The first State of Play presentation of 2021 is nearly here, and you don't want to miss it!
We have the latest predictions for what viewers will see once the show kicks off.
After the recent confirmation via the PlayStation Blog, there have been plenty of hopes and expectations set. We'll soon see if the show delivers.
" This Thursday, a State of Play broadcast will serve up new updates and deep dives for 10 games coming to PS4 and PS5, including new game announcements and updates on some of the third-party and indie titles you last saw in June’s PS5 showcase"
Below, we have the latest on what to expect from the upcoming State of Play presentation due to take place on February 25th.
LATEST - Horizon Forbidden West Spotlight?
It is being heavily rumoured that God of War: Ragnarok will be delayed and pushed back from its' 2021 release window. So, what does that leave PlayStation with?
Jim Ryan, in a conversation with GQ, suggested that development on Horizon Forbidden West was going well. Could this game be showcased during the State of Play later today?
If so, you have to imagine that as it is PlayStation's biggest upcoming exclusive it will receive some sort of "spotlight" treatment.
This could mean any news about it is saved until the end of the presentation. Alternatively, it could also appear as the first title in an effort to kick things off strongly.
Here's a summary of the Horizon Zero Dawn sequel from Wikipedia:
" Horizon Forbidden West continues the story of Aloy, a young huntress of the Nora tribe sent on a quest to the arcane frontier known as the Forbidden West to find the source of a mysterious plague that kills all it infects. On her journey across these uncharted lands, Aloy encounters hostile regions ravaged by massive storms and occupied by dangerous enemies and deadly machines."
Destruction AllStars Roadmap?
Added to PS Plus last month as a free title, Destruction AllStar's colourful combination of character-based gameplay and a destruction derby has proven to be popular among fans.
With this in mind, there are some rumours that a Destruction AllStars roadmap could be laid out at PlayStation's State of Play presentation?
Lucid Games' title seems built for a seasonal battle pass, although there isn't one at the moment. Could one be announced? If so, how would you feel about it?
Mortal Shell Enhanced?
An official Reveal Trailer for a next-gen version of Mortal Shell has just dropped. Could we be seeing this game get a deeper dive look during PlayStation's State of Play?
"Experience the superior way to play, with uncompromised 60fps gameplay, 4K resolution, and ultra-high-quality textures."
Mortal Shell Enhanced Edition is releasing on both the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S on March 4th, with a free upgrade available for those who already own it.
A deep dive look at what's in store for Mortal Shell players could-well be included later today.
Spider-Man For Avengers?
Recently, Square Enix announced that Marvel's Avengers was making the jump to next-gen consoles alongside the release of Operation: Hawkeye - Future Imperfect.
Although this is great news for Avengers' fans, what about Spider-Man?
One of Marvel's Avengers big selling points for PlayStation 4 versions of the game was the promise that Spider-Man would be coming as an exclusive playable character to the platform.
Of course this annoyed Xbox players, but perhaps their annoyance was over-stated?
It's been six months, and Avengers has had its' fair share of issues, but we've heard nothing about that damned Web-Slinger yet!
READ MORE: Is Marvel's Avengers Good Now? Six Months On...
Could we finally be getting an announcement and/or reveal regarding this content in tonight's State of Play? We think launching alongside the next-gen version of the title is the bump the game needs to bring people back.
Hawkeye is great and all, but...
PS Plus Game Reveal?
Unusually, PlayStation did not stick to their regular PS Plus announcement slot this month and instead opted to offer updates on a couple of upcoming releases.
Republic Commando is coming from Aspyr Media in April and a next-gen release for THPS 1+2 was revealed.
PlayStation usually announces their next batch of free-to-play PS Plus titles on the last Wednesday of the month at 16:30 GMT. With a State of Play presentation the day after, everyone is connecting the same dots.
The PS Plus March 2021 line-up is going to be revealed at the State of Play presentation and it promises to be a good one!
Returnal Trailer Revealed
Ahead of the State of Play presentation, PlayStation UK has Tweeted out a Returnal Trailer reaffirming the April 30th release date.
This could precede a deeper look at the title in tomorrow's State of Play presentation, however, so it shouldn't be counted out of any predictions.
READ MORE: Will Returnal be the next big horror game?
Unspecified 2021 Releases
We saw a lot of amazing things during the last State of Play presentation from PlayStation, but what's coming up first?
God of War: Ragnarok is one of the most anticipated PlayStation Exclusive sequels due to release in 2021. However, we know almost nothing else about it!
We're expecting to see something from Santa Monica Studios' next God of War, however, there are rumours that it might be delayed. Even if it is, any sort of release date information would be welcome news to fans.
Horizon: Forbidden West is another sequel that everyone is waiting for in 2021.
Recent news has suggested that development is progressing well and the 2021 release date that was given appears to be safe. However, we don't know anything more specific and fans are expecting to hear something new about Aloy's next adventure.
READ MORE: New PS4 and PS5 Games Coming To PS Plus In The Future
Even though its narrative is separate from the Arkham storyline, WB Games' Gotham Knights are one title that has everyone talking ahead of the State of Play Presentation as it is also due to release in 2021.
Featuring the rest of the Bat-Fam, Gotham Knights features a host of new features and an interesting take on the ultimate Batman title. Could we get a release date for this during the presentation?
Confirmed Games Without Release Dates
Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League is another DC-based title that has everyone talking. Although this is more geared for co-operative play, this title is a continuation of the Arkhamverse narrative and is a hotly anticipated title among fans.
Could we see some early gameplay footage for this title at Sony's State of Play? Maybe a better release window?
READ MORE: PS Plus March 2021: What Games Are Coming?
Hogwarts Legacy is an upcoming action-RPG that features a brand-new storyline set in the Harry Potter universe.
Although we don't have much in the way of any information about this title, there's a lot of speculation and hope that we will see this make an appearance at the upcoming State of Play presentation.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits is an upcoming title for PlayStation consoles that has everyone hooked.
Developed by Ember Lab, this action-adventure game follows a young Spirit Guide as she embarks on a journey to help those who have fallen transcend to the Spirit World. It promises to be a tear-jerker and we're hoping to see more of this title soon!
New Looks
It isn't all going to be about announcements, though. PlayStation's State of Play presentation will probably give us some new looks at some upcoming titles.
Resident Evil 8: Village is just a few months away and everyone's been won over by Lady Dimitrescu. She's tall, powerful, villainous... What more could you want?
Even though we've had one PlayStation Exclusive demo for the title, two were promised and we still haven't seen all that much about what's in store. Could we see an update regarding the next Resident Evil title?
Returnal is another game that everyone's talking about. It's due to release on April 30 and we still don't know too much about what to expect from the upcoming third-person shooter.
Fans of this sci-fi title are convinced that we're going to see some more gameplay, or maybe a cinematic trailer that expands on the narrative, in this State of Play.
With the recent confirmation of Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart, fans are also anticipating a deeper dive look at the newest game in the iconic franchise ahead of its summer release.
Could we finally get the name of the new female Lombax officially revealed? Surely, we have to soon.
Next-Gen Upgrades
Why announce a new game when there's plenty of older ones to update!
Some PlayStation fans are certain that we're going to see additional next-gen upgrades announced during the upcoming State of Play and we're inclined to agree with them.
The Last of Us Part II is arguably Naughty Dog's Magnum Opus. It won almost every award out there and is as controversial as it is groundbreaking.
Fans of the first game in the series are hopeful that the Factions Multiplayer mode is being developed for TLOU2, but could a next-gen upgrade also be on the way? Together, the two would make quite the announcement.
With Horizon: Forbidden West still in the works, some fans are hoping to see Horizon: Zero Dawn get the next-gen treatment ahead of the expected release later in the year.
Although this is unlikely, it wouldn't be impossible and could be a perfect way to regain interest in the series ahead of the sequel's launch.
Final Fantasy 7 Part 1 is a truly remarkable remake of the original masterpiece and, although we don't have much news about Part 2, many fans are expecting a PS5 port to be announced in the upcoming State of Play presentation.
New Announcements?
This is obviously one that's a little hard to predict.
Final Fantasy 7 Part 2 is something that's being talked about a lot, however, with there being little information revealed by Square Enix during their Orchestra Presentation last month, it's hard to imagine that we'll get anything just yet.
There have also been rumours about a new Silent Hill game being developed by a high-profile Japanese studio and everyone is always talking about what we might see from the series next. Could we get some sort of announcement regarding this?
With Marvel's Avengers coming to next-gen consoles soon, people are also speculating that we may get an update around Spider-Man DLC for the game? This is due to be a PlayStation Exclusive character so it would make sense for it to be shown independently from the other Avenger's updates.
The show is due to last around thirty minutes and will go live on February 25th at 14:00 PT / 17:00 ET / 22:00 GMT. You can watch it on both Twitch and YouTube here.