PlayStation’s State of Play will air its final broadcast of the year soon, and though it has not been the go-to avenue to premiere major titles or reveal mind-blowing trailers, it still has the potential to show off something huge for PlayStation’s future. The caliber of announcements during previous iterations of the broadcast program include big exclusive titles, such as The Last of Us Part 2’s release date (which was delayed), and announcements of games that may not be as big but are just as exciting. PlayStation has also used significant portions of its livestreaming program to showcase upcoming PSVR titles; therefore, it seems safe to assume that this upcoming program will feature some PSVR titles as well.
First announced this past March, State of Play is PlayStation’s seasonal announcement platform that has had three previous broadcasts so far. Besides the annual E3 conference, which Sony decided to skip in 2019, PlayStation also has had annual appearances at Paris Games Week, Gamescom in Germany, and Tokyo Game Show. These shows run from the summer through fall every year and PlayStation rarely misses the opportunity to showcase its products and collaborations.
In 2014, a year after the PS4’s launch, PlayStation also decided to host its own convention called the PlayStation Experience, where it would have another yearly press conference to showcase announcements. This conference was held every December, following the months of conferences before it. It would go on to host these conventions (in California) up until 2017.
Although the PlayStation Experience seemed to disappear afterward, its structure and DNA has ostensibly been reincarnated in the form of State of Play, a much less expensive method for PlayStation to showcase upcoming games. As with every conference or livestream showcase, State of Play has some significant rumors circulating around it.
Resident Evil 3 Remake
With the remake of Resident Evil 2 being greatly successful for Capcom at almost five million units sold to date, it is no wonder that the sequel would receive the same treatment. In fact, it was almost expected by fans. The source fueling this rumor is none other than the PSN, all but confirming its authenticity. Leaks of key art for the remake of Resident Evil 3: Nemesis surfaced on the PSN, was noticed online, and subsequently sparked a wave of people asking Game Awards producer, Geoff Keighley, what he knew about it. Keighley eventually denied that The Game Awards would be involved with Resident Evil 3, and shortly after, PlayStation announced that a State of Play will broadcast on December 10. The internet then shifted its attention to that program instead.
There is decent weight behind the theory that Resident Evil 3’s remake will be revealed at this upcoming State of Play. It is not uncommon for a game’s assets or title to be leaked just days or weeks before its official unveiling. Keighley excluding his program from its reveal and PlayStation being the platform that typically gets exclusivity rights in some form for most of these remakes both aid in the theory that Resident Evil 3’s remake will appear at State of Play.
Ghost of Tsushima
The source that sparked this rumor also comes from official PlayStation channels, this time from its YouTube site. As mentioned with the remake of Resident Evil 3, it is not uncommon for games to leak in some form before a big announcement event. Although that game had its key art leaked recently, information for Ghost of Tsushima has remained stagnant since E3 2018. Instead, the basis for this rumor comes from the fact that PlayStation randomly updated its YouTube playlist for the title just days ago.
Playlists are an example of the smallest type of leak imaginable, but it still has some merit to it because it stems from the official PlayStation YouTube channel. Its final State of Play of the year is just days away, so it stands to reason that PlayStation has been readying up its playlist for new uploads of the game, which are presumed to be shown during the livestream. As for what the content will be, the only new information that can be learned is Ghost of Tsushima’s release date. If the developer of the game, Sucker Punch, wants to show off new gameplay or even a new trailer, then it is possible that something new can be learned about the game by watching that. Otherwise, all eyes are laser focused for an announcement on the release date.
Minecraft (Bedrock)
As it stands, Minecraft: PlayStation 4 Edition features no cross-play between other platforms, leaving PS4 users in their own bubble while every other platform gets to communicate with one another. Though Sony finally allowed all developers to utilize cross-play for PS4 just this year, some games, such as Minecraft, are stuck in the past. This is unless developer Mojang commits some resources to a specific patch.
In the meantime, the Bedrock version of Minecraft, formerly known as Minecraft: Pocket Edition, will be releasing on PS4 on December 10, according to a Best Buy listing (that was quickly removed). PlayStation has revealed several games in past years with the famous line, “and it’s available right now.” Therefore, with this Best Buy listing and the December 10 State of Play in mind, an “available right now” moment seems all but guaranteed. This title will presumably allow cross-play via a Microsoft account, finally allowing all Minecraft to potentially play together.
VR Games and More
This State of Play marks another opportunity for PlayStation to show its dedication to the PSVR platform, as several new VR titles will likely be shown. Sony Japan’s VR team released Astro Bot Rescue Mission in 2018 to critical and commercial success, so it is possible that it reveals a trailer for its new upcoming VR title during the livestream.
During the first broadcast in March, Iron Man VR was revealed and was initially slated for release this year. At New York Comic-Con 2019, it was revealed that Iron Man VR would be delayed until February. December’s State of Play is the last opportunity for PlayStation and developer, Camouflaj, to market the game to a collected audience before the game’s launch in a couple of months, so it would make sense if another trailer is going to be shown.
In regards to other revealed titles, Square Enix usually has a presence at these State of Play broadcasts, so the now-delisted trailer for Kingdom Hearts 3’s ReMIND DLC will more than likely be shown. Additionally, there could potentially be another trailer shown for Final Fantasy 7 Remake, for the same reasons as Iron Man VR. All will be known in a matter of days.
PlayStation’s State of Play will air December 10.