Just before the month of February ended, Sony decided to host another live stream about the state of affairs. This time around, the State of Play focused on showing “deep dives” across 10 upcoming PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 games, including Returnal and the surprise announcement of the PS5 edition of Final Fantasy VII: Remake – Intergrade. Now that the dust has settled, we have a full rundown of all the new games and news showing on the State of Play stream.
Ahead of the livestream, Sony has released a series of updates on the state of PS5 and the future of PS VR, and with the announcement of this stream, we can expect more games that are known and unannounced. To raise expectations, Sid Shuman, SIE’s senior director of content communications, took to the PlayStation Blog to clarify that the live stream “made new game announcements and updates on some of the third-party and indie titles you last saw in the June PS5 showcase. “
State of play announcements:
Final Fantasy VII: Remake – Intergrade – PS5 Edition Reveal
The latest State of Play stream reveal was the announcement of the PS5 edition for Final Fantasy VII: Remake, which will be a free upgrade for current PS4 edition owners. In addition to the full game, now running at 4K, the Intergrade release will also have plenty of quality of life updates, including improved loading times, additional difficulty settings and a new photo mode. The trailer for the Intergrade edition also revealed a new playable mission featuring Yuffie, the brave ninja from the original FFVII, who is now making their debut in the Remake. Yuffie’s scenario will be a separate DLC.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake PS5 Free Upgrade Coming June; Yuffie stars in new story content
Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time – PS5 Edition Reveal
The latest game in the Crash Bandicoot series is coming to PS5. The update for Crash 4 now runs at native 4K and 60FPS and allows players on the PS4 to upgrade to the PS5 edition at no extra cost. The PS5 edition of Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time will launch on March 12.
Returnal – Gameplay Sneak Peak
Housemarque’s new PS5 roguelike showcased a new gameplay video featuring the game’s fast-paced shooting combat and procedurally generated levels. In a surprising twist, Returnal also leans heavily into psychological horror, revealing a moment when the protagonist Selene discovers a mysterious house that resembles her old childhood home.
The return of PS5 aims to capture the horror of being stuck in a time loop
Knockout City: Gameplay Video
Unveiled during Nintendo Direct in February, Knockout City is a new team-based dodge-brawler game pitting rival gangs against each other for control of the grass. Knockout City will release this later on May 21st for all platforms, including the PS4 and PS5.
Game Reveal: Sifu
Unveiled during the State Of Play, Sifu is a new action game that resembles classic martial arts action movies, with a touch of Chan Wook-Park’s Oldboy. During the reveal trailer, we saw the protagonist use his skills to defeat enemies with grapples, fast attacks and fierce kicks. Sifu, developed by Sloclap – the makers of Absolver – will hit PS4 sometime in 2021.
Absolver Dev’s New Game Revealed During State of Play; Coming in 2021
Solar Ash: Gameplay Reveal
The next game from Heart Machine, the makers of Hyper Light Drifter, is Solar Ash. In an alien world, you explore the mysterious landscape with your parkour skills to overcome obstacles and defeat hostile life forms. Solar Ash will be released sometime in 2021.
Hyper Light Drifter Studio gives us a closer look at Solar Ash’s gameplay
Game Reveal: Five Nights At Freddy’s: Security Breach
The next game in the Five Nights at Freddy horror franchise is coming to PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 this year. Security Breach is a first-person horror experience where you must dodge the roaming animatronics that want to kill you at night. The gameplay reveal showed sequences similar to games like Amnesia and Alien Isolation, which appears to be a nerve-racking change of pace for the series.
Five Nights At Freddy’s: Security Breach PS5 Gameplay Revealed
Kena: Bridge Of Spirits: Gameplay Trailer
The developers of Kena: Bridge of Spirits, which will be released on PS4 and PS5 on August 24, showed a new trailer for the imaginative adventure game that showcases the battles and exploration in its vibrant and colorful world.
Kena: Bridge Of Spirits will be released on PS5, PS4 in August
Oddworld: Soulstorm: Gameplay Trailer
The latest Oddworld return video showed what’s to come in Abe’s latest adventure. Releasing April 6 for PS4 and PS5, the gameplay showcased some of the familiar platforming and exploration of the classic games, but now with new visuals and an expanded plot centered on Abe’s journey.
PS5’s Oddworld Soulstorm will be released on PS Plus for free when it releases in April
Deathloop: gameplay trailer
The latest gameplay trailer for Deathloop focused on Colt’s perspective trapped in a time loop. Hailing from Arkane Studios, Death Loop shares the DNA of games like Prey and Dishonored, but in this particular case, it relies heavily on a more snappy and fast-paced style. Deathloop is scheduled for release on May 21st for PS5 and PC.
Deathloop gets stylish new trailer in progress
The run-up to the state of affairs:
The news of this livestream comes not long after Sony confirmed that the PlayStation VR will be getting a second iteration, this time with a new controller and a single cable design. The company also recently announced that Days Gone, a PlayStation exclusive, will be making its way to PC this spring. PlayStation said more titles could also make their way to PC in the near future. Unfortunately, not all PlayStation news leading up to the event was positive. The company is reportedly going to largely end development of original games in its Japan Studio.
Sony stated that the live stream will last approximately 30 minutes. He also said that “PlayStation hardware or business-oriented update” will not be released; This State of Play livestream focuses on “great games coming out in the coming months”. This means that we do not expect any surprises in the long term. With games already delayed this year, it could mean the release schedule looks a little less bare. It’s unclear exactly what to expect, but we hope to learn more about games coming out in the coming months. If you’re still looking for the state of the art, this is the best way to check it out. The State of Play stream goes live on Twitch and YouTube today, Feb. 25, at 2 p.m. PT / 5 p.m. ET.