With Sony set to host a Summer State of Play broadcast today (June 2), now feels like the perfect opportunity to engage in a little informed speculation. The E3 2022 season is officially upon us and while the main event has been scaled back somewhat this year, we are still expecting a few weeks of big reveals and new announcements. Sony says it will use this 30 minute showcase to host reveals from its third-party partners, and to give us a "sneak peek at several games in development for PlayStation VR 2."
That caveat from Sony is key, as it gives us reason to set expectations accordingly. For as light as the upcoming PS5 games schedule looks right now, there's a good chance that the exclusives from PlayStation Studios aren't going to show up in this State of Play. With all that in mind, here's our State of Play predictions ahead of the big event today at at 3pm Pacific / 6pm Eastern / 11pm BST.
12DOVE is covering the State of Play live – follow along with our pre-show coverage for more predictions and for all of the latest announcements as they happen.
1. PSVR 2 launch games revealed
PSVR 2 was confirmed back in February as Sony's next step into the world of virtual reality. We know what PSVR 2 looks like, and we know that the PS5-exclusive headset is set to deliver a boosted resolution, a new eye-tracking system, wider field of view, and a new controller-headset tracking system – but we don't know what games we'll be able to play on the thing. That's all set to change during the upcoming State of Play.
Sony has confirmed that PSVR 2 will have over 20 first and third-party games at launch, although details remain a mystery outside of Horizon: Call of the Mountain from Guerrilla Games, and commitments from studios like Coatsink, nDreams, and First Contact Entertainment. We should get a stronger sense of the day one lineup, and confirmation of a release window.
As for the upcoming PSVR 2 games themselves, all we can do is speculate. Rumors continue to circulate around Gran Turismo 7 and Resident Evil 8: Village receiving PSVR 2 releases, while the potential for Half-Life: Alyx to be ported over is highly desired. And if we're really dreaming, there's always a chance that Infinity Ward will deliver a Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 experience for PSVR 2 while it's still able to. Stranger things have happened.
2. New Final Fantasy 16 gameplay
Square Enix is one of Sony's most prolific third-party partners, and it's likely the publisher will be out in force during the State of Play broadcast. Square Enix has Forspoken and Final Fantasy 16 confirmed as upcoming PS5 exclusives, while Final Fantasy 7 Remake: Part 2 is also in development for the platform. What Square Enix will show remains something of an open question, although with Final Fantasy 16 in the final stretch of its development, the re-emergence of this upcoming RPG is likely.
A Final Fantasy 16 gameplay demo feels long overdue. The game was revealed in the September 2020 PlayStation Showcase, and we're keen to see how the beautiful world of Valisthea – and Final Fantasy 16's more fluid combat system – have evolved in the years since it was last shown. The big question going into State of Play surrounds the Final Fantasy 16 release date; it's long been thought that FF16 would launch in 2023, but a surprise 2022 release isn't out of the realm of possibility.
3. Hogwarts Legacy release date
Hogwarts Legacy is undoubtedly one of the biggest new games for 2022, and Sony will want to leverage its partnership with Warner Bros. to the fullest extent possible. A dedicated Hogwarts Legacy State of Play arrived back in March, which just goes to show how important Sony believes this magical RPG will be for PS5. That 20 minute demo highlighted the massive scope and deep RPG mechanics of Avalanche Studios' creation, and we're expecting to see the developer follow-up with a more focused gameplay breakdown on Thursday.
I wouldn't be surprised to see a firm Hogwarts Legacy release date announced as well, as the game is currently stuck with a vague "Holiday 2022" window. Should that happen, there's a good chance Warner Bros. will announce pre-order bonuses and exclusive in-game content for PS5 and PS4 players.
4. New wave of PS5 indies
Looking at the video game release dates for 2022 and, well, it's looking a little light. Sony could bring out some surprise third-party games to inject a little energy into its State of Play – a gameplay reveal for Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora feels long overdue, for example – I think there's every chance that the PS5 will be supported through the next six months with a fantastic array of awesome looking indie games.
Release dates for highly anticipated indies like Stray would be fantastic, but it would be good to get a sense of what else is in the pipeline. From Bugsnax to Death's Door to Kena: Bridge of Spirits to Sifu, indies have proven to be some of the best PS5 games available right now, and I hope that Sony is prepared to reveal the next run of partnerships throughout this State of Play.
5. God of War Ragnarok remains MIA
God of War Ragnarok is supposed to release in 2022, but Sony is yet to put a firm date on it. Don't expect that to change anytime soon. With this State of Play to run around 30 minutes, and with a focus on third-party games and PSVR 2, it's unlikely that the biggest PS5 exclusive of 2022 is going to get any airtime. That's a shame, but it's worth setting realistic expectations now to avoid disappointment later.
It's likely God of War Ragnarok will get its own dedicated State of Play in the weeks ahead to showcase the refined combat system and set a release date in stone – similar to how Sony handled Horizon Forbidden West. There's also a good chance that Sony will run another dedicated PlayStation Showcase this year, which the platform holder used last September to show the first gameplay of Ragnarok, along with teases for Spider-Man 2, Marvel's Wolverine, and other massive PS5 games.
Sony will put on a good show for this Summer State of Play broadcast, but we just aren't getting our hopes up for updates to key first-party exclusives until the next PlayStation Showcase event.
That's it for our predictions. You'll want to tune into the broadcast yourself to see everything Sony has to show. If you're interested, here's how to watch the E3 2022 PlayStation State of Play presentation today. For other showcases in June, check out the E3 2022 schedule.
