The E3 season is like Christmas for gamers, with an abundance of goodies and new reveals for all the latest and greatest that the industry has to offer. Unfortunately, E3 2020 was canceled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but with life slowly returning back to normal, the event is making a comeback for 2021. With less than a week until the show starts, anticipation is mounting for what companies have been working on. While the usual players like Ubisoft and Capcom have confirmed a presence, Sony will not be attending E3 2021, making it the third year in a row it has chosen not to participate.
However, as PlayStation fans have come to understand, the company's lack of involvement at E3 does not spell doom and gloom for new game announcements. Sony in recent years has taken a page from the competition's book, emulating the all digital style of Nintendo Direct showcases. It delivers the info how it wants, when it wants to its dedicated fans, with the many streams usually raking in a substantial number of views. Although Sony has yet to announce its plans, many predict that a State of Play event is coming at some point over the next few months. While nothing is confirmed, a few educated guesses can be made at what would be shown off based on pre-existing information.
First Party PlayStation Exclusives
The main attraction for fans of all things PlayStation is without a doubt, the first party lineup of triple A games. From God of War to Ghost of Tsushima, Sony blew expectations out of the water during the PS4 generation. Now with the PS5 era well underway and hits like Demon's Souls and Returnal already on the market, this trend doesn't look to be stopping anytime soon. Even with the recent gameplay showcase for Horizon: Forbidden West, there is still surely a bunch of details left to share regarding the game. With the first already a huge hit in its own right, hype is building for this to be one of the premier upcoming PlayStation exclusives. Especially with it having a tentative release date of sometime before the end of 2021, Sony will surely want to play this one front and center.
Horizon: Forbidden West, as great as it looks, can't support the PS5 all on its own of course. However, with Sony confirming numerous PS5 games are in development, it won't have that kind of pressure on its shoulders. PlayStation Worldwide Studios is home to many of the most talented teams in the industry, from Naughty Dog to Insomniac, surely a handful of these studios have something ready to share with audiences. Despite the delay for God of War: Ragnarok, that title may be finally ready to preview some gameplay footage or at the very least a proper trailer that shows more than just a logo this time around. Additionally, there is the long rumored The Last of Us multiplayer game that could be ready for a reveal. Online/social experiences in gaming are as popular as ever, and Sony will surely want an experience that gamers can't get anywhere else besides its console.
Third Party PlayStation Deals
Of course, even with how high quality these first party games tend to be, they can only get PlayStation so far as a brand. There are numerous other franchises out there that interest gamers that Sony will want on its machine and it will surely make room for announcements in this vein as well. The reveal for Final Fantasy 16 confirmed it as a PlayStation console exclusive, and with such a high profile deal like that, Sony will probably want to throw fans of the series a bone with a new trailer. Speaking of Square Enix, the friendly partnership Sony shares with the company may extend to also include more details on the upcoming action RPG Forspoken, which wowed viewers thanks to its dazzling visuals and interesting premise.
The Call of Duty series would be another safe bet to make an appearance, as the blockbuster shooter franchise has down well having a place during Sony's recent presentations. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War was a standout during Sony's PS5 reveal event, meanwhile Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare had a stellar demo during the company's E3 2016 presentation. Activision is also behind many other familiar faces in gaming including iconic faces in the platforming genre. After the recent success of Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time, a new Spyro the Dragon game may be teased here. After all, it is worth remembering that both Crash and Spyro began on PlayStation consoles, making it fitting for an appearance during an event such as this.
Surprises for PlayStation 5's Showcase
As has become expected with these kinds of gaming events over the years, there is always room for at least one or two surprises before all is said and done. That completely left field announcement, or "one more thing" reveal saved for the very end can often steal the entire show, many of the most notable ones in history taking place within Sony's presentations. What this can be is anyone's guess, especially since the generation is just ramping up, and developers are likely hard at work on upcoming projects that are shrouded in secrecy.
One possibility is Sony Bend's new open world IP, recently teased by the company itself on its social media platforms. Considering that the team's previous project Days Gone is a little over two years old, progress on this new game may not be far enough along to show something truly substantial. However, even a conceptual teaser would a welcome surprise and sure to excite PlayStation fans eager for new games in the coming years.
However, should Sony truly want to surprise vieweres, it will include something completely unexpected. Microsoft acquired Bethesda, likely indicating that Starfield will finally be shown off during the Xbox event at E3. Starfield is a highly anticipated game, which will bring eyes to Xbox from gamers hyped for the game. Microsoft stealing this thunder from Sony surely hasn't gone unnoticed, a move which the company will likely want to fire back against. Securing a big deal to show off a similar game would be a big deal for PlayStation, and something like Elden Ring would surely fit the bill. Considering Sony's good relationship with FromSoftware with past exclusives like Bloodborne. If Sony showed off gameplay for Elden Ring on top of its other first party titles, it would start quite a conversation for the PlayStation brand.