Introduction: Sony began 2025 with its most recent State of Play broadcast event, which showcased a range of upcoming games for its flagship PS5 gaming console. Among these are both exclusive titles from this company and games made by third-party developers, but most of them produced a lot of excitement in the PlayStation community. At the same time, the digital event also left some big questions open, especially related to the console’s top-rated series. Additionally, the question of competition, mainly from the upcoming Switch 2 console, remained an elephant in the room and no one at Sony managed to convince the gaming public otherwise.
Article: All big gaming companies rely on their particular brands of conference-like events where they showcase upcoming changes. For Sony, an event like this is State of Play, a video program that the company began in 2019 with the desire to show off its main developments. The digital presentation that Sony took on here is designed to provide a more controlled and streamlined information package, similar to the efforts of broadcasts like Nintendo Direct. This year, the State of Play took place on February 12 and lasted nearly 50 minutes. During that period, Sony offered insight on some long-awaited projects, but also the fact that the company is collaborating more directly with Microsoft and its Xbox gaming offer.
The CEO of Microsoft Gaming, Phil Spencer, previously stated that the future of Xbox lies in cross-platform offerings where third-party releases are a standard occurrence and Xbox exclusives become few and far between. Even now, that transition is taking place, with games like Grounded and Sea of Thieves available on PS consoles. Other big Microsoft games, mainly the Halo series and Gears of War, could also be on their way to Sony’s gaming ecosystem. All of this comes with a distinct sense that both Sony and Microsoft fear that the age of two huge gaming consoles from the same two companies is coming to a close. Instead, Nintendo and its Switch 2 console are becoming bigger and bigger competitors, which is why it seems that PlayStation and Xbox are bridging its gaps. However, besides this issue of the long-term future of the gaming console landscape, State of Play also provided a lot of insight into games that are most definitely coming to PS5 players. Here is a breakdown of the biggest gaming news that the broadcast provided to console gamers.
Monster Hunter Wilds
The Monster Hunter series managed to generate a substantial following over the years. The series’ releases might have been often uneven in terms of quality, but the core appeal remained in place and State of Play saw the new trailer for Monster Hunter Wilds. The game’s release is close at hand, with the official launch day expected on February 28. Sony’s broadcast also defined the game’s first big update, which should come by spring of 2025.
Hell Is Us
The mystery action game Hell Is Us gained a lot of traction on social media during the broadcast of State of Play. The game, which will launch on September 4, will place the players into the role of Remi, a soldier fighting supernatural enemies using melee armaments, but who also controls drones to help in the same process. All of this is taking place in a semi-open world that will feature no waypoints, map markers, or traditional quests. Instead, players must rely on NPC interaction and environmental storytelling to figure out what to do. The mixture feels odd and strangely reminiscent of Star Wars, but the title, developed by Rogue Factor and published by Nacon, clearly struck a chord with many action-adventure players.
Sonic Racing CrossWorlds
This racing title is a no-brainer when it comes to attracting audiences – the Sonic franchise showed that it can remain relevant year after year. Sonic Racing CrossWorlds still did not share an official launch date or development timeline during Sony’s event, but it will start taking on test players from February 21. This means that the launch itself is not going to be far in the future unless the testing process finds some critical flaws in the present game builds.
Shinobi: Art Of Vengeance
In the past couple of years, the notion of restarting old gaming franchises only became more and more popular with developers. In the period when the gaming industry is contracting and investment money is short, many believe that established intellectual properties are less risky choices for making games. This is primarily due to the brand recognition and their immediate appeal to older gamers. Shinobi is such a series and the new game, Art of Vengeance, also got its spotlight on the State of Play. The game is developed by Lizardcube and it should be out on PS5 on August 29.
Metal Gear Solid Delta
Recently, a listing for Metal Gear Solid Delta accidentally appeared on the PlayStation Store, creating a small storm of rumors and hearsay. However, the game was shown by design on the State of Play, and its real release date was shared – it falls on August 28. This is great news for the legion of fans that the series has and in all likelihood will turn into another Metal Gear Solid hit release.
Five Nights At Freddy’s: Secret Of The Mimic
The horror franchise, now famous beyond the regular gaming circles, will see its latest addition appear on PS5 on June 13. In this title, an employee in a haunted animatronics workshop will be tasked with finding a very special endoskeleton. The task will be riddled with animatronic animal terrors and numerous mortal possibilities for the players.
Directive 8020
The Dark Picture franchise by Supermassive Games is one of the more interesting narrative gaming projects in recent years. Through its limited gameplay possibilities, the series built a dedicated player base. Directive 8020 is the latest addition, and it will be released in October. In the game, players will take to outer space, where a stranded crew finds a substance that, unsurprisingly, turns human beings into monsters. The premise feels very familiar and Alien-like, but the success of Dark Picture games so far offers the promise of a more innovative rendition of the same story.
February’s State of Play was not Sony’s most memorable PlayStation moment, that is for sure. But, the games that it showcased are very diverse and cover a multitude of genres. This alone gives PS5 games a lot of upcoming titles to wait for in the coming months.
Author: Ivica Milaric, game designer and assistant professor of game design at the Novi Sada Academy of Arts, Republic of Serbia