up to 18 if it's a really big game and you announce it at E3 1 year for a fall release the following year. But we shouldn't be hearing about games more than 24 months out. We just shouldn't.
@LiterallyDoNotCare
Hopefully they will do and hopefully this year
I will still be supersized if we get Horizon this year let alone GOW. That’s was all just Sony PR.
Also Covid not going away anywhere fast.
As for the graphics of course they will be top tier I think. Just not the massive gap and big jump some maybe expecting. Don’t forget the original Horizon on the PS4 was a great looker at 1080p 30fps. Just jumping to native 4K 30fps takes double that power let alone anything else.
It won’t be like a SNES Mario platformer to say Mario N64, Mario 2d to 3d. When I first saw that, it was like wow next generation.
Currently on my PS5 and Series X it’s all fast loading quick changing games and slightly flash versions of old generation games.
It’s similar to say and very good cgi tens years old Jurassic park to today’s cgi, yes it’s better more refined etc, but not wow that looks amazing.
Graphics are hitting the law of diminishing returns, even some developers say this.
@Dezzy70 I highly doubt gow and horizon will wow in graphics. I will be able to tell it looks better, but it won't be infamous 2 to infamous second son or killzone 3 to shadowfall type of wow.
I am going to keep my expectations lower for graphics and higher for gameplay and new combat mechanics.
@Dezzy70
That analogy also stands that the same sports car will have a premium interior and the Hyundai that everyone else has got, has an inferior erm, interior.
We could all live in mobile homes/trailers.
We could all shop at Iceland.
Some live in luxury gated communities.
Some shop at Harrods.
I'm none of the above four 🤣
Honestly view this as a positive thing. Give us dates when you know you're able to hit them with code that isn't janky as hell. The pressure these marketing windows create are detrimental to so many projects. Launch stuff when it is ready. I hope Sony's taking down of CP2077 was a watershed moment for the industry that this stuff is acceptable... I doubt it, but I can hope.
@LiterallyDoNotCare obviously that was probably the main reason PS5 did come out, but all it does is update graphics of PS4 games and sounds like it'll be doing that for a while longer.
People will start thinking whats the point getting a PS5 at this point.
@eltomo They have miles with raytracing 60fps, 4k and demon souls which is the best looking game atm imo. A while? ratchet can't run on ps4 consoles. Returnal will also utilize the ssd in a similar manner. gt7 is next-gen only. I can't say much about hfw and gow2 but we have to wait. If graphics are your concern... don't you have a kirby as an avatar?
There's more of a reason getting a ps5 first year than ps4. I know that much. I wish I had time for it.
@LiterallyDoNotCare
Absolutely right, the next generation consoles have the more flashy and best experience overall.
That why I have them both.
@Dezzy70 Because Switch (as it is) doesn't have enough horse power to hold even with ps4 pro, not mentioning ps5. That's why there is not enough mainstream games.
...imagine playing most of best games on handheld... it will sell like a bread.
@LiterallyDoNotCare just trying to have a conversation here, no need to take a stab at my avatar choice.
I see your points, but I doubt many people are excited about Ratchet and Retunal. GT7 will be delayed. Are they the only exclusives confirmed for this year now?
@djlard
The switch does what it does, Nintendo exclusives
And it almost is selling like bread.
Will be interesting to see it’s life time sales when it happens.
I think it is all about misleading the gamer. ‘Buy our console and play our exclusives soon!’ Well......
@eltomo Didn't take a stab. Sorry.
People are excited for those 2 (except Returnal's price) and gt7 hasn't been delayed. Gow and Hzf are set for 2021. They also have destruction all stars and as timed exclusives kena, deathloop and ghostwire tokyo. Rumor ff16 is set for this year since project athia is set for jan 2022.
The year hasn't passed, but all sony had in 2014 was infamous ss and tlou remastered. Switch only had smash for 2018. Xbox series has halo infinite (can be delayed) and that's it.
I am not taking a stab. I am just saying ps5 is looking to have the best first 365 days of any console exclusives.
@Hypoman maybe with god of war they did that, but I think every other game just got a normal delay because of covid etc...
@LiterallyDoNotCare "All Sony had in 2014 was infamous ss and tlou remastered."
Actually, they had also Driveclub, Little big Planet 3, MLB 14 the Show, and the stand alone game Infamous First Light in 2014. There are probably way more that I'm not thinking off. But those are all the title I bought for the PS4 in 2014
"Xbox series has halo infinite (can be delayed) and that's it"
The Xbox is also getting far more than just Halo Infinite. The Medium release on the 28th. Scorn and the recently announced S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 are stated for a 2021 release. They will also probably see the release of FMS8 this year.
I still want a PS5, but it is so d*mn ugly! I’m trying to figure out where to hide it without getting too hot......
@Floki MLB is every year, so is on for this year too. Little Big Planet not done by Media Molecule was a drop in quality and driveclub, well it failed and the servers shut down fairly quickly. So I go back 2 the same 2 games I mentioned, which one is a remaster, and the other it's the worst of the series.
FMS8 might happen, but I'm just basing on the things "confirmed" (gow will probably get delayed). Halo Infinite looked awful and still needs redemption and yet, I'm still calling it a big hitter although I think it won't be better than bungie's halos. The Medium looks meh from what I saw from ign's gameplay video and from that studio's previous game, it ain't looking too good. STALKER 2 might be good, but they just did an engine trailer. Idk if it will be ready and idk if it will be a big game (just like Returnal), but we'll see.
Imo. ps4 first year (nov 2013- nov 2014) was one of the worst year in terms of exclusive games. I think xbox series s/x wants to beat that negative record.
Since SONY is no longer coming out from a losing gen, they manage to bring the games that are expected to be in 2021, and it can beat sony's 2020. They have 6 triple A games expected to be released this year. They had 6 triple A games published in 2020, and a timed exclusive.
I think 2011 will remain their best year in terms of games tho. I think they got 9 or 10 out.
Well for most of us this is probably a positive things as the vast majority of us can't get a ps5, so by the time we can, we should have a nice library of games.
@wiiware something is definitely weird about these dates. I know COVID is making it really hard for everyone, but these small mistakes are very weird for big corpo like Sony
@djape Their video editing guys screw up I think, same with ff16 will be also available on pc then sony retrack it later, or demon's souls available on others console 😂
@wiiware yeah thats what I mean as well.. silly little mistakes that cause lots of noise.. someones fired for sure
'they were never intended as confirmation. '
Nice to read reasonable and mature take from the article unfortunately not reflected in the childish overeacting comments.
Well two things at play - the real impact of the pandemic is now being felt as the disruption of the last year has really settled in, and the Cyberpunk fallout.
No one in the immediate future is going to launch a faulty game unless they really really have no choice.
I'm not too worried, the games will release when they are ready.
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