Another Sony State of Play could take place soon - and it's about damn time

Sony is gearing up to host another State of Play showcase sometime soon, if rumors are to be believed.

Several sources have suggested that Sony is planning to host its PlayStation showcase sometime soon. In July, business analyst Robert Serrano, who has correctly leaked Sony event dates before, tweeted that the next State of Play would take place on August 12, ahead of Gamescom 2021, and would contain updates on God of War: Ragnarok, Horizon Forbidden West and PSVR 2. 

Following reports that Horizon Forbidden West could be delayed until 2022, Serrano then tweeted that the PlayStation showcase has been delayed until September 16 and will focus on "updates on the latest titles from Worldwide Studios and world-class development partners".

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But we may not be waiting until September after all. Future Publishing's Head of Video, and Future Games Show Producer, James Jarvis recently tweeted that rumors are suggesting that the next State of Play will be announced later today (August 10) and will take place on August 19. Jarvis did emphasize that this is just rumor and speculation at this point, though.

So while it's unclear exactly when the next State of Play will take place, it sounds like it will be soon - and it's about damn time.

A glaring absence

Sony's absence from E3 2021 loomed large over the annual gaming conference. Sure, the company has opted to skip E3 in recent years but, much like EA, we expected Sony to hold some sort of independent showcase during the annual gaming season. After all, it held its incredible Future of Gaming showcase - where the PS5 games lineup was officially unveiled - in June last year, around the dates E3 would have typically taken place.

And so this year we waited. We waited for Sony to announce its own inevitable showcase, where we expected a chunky update on upcoming games coming to PS5 and PS4. A showcase that would focus on the new first-party PlayStation titles that we hadn't heard much about (not you, Deathloop) and maybe even gave us a look at the upcoming PSVR 2 headset.

Unfortunately, while we did get a State of Play in July, it wasn't what we were hoping for. July's State of Play focused on Deathloop - which at this point I'm a bit sick of hearing about - but didn't provide an update on its other upcoming titles. 

In the meantime, rumors about a Horizon Forbidden West delay have been swirling, like the God of War rumors before them (which were ultimately true), and, with no updates from Sony, the path ahead for PS5 and PS4 owners is looking increasingly foggy. What we need is a showcase that sets the record straight and gives us an idea of what is actually on the horizon for PlayStation owners. 

Limbo

For the past few months, it's felt like a bit like we're in limbo with Sony. The start of the year seen the release of heavy-hitting PS5 exclusives Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart and Returnal and, while we know we'll get our hands on Deathloop and Kena: Bridge of Spirits this September (all being well), it's unclear which other big releases PlayStation owners can look forward to after that. When will we get our hands on Horizon Forbidden West? God of War? Forspoken?

I know that right now, given the global situation, that clarity isn't something that everyone has. Logistical issues as a result of the pandemic have thrown development studios into a spin and the future is uncertain. PlayStation Studios head Hermen Hulst even acknowledged this cautious approach back in June, when discussing the Horizon Forbidden West release date, saying in a PlayStation Blog Post: “We think we are on track to release this holiday season. But that isn’t quite certain yet, and we’re working as hard as we can to confirm that to you as soon as we can.”

Another major spanner in the works is how difficult it still is to buy a PS5 - nine months after release. It's likely that Sony may have initially banked on having a solid PS5 player base to purchase its PS5 exclusives but, if players aren't even able to get their hands on the console, then there isn't much point releasing new shiny, PS5 exclusives - it's likely why we saw the company U-turn on it's whole "we believe in generations" thing. 

But for those who do want to sit in queues and spend their hard-earned cash on the much-coveted console, some incentive is needed. A clear-cut path is required but, right now, there's not even clarity on what exclusives you will be playing on PS5 come Christmas.

This is where Sony and Microsoft have somewhat swapped places. While Microsoft was slow getting out of the gate, lacking Xbox Series X games that took advantage of the new hardware's power, Team Green is now pulling it back. I look ahead to Christmas and next year and know what Microsoft is offering me in terms of Xbox exclusives, Sony isn't offering the same.

Some heavy lifting to do

Sony arguably has some heavy lifting to do with its next showcase. What I want to see is some serious updates on the PlayStation exclusives which have been confirmed but remain a mystery. 

I finally want to see a trailer for God of War: Ragnarok (or whatever it will be called) and to know when I can finally wield Kratos' axe once more. I want to know how Gran Turismo 7 will give Forza Motorsport a run for its money. I want to know if Aloy's journey in Horizon Forbidden West is further away than we expected. Most importantly, I want to be surprised. I want Sony to pull something out of the bag that will make me excited to be a PS5 owner and that won't make a lack of Starfield on the console feel substantial. 

It's a tall order. But with E3 out of the way, and time before Gamescom 2021 kicks off, the stage is clear for Sony - it just needs to grab the spotlight. 

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