On December 6th and 7th Sony will host PlayStation Experience in Las Vegas. This is an event all about PlayStation, its ecosystem, and most importantly its fans. It is expected that exciting announcements will be made, and new footage will be shown. For PlayStation gamers it’s going to be a big weekend.
Sony has had a tendency to save most of its firepower for E3, but with such a large platform set during what is usually a quiet time of the year, everything points to there being a lot in-store for those who attend and watch PlayStation Experience. So I began to ponder. What could Sony take advantage of this opportunity? Well, with a little bit of intuition and some hints across the internet I’ve been able to come up with 10 predictions for the show. These are things that I would not only like to see, but find reasonable.
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It’s important to understand that PlayStation Experience isn’t the biggest stage in gaming, so expecting too much is an easy way to walk away disappointed. In other words, I believe it’s next to impossible that The Last Guardian will be shown. That out of the way, below you’ll find my 10 predictions for PlayStation Experience.
10 Predictions for PlayStation Experience
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David Jaffe will debut his ghost investigator game
Likelihood: High
Excitement: Moderate
David Jaffe has been quiet about game development since Twisted Metal made its way to the PS3, but this week began teasing an announcement. The timing of these teases line up perfectly with PlayStation Experience.
What I know is that a cousin of mine visited his new studio called The Bartlet Jones Supernatural Detective Agency not too long ago, a studio which Jaffe founded with ghost hunter Bartlet Jones. He voiced his life-long interest in the paranormal, and was tapping into that with his latest work.
Unless something has changed drastically during the past year, I expect to see this ghost investigator game announced at PlayStation Experience. It sounds unique, and with Jaffe's name on it it's sure to get attention.
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Uncharted 4: A Thief's End to show gameplay
Likelihood: High
Excitement: Very High
To this point all that's been shown of Uncharted 4: A Thief's End is its visuals in a single, dark environment. Naughty Dog has a history of blowing away spectators with outstanding demonstrations (i.e. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves at E3) and it could light up PlayStation Experience with its first gameplay debut of the product. This is a game that's just a little under a year from release, and has been talked about endlessly. Showing gameplay is the best way to make sure PlayStation gamers know that they have a lot to look forward to.
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Insomniac breaks silence on Ratchet & Clank
Likelihood: Very high
Excitement: Moderate
While a lot of PlayStation gamers weren't so happy a bout Insomniac Games making an Xbox One exclusive (and a great one at that) with Sunset Overdrive, it will make it up to them with its 2015 Ratchet & Clank release. This is a game that has yet to be seen despite being expected to hit store shelves within the next seven months.
I would be shocked if Rachet & Clank PS4 wasn't debuted at PlayStation Experience given that Insomniac previous stated it would show the game in 2014, but has yet to. It'll likely have a new sub-title, and could do something bold to merge the single-player of traditional R&C with the multiplayer of R&C: All 4 One.
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Indies get even more attention
Likelihood: Very High
Excitement: Very Low
The PS4 has weathered a AAA software drought 2014 thanks to a healthy dose of indie titles. These indie titles are commonly overlooked, but have been a vital part of Sony's strategy of delivering a diverse library at a consistent pace, especially in a climate where blockbusters take longer to develop than ever before. They are also important for making sure PS Plus has high value and is able to retain subscribers.
I expect to see a few minutes devoted to indie titles, including No Man's Sky, which was one of the most talked-about games of E3 2014.
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Beyond: Two Souls Remastered will be announced
Likelihood: Moderate
Excitement: Low
Back in September a trophy list for Beyond: Two Souls on PS4 leaked. Even before that it was rumored that Quantic Dreams' latest title would be making the jump from PS3 to PS4.
Beyond: Two Souls was a remarkably beautiful game when it launched in 2013, and like The Last of Us was one of the PS3's best-looking games. Although it wasn't received all that well critically it fits a great spot in the PlayStation roster as a movie-like experience that presents well in software line-up trailers. We know it's coming, and it makes sense to announce it this month and then release it during one of the soft spots of 2014.
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PaRappa the Rapper will return
Likelihood: Low
Excitement: Low
PlayStation's Shahid Ahmad hinted in a tweet that an old PlayStation IP would make a return. There are a variety of options, but PaRappa the Rapper makes the most sense to me given how well it would fit into the PS4 software portfolio. If announced, it will likely be an indie-developed title priced accordingly.
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A closer-to-final Project Morpheus
Likelihood: Moderate
Excitement: Moderate
It is vital that Sony releases Project Morpheus as early on in the PS4 life cycle as possible. It'll not only help in ensuring it rides the virtual reality wave early on, but doesn't miss out on earning developer support like PlayStation Move did.
It's been a full six months since E3 2014, which is when we last saw Project Morpheus. It has undoubtedly been refined since then. It's unlikely that we'll hear of a release window or price, but newly found developer support and improvements to the device are likely to be demonstrated at PlayStation Experience.
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The Last of Us to receive a second single-player DLC
Likelihood: Moderate
Excitement: Moderate
The Last of Us has been a huge home run for Naughty Dog, and one of the first things it did upon completing development was work on the Left Behind DLC, which I would argue is one of the best single-player DLC packages in history.
YouTuber SanchoWest Tweeted yesterday that there's a new The Last of Us DLC coming, and it'll not only be announced but playable at PlayStation Experience. While many are predicting that it'll be a multiplayer map and/or game mode pack, I'm inclined to believe that it'll be single-player oriented.
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Kojima will show a new Silent Hills teaser
Likelihood: Moderate
Excitement: High
I would argue that P.T. was the highlight of PS4's existence in 2014. It was a mysterious and unforgettable reveal of Silent Hills, a game that has quickly become the most hyped horror game of the future. A new teaser was shown at Tokyo Game Show which showed a ton of promise, and now would be a great time to show and tell more to ensure that nobody forgets about Silent Hills while it slowly approaches its nightmare-invoking release.
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The Order: 1886 will finally get a new demo
Likelihood: Very High
Excitement: Low
If you've been reading previews of The Order: 1886, you're probably sick and tired of hearing the same negative impressions on a year old demo. The truth is that Ready at Dawn has been so busy trying to finish the game that it hasn't had time to craft a new demo.
PlayStation Experience is the last major platform before The Order: 1886 debuts on February 20th. What it shows at the event will be very important to painting a positive picture before the game's release. Expect something that Ready at Dawn is proud of.
