PlayStation has announced a new State of Play, airing on May 30 at 6PM EDT. The event will last around 30 minutes, with information on fourteen upcoming titles. Here are the top 5 games we want to see from the State of Play.
Resident Evil
Resident Evil is arguably the biggest survival horror franchise of them all. As such, there are always rumors circling about upcoming games.
Two games in the franchise – Resident Evil Zero and Resident Evil: Code Veronica X – are rumored to be in line for remakes. A full reworking of Code Veronica X in particular has been on a lot of fan’s wishlists for some time. It’s the only mainline game of the franchise to feature both Claire and Chris Redfield as playable characters. It’s also the game that reintroduced recurring villain Wesker after his supposed death in the original Resident Evil.
As for Resident Evil 0, the one-time Gamecube Exclusive takes place immediately prior to the original game. 0 follows STARS medic Rebecca and escaped convict Billy as they face a variety of BOWs. The original game put a spin on the established gameplay by requiring players to switch between the two on the fly, utilizing their unique strengths and skillsets.
However, Resident Evil 9 is a longer shot, at least according to established leaker Dusk Golem, who has stated that the game has been delayed. As such, it might be wise to temper our expectations.
Kingdom Hearts IV
Kingdom Hearts has a reputation for the long wait between mainline games. While there was a mere three-year gap between Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II, fans had to wait a whopping fourteen years before Kingdom Hearts III was released in 2019. In that time, there were 11 other games, including remakes and collections.
Kingdom Hearts IV was first announced in 2020, but since then Square Enix and Disney have been characteristically quiet. We know that the game will kick off a new saga within the series. We know that the game will include the hub world of Quadratum. Everything else is purely speculative. However, we can expect plenty of recurring characters, we can also look forward to exploring brand new worlds.
What forms will those worlds take? That depends. Plenty of Disney films such as The Black Cauldron, Onward, and Moana would make perfect Kingdom Hearts worlds. Meanwhile, Disney’s acquisition of Star Wars and Marvel opens the possibility of new worlds inspired by these franchises. The shift in style could also see Sora and his friends explore Final Fantasy worlds for the first time.
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater was first announced just over a year ago. Since then, we haven’t heard anything new, despite the remake being slated for a 2024 release.
Serving as a prequel, Snake Eater puts players in the shoes of Naked Snake as he infiltrates a site in the USSR to extract a defecting rocket scientist. This predictably goes off the rails and evolves into a story of betrayal, double agents, and a squad of legendary soldiers with their own unique skills based on different emotions.
Snake Eater introduces camouflage and survival mechanics, while taking the franchise’s attention to detail to the next level. You won’t just be fighting soldiers, but hostile animals. You can sneak around, shoot your enemies, poison them, or even destroy their supplies.
Snake Eater is often hailed as one of the best games in the franchise, so it’s only fitting that it’s the first one to get a Ninth-generation update. Tomorrow’s showcase might be the perfect time to show us more.
Horizon
The Horizon franchise is in a strange place. Each game has been a massive success, while simultaneously being overshadowed by another release. Despite this, Sony clearly has a lot of confidence in the franchise, with a Netflix series in development.
2022’s Horizon Forbidden West ended with Aloy and her friends preparing for their biggest challenge yet. Nemesis, a hostile AI created by space-faring humans coming to Earth to wipe out humanity. As such, while a new game hasn’t been revealed quite yet, it’s a fair assumption that it’s coming at some point. The Showcase may be the perfect time for a reveal what’s coming next. Perhaps we’ll get to explore South America, Canada, or somewhere even further afield. After all, there are still rogue AIs Aloy needs to track down before she can take on Nemesis in earnest, and there’s a whole world waiting to be rebuilt.
Naughty Dog
Naughty Dog working on a new game is no secret. The company confirmed it was working on an original title all the way back in March 2023, but hasn’t stated what form the game will take.
The Last of Us: Part III is perhaps the safest bet of them all. The HBO series it inspired was a massive success, and with the second series currently filming it’s safe to say enthusiasm has never been higher. It’s worth pointing out that the second game was announced in 2016, four years before its eventual release, so an announcement now would leave plenty of time for the game to ship before the series catches up with the games.
However, it could be something new entirely. It’s worth pointing out that Naughty Dog has a history of self-referential easter eggs, ranging from collectibles to blink-and-you’ll-miss-it newspaper headlines to playable segments. If there’s a new game, maybe Naughty Dog have already left us hints about what they’re working on?
One particular possibility stands out: Savage Starlight. Both the comics in The Last of Us and the trading cards in The Last of Us: Part II are based on this fictional franchise, so a full-fledged game would give us a chance to see what all the fuss is about. The trading cards in the sequel in particular hint at a rich and vibrant universe with plenty of superpowers to go around, and we’d love the chance to explore it.
One particular thing hints at an imminent announcement: the recent saga regarding a Sony interview with Naughty Dog chief Neil Druckmann. While Druckmann reportedly claimed that the company’s new game “could redefine mainstream perceptions of gaming,” Sony was later forced to pull the interview after Druckmann complained that his words had been take out of context. Perhaps Sony were attempting to hype up the new game ahead of the announcement?
Is one event in a day not enough for you? You’re in luck – the Silent Hill Transmission goes out just thirty minutes after the State of Play is due to end. Here are five things we hope to see.
