It's been a while since Sony has held a major presentation or press conference highlighting PlayStation's plans for 2021's holiday season and beyond. After skipping this year's digital E3, many expected Sony to hold a State of Play sometime in the summer. However, the industry giant has been relatively quiet -- until now.
The 45 minute-long presentation highlighted Sony's upcoming plans, from updates on known projects to confirmations of rumored remakes and remasters to exciting new reveals. Here are the Showcase's eight biggest and most exciting announcements.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Remake
After months of rumors, a remake of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic was finally announced for PlayStation 5. The short teaser doesn't show much in terms of what fans can expect from the remake, its visuals or gameplay, but the fact that it's called "a legend remade for PS5" indicates Aspyr's remake of the BioWare classic will be a timed console exclusive (something the PlayStation Blog has confirmed). No release date or window has been revealed.
Forspoken
The presentation finally provided a closer look at Luminous Productions and Square Enix's upcoming action-RPG Forspoken. We see protagonist Frey Holland living in modern-day New York City with her cat before being sucked into a portal and thrown into the fantasy world of Athia. From there, Frey must rely on the talking cuff on her arm and her newfound magical powers to survive in this unfamiliar world of dragons and other mystical beings while fighting the Tantas -- Athia's powerful and tyrannical matriarchs led by Tanta Sila. Forspoken is set to release in Spring 2022.
Alan Wake Remastered
After its reveal earlier this week, we learned more about Alan Wake Remastered. The game will bring Remedy's beloved psychological action-thriller to PlayStation for the first time after years as an Xbox and PC exclusive. It will include the original's story expansions The Signal and The Writer, as well as updated visuals and commentary from the game's director Sam Lake. Alan Wake Remastered launches on October 5, and it will be available on both PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, as well as Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC.
Ghostwire Tokyo
Two months after being delayed to 2022, the Showcase provided a new look at Ghostwire: Tokyo, Tango Gameworks upcoming first-person action-adventure. The game will be set in a version of Tokyo that's suddenly inhabited by spirits after a mysterious fog descends, taking most of the population with it. The player will have to use their new supernatural powers to take on a variety of foes while uncovering why they were spared and what happened to the city. Ghostwire: Tokyo is being developed to take full advantage of the PS5's technical capabilities, including the DualSense's adaptive triggers and 3D audio, which should make its haunted version of Tokyo all the more immersive. The game will release in 2022.
Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection
Another long-rumored project confirmed in the Showcase is a remastered bundle of the most recent Uncharted games: 2016's A Thieves End and 2017's The Lost Legacy. Legacy of Thieves Collection will bring the series to PS5 in early 2022, with the franchise' PC debut to follow soon after. While not much was said about the remaster itself and if fans can expect any other new content or surprises within it, this is the latest of Sony's first-party properties to be announced for PC, indicating the company will continue to port some of its exclusives.
Marvel's Wolverine
One of the Showcase's biggest surprises was the announcement of a Wolverine game from Insomniac Games, the developer known for the critically-acclaimed Marvel's Spider-Man and last year's Miles Morales follow-up. Not much was shown of Marvel's Wolverine, but the PlayStation Blog confirmed that it will be a standalone title being led by directed by creative director Brian Horton and game director Cameron Christian. Given Insomniac's track record with iconic Marvel heroes and PS5 games more broadly, there's good reason for fans to be excited about this one -- though it'll likely be a long time before it releases.
Marvel's Spider-Man 2
Speaking of Insomniac, the developer finally revealed its long-awaited next webslinging game, Marvel's Spider-Man 2. This sequel to both the 2018 and 2020 games sees Peter Parker and Miles Morales teaming up to fight villains including Venom, who was teased at the end of the original game. The trailer showed off some new suits and abilities for the heroes, and the PlayStation Blog promises another "human story...full of heart and humor." Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is scheduled to release in 2023.
God of War Ragnarök
Finally, a year after its initial reveal in 2020's PlayStation Showcase, Santa Monica Studio finally provided a good look at God of War Ragnarök, also confirming that as the game's official title. The new trailer reveals that Ragnarök takes place a few years after the 2018 Norse reboot, with Atreus appearing and sounding older. After building their relationship throughout the previous game, it seems there is some tension between Kratos and his son, as Atreus wants to learn more about who his Giant heritage and Loki.
The trailer also shows antagonists Freya and Thor, who (after the events of God of War) seek to avenge their fallen kin, as well as a brief look at Norse God of War Tyr. As for gameplay, Ragnarök's combat looks to be just as frenetic as its predecessor, with a mix of new and returning abilities, a new Runic Summon for Atreus and Kratos' legendary weapons. The PlayStation Blog also confirms that, this time, players will visit all of the Nine Realms. This includes Vanaheim, Svartalfheim and Asgard, which were absent from the last game. While no release window was given, it seems God of War Ragnarök will release sometime in 2022 following its delay.