The summer showcase season kicked off last week with PlayStation revealing a variety of new games slated for release within the next year or two.
I would personally consider PlayStation’s showcase history to be phenomenal, usually being the most talked about publisher during times like this by producing high-quality shows during its presence at the now-defunct E3. But since their last physical showcase, they still manage to produce and present the same high-quality line-up of games fans have been itching to see.
This year, things felt a bit different, not just for me, but for other Playstation super fans alike. Playstation’s focus on presenting themselves as the “gold standard” for exclusive single-player experiences like the recent God of War: Ragnarok (2022) and Horizon: Forbidden West (2022) was shifted a bit when a good portion of the show was dedicated to live-service multiplayer titles and some third-party announcements.
Foamstars, Marathon, and Fairgame$ are among those multiplayer titles announced, along with the reveals for the Metal Gear Solid 3 Remake and Assassins Creed Mirage gameplay.
While it is nice seeing Playstation make these little changes and inclusions, it was a fair disappointment to some expecting them to make a massive reveal or two as anticipations for different things Sony’s first-party studios are developing are at their peak.
The one exclusive that did make an appearance, Spider-Man 2 (2023) gave us its first-ever glimpse of gameplay showing some interesting additions. Nothing new, however, was too impressive and I question how much Insomniac can change within the near-perfected Spider-Man game formula, to make any waves of excitement.
This isn’t it for PlayStation’s presence during the showcase season, as they’ve been confirmed to appear in this year’s Summer Game Fest. What they have lined up to show is a mystery, but if they’re hesitant to show any of their biggest titles not releasing this year, I doubt they’ll make much of a mark this year.
