Expectations seemed to be low for Sony's June 2022 PlayStation State of Play, as prior announcements seemed to point toward an event focused largely on third-party games for the upcoming PlayStation VR2 headset. One of the few confirmed "big" titles ahead of the State of Play was Horizon Call of the Mountain. However, the actual livestream wound up including numerous high-profile reveals and gameplay trailers.
In hindsight, studios like Capcom and Square Enix do make a focus on "third-party" support more enticing. With releases like Horizon Forbidden West in the rearview mirror, the June 2 PlayStation showcase establishes a bright future for both the PlayStation 4 and 5 well into 2023. It may even push some on the fence about PlayStation VR2 over the edge.
Resident Evil 4 and Village VR
Rumors about a remake of Capcom's acclaimed Resident Evil 4 have circulated for years, especially following remakes of Resident Evil 2 and 3 that hit stores in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Today's State of Play started off with a bang by confirming Resident Evil 4 will release exclusively for PlayStation 5 on March 24, 2023. Most of the trailer is cinematic, but at the end it does confirm that PlayStation VR2 content is also in development.
Immediately after that, another teaser confirmed Resident Evil Village will be given a PS VR2 port sometime in the near future. Live footage captured on PS5 is showcased, giving fans their first look at the infamous Lady Dimitrescu and other antagonists from a whole new perspective.
The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners Chapter 2
The second chapter of The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners, a VR horror game based on Robert Kirkman's popular comic, was first announced this January. Subtitled Retribution, footage debuted during the Meta Quest Gaming Showcase in April, and today's State of Play offered a more cinematic look at its narrative. PlayStation VR users will be able to explore post-apocalyptic New Orleans in late 2022, and a PS VR2 version is also in development.
No Man's Sky VR
No Man's Sky is one of the biggest comeback stories in the video game industry. It came to PS5 and Xbox Series X/S in 2020 as part of the "Next Generation" update, and is available for PS VR, but today it was confirmed the game is in development for PlayStation VR2. While fans got to see some footage reportedly captured on PS5, few other details were provided.
Horizon Call of the Mountain and Forbidden West
When the PlayStation VR2 headset was announced at CES 2022, Guerrilla Games' Horizon Call of the Mountain was its headliner. Developed alongside PlayStation Studio Firesprite, Call of the Mountain will star a former member of the Shadow Carja named Ryas. Players lead Ryas on a quest for redemption spurred by Sun-King Avad's second-hand man, Blameless Marad. To gain their freedom, Ryas must stop a new threat to the Sundom by climbing a mountain and hunting machines along the way, with the game's website promising he will run into Aloy and "other familiar faces" - though no release date is confirmed.
This announcement came alongside a shadow-dropped major update for Horizon Forbidden West, including a performance mode, armor transmog, skill point redistribution, an "Ultra Hard" difficulty mode, and New Game+ featuring more trophies. The update is available now on both PS4 and PS5.
Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered on PC
PlayStation has been actively porting its biggest PS4 games like God of War (2018) to PC, and Insomniac Games' Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered is the latest example. An announcement trailer during today's State of Play confirms it will release on August 12, 2022, for both Steam and Epic Games Store.
Stray
Last week, it was rumored that BlueTwelve's highly anticipated indie title Stray would release on July 19, based on what appeared to be a placeholder date in PlayStation's database. That rumor was confirmed during the June 2022 State of Play, with a trailer showcasing new gameplay of the titular stray cat wandering its cyberpunk world captured on PS5. Not only will the game be releasing on PS4 and PS5 next month, Stray is also confirmed to be a free PS Plus download for the new Premium and Deluxe tiers.
The Callisto Protocol
Dead Space fans have long been looking forward to Striking Distance Studios' The Callisto Protocol, and a hefty gameplay trailer debuting during the State of Play should only increase that anticipation. While The Callisto Protocol no longer takes place in the PUBG universe, its isolating atmosphere on a "dead moon" and gruesome body horror certainly stands out. Even better, this trailer confirms the game will release for PS4 and PS5 on December 2, 2022.
Rollerdrome
With high-profile series like Horizon and Resident Evil appearing all throughout the latest State of Play, it was good to see relatively smaller titles with an interesting hook. For instance, PS4 and PS5 owners can get their hands on Rollerdrome on August 16; a game focusing on a "bloodsport" where roller skaters fight to be the last person standing in a deadly arena full of guns and other weaponry. Developed by Roll7, the team behind OlliOlli World, Rollerdrome also has an appealing cel-shaded look that should make it worth checking out.
Eternights
Fans of Persona may have expected Eternights to be a surprise announcement by Atlus, as the new indie title by Studio Sai shares a focus on blending action and dating-sim elements into an anime-inspired post-apocalypse. Starring a protagonist with a phantom limb that turns into different weapons, a PlayStation Blog post by Studio Sai founder Jae Yoo promotes the game as one where players "scavenge for supplies, explore dungeons… and go on dates." It releases in early 2023 for PS4 and PS5, and should be a good way to tide people over until Persona 6 is announced.
Street Fighter 6
Two Resident Evil games were not the only showing for Capcom, as the first trailer for Street Fighter 6 following its February 2022 announcement debuted today. The trailer confirms characters including Ryu, Chun-Li, Jamie, and Luke, but also shows off different modes coming to the game. The biggest stand-out is "World Tour," a single-player story that appears to have an open-world hub area. There will also be "Fighting Ground" for classic skirmishes using different rules and "Battle Hub" for online play. Street Fighter 6 currently has a vague 2023 release window, but fans should be looking forward to more.
Tunic
Developed by Andrew Shouldice, Tunic is one of the most acclaimed indies of the year thus far thanks to its art direction and unique game manual mechanics. The Zelda-inspired adventure released in March for PC and Xbox consoles, but the June 2022 State of Play confirms it will be available on PS4 and PS5 as of September 27. No Switch port is confirmed as of this writing.
Season: A Letter to the Future
Games by first-party Sony studios, including Guerrilla's Horizon series and Sucker Punch's Ghost of Tsushima, have become well-known for their extensive photography modes. However, plenty of indie games have also focused on this mechanic in recent years, including TOEM, Pupperazzi, and Umurangi Generation. Season: A Letter to the Future, which releases for PS4 and PS5 in autumn 2022, appears to fit a similar mold with its emotional story and atmosphere. According to a PlayStation Blog post by Scavengers Studio narrative designer Meg Hutchinson, Season "focuses on exploring, recording, meeting people, and unravelling the strange world around you."
Final Fantasy 16
If Resident Evil 4 started off the State of Play with a bang, Square Enix's Final Fantasy 16 ended it on a similarly strong note. The highly anticipated game has been silent for months, with producer Naoki Yoshida prefacing the trailer with his hopes the team can bring happiness to fans during hard times, and promising "interviews with the media" will start soon to get more information out there.
The trailer itself shows off gameplay focused largely on "Dominants," people born with the ability to host and channel the strength of powerful Eikons - essentially this title's rendition of traditional Final Fantasy summons. New State of Play footage shows intimate hand-to-hand combat in its action-RPG style, as well as massive conflicts between Eikons. This trailer also appears to confirm fan theories that Clive is Ifrit's Dominant. With Final Fantasy 16 now having a confirmed summer 2023 release window, hopefully fans see more from this and other games highlighted at the PlayStation State of Play soon.