Another month has come and gone, and for PlayStation Plus subscribers around the world, that means another new selection of free games is about to be available in a few short days. After some customary leaks around December's PS Plus offerings, PlayStation has finally confirmed what most everyone was anticipating, as Godfall: Challenger Edition, LEGO DC Super Villains, and Mortal Shell will be available to download for subscribers. These titles are sure to be exciting for a wide range of gamers, but one of them in particular could be a sign of the future for a highly anticipated 2022 release.

As far as December's PS Plus games go, LEGO DC Super VIllains stands out a bit compared to the month's other games. Both stylistically and gameplay wise, it's a completely different game, but its inclusion in December's lineup could be a very intentional move on the part of LEGO franchise developer TT Games. For the past couple of years, TT Games has been hard at work on LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, and after numerous delays, it's set to come out in spring of next year. With the release window creeping closer and closer, making LEGO DC Super Villains free for PS Plus is a great way of building anticipation, and possibly signaling for future updates.

RELATED: Charts Show How Much Value PS5 Users Got from PS Plus This Year

Getting Gamers Back Into The LEGO Franchise

lego star wars key art full

The LEGO franchise has routinely been known for having a steady stream of releases, but recent years have broken that tradition in a big way. LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga's massive scale and various delays have made it the top priority for developer TT Games, and that makes LEGO DC Super Villains the last game to come out for the franchise. While the series has maintained a loyal fanbase, other gamers wouldn't be blamed for letting the series drop off their radar after over three years of dormancy.

Making LEGO DC Super Villains free with PS Plus gets gamers up to speed in more ways than one. Because it was the last entry in the series, it has the most updated gameplay mechanics compared to other LEGO titles. While The Skywalker Saga's gameplay has been established to be very different from previous installments, DC Super Villains will still provide the closest approximation of the current LEGO experience. So not only can the game get gamers back into the LEGO franchise as a whole, but if DC Super Villains influences them to pick up The Skywalker Saga, it shouldn't feel completely unfamiliar.

Teasing The Skywalker Saga's Spring Release

Darth Maul with his hood up smirking at the camera in LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

There is no solid release date for LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga just yet, but making LEGO DC Super Villains free with PS Plus could mean one of two encouraging things. First, it could mean that The Skywalker Saga will soon get a hard release date announcement, as December is also a big month for Star Wars with the upcoming release of The Book of Boba Fett. Or on a possibly more likely note, The Skywalker Saga's spring 2022 release window could be locked in at TT Games, and this PS Plus offer is a way of slowly stirring up anticipation. While it's possible neither could happen, it seems like too good of a marketing opportunity for TT Games or publisher WB Games to pass up.

PS Plus' monthly free games are always the source of buzz in the gaming community, and December is no exception. On top of the possible hype building for LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, PS Plus' free games for December 2021 are great for Souls-like fans. There has been no word on The Skywalker Saga from WB Games or TT Games since the game's last showing at Gamescom, but it's hard to deny just how fitting this month's offering of LEGO DC Super Villains is for those looking forward to adventuring through a galaxy far, far away next year.

PlayStation Plus subscribers get a handful of free games every month.

MORE: LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga Needs to Innovate on the Franchise's Core Mechanic