Sony has a new State of Play event coming up this week on May 27, 9:00 am PT. The event will be twenty minutes long in total, which has become pretty standard for these kinds of showcases, but this one looks like it might be extra special. Finally, Sony will be giving players some new information about one of2021’s most anticipated games,Horizon Forbidden West.
WhileHorizonwill be the star of the show, it’s possible that Sony will also take a few minutes to highlight some other upcoming games like it did with theRatchet and Clank: Rift ApartState of Play. OnlyForbidden Westis confirmed to be showcased in the event, but there are a few specific things players are hoping for and a couple of other games that might show up.
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This Week’s State of Play Focuses on Horizon Forbidden West
Sony has made it very clear in its announcements and on the PlayStation Blog that the event will focus onHorizon Forbidden West,showcasing 14 minutes of gameplayduring the 20-minute event. WithGod of War: Ragnaroklikely being delayed to 2022 at this point,Horizon Forbidden Westis shaping up to be Sony’s biggest blockbuster exclusive this year, so this State of Play is especially exciting.
The reveal trailer forHorizon Forbidden Westdebuted last June, but since that announcement almost a year ago, Sony and Guerrilla Games have been quiet about what’s next for Aloy. The silence regardingForbidden Westwas concerning for a lot of fans, and despite the 2021 release window in the trailer, many gamers began thinking thatForbidden Westwas going to be delayed until next year. CEO Jim Ryan shut those rumors down, but the lack of news wasn’t very reassuring.
With this upcoming State of Play,Horizonfans finally have a glimmer of hope. The fact thatHorizon Forbidden Westis getting its own State of Play showcase in May gives plenty of time for the game to still release later this year.
Fans can probably expect to see some new machines inHorizon Forbidden West’sgameplay reveal, and become acquainted with some of the new weapons Aloy has acquired on her journey. The showcase might also help shed some light on the timeline; it isn’t clearhow far apartZero DawnandForbidden Westare, but Aloy likes to talk to herself while she’s exploring and she might give players some little clues.
The showcase will also allow players to see more of theForbidden Westand recognize what makes it difficult from Aloy’s homeland.Horizon Zero Dawnis known for its beautiful environment, so the expectations forForbidden Westare high. It would be great to see Aloy near the Pacific Ocean, a landscape much different from anything she’s encountered before.
Sony Might Announce Horizon Forbidden West’s Release Date
WithHorizon Forbidden Westbeing one of the biggest games on Sony’s schedulethis year, it would seem like a waste to dedicate an entire State of Play event to it without at least narrowing down the release window, or better yet, giving an official release date.
Horizon Forbidden Westis speculated to release in late 2021. Especially with all the rumors of an internal delay floating around, an announcement like this would please an overwhelming majority of fans. But, there’s a possibility thatHorizon Forbidden Westcould come even sooner than that. Fans have no way of knowing how far alongForbidden Westis in development, and while Guerrilla Games and Sony will want to release a polished product, it’s possible that they are waiting for the right moment.
Giving distant release dates can sometimes set fans up for disappointment because delays are so common in the industry.IfHorizonhas a late December release date, for example, that’s still seven months away and a lot can change in that time. The industry is starting to see the beginnings of a trend towards setting release dates much closer to the release itself, that way developers feel more confident with the current state of the game and a delay is less likely.
No one should get their hopes up just yet, but it’s very possibleHorizon Forbidden Westis much closer than seven months away. Regardless, if Sony announces a concrete release date this week, it will almost certainly narrow down the release window so fans have an idea of what to expect. It’s also possible that pre-orders could go live with the event.
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State of Play Will Probably Highlight Smaller Games As Well
Sony’s last big State of Play event focused onRatchet and Clank: Rift Apart,another exclusive coming to PS5 June 11. The event spent most of its time highlightRift Apartand showcasing gameplay as promised, but there were a couple of small opening acts.Subnautica: Below Zerogot a new trailer, and Sony also made the announcement thatAmong Uswill be coming to PlayStation consoles. This time around, it’s likely Sony will do the same thing.
TheHorizonshowcase is reportedly 14 minutes, but the whole event is 20 minutes long. That means Sony could have six extra minutes to showcase some other upcoming games, and there are quite a few to choose from. It’s important to temper expectations here;Sony isn’t going to showGod of War: Ragnarokor announceSpider-Man 2,but there are lots of other great releases coming to PlayStation this year.
One that stands out as a possibility isStray,another game that was revealed at the Future of Gaming event last June.Strayis a third-person adventure where the player is a catexploring a futuristic city populated by robots. It’s rumored to be released in October, but nothing significant has been revealed about the game since its reveal.
Other games players might see featured areSolar AshandJett: The Far Shore,both of which look like incredible indie games to keep an eye on. As of now, both of them are scheduled to release in 2021.Little Devil Insideis also a highly anticipated indie game, but PlayStation hasn’t announced a release window for it yet. The State of Play would be a great way to do that, and a nice way to kick off theHorizon Forbidden Westevent.
Most of Sony’s Big Announcements Will Be Saved for E3 Weekend
While the State of Play coming up this week is exciting, fans shouldn’t expect any massive announcements apart fromHorizon Forbidden West.E3 is coming up, and while Sony will not be participatingdirectly, it will undoubtedly use the hype from gaming’s biggest weekend to make some of its own major announcements.
The AAA titles likeDeathloop, GhostWire: Tokyo, Forspoken, God of War: Ragnarok,andFinal Fantasy 16won’t be on display this week, but it’s very likely that fans will get updates on these titles in the weeks to come. In addition, fans can look forward to some exciting new announcements from Sony and from all the developers participating in E3.
Horizon Forbidden Westis scheduled to release for PS4 and PS5 in 2021.
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