Sony's State of Play Showcase Reveals
Overview
Sony held it's regular State of Play recently and it was an interesting build-up to this show with a lot of speculation built around what games Sony would reveal, how big this showcase was going to be in terms of reveals, given that this was the first State of Play that was available to watch from selected cinemas.
Like with any State of Play there was a split mix between first-party and third-party games, but if there was one thing that stood out it was the focus on gameplay and showcasing Sony's first-party single-player games, with the release trailer for season 2 of Marathon being the only live-service game mentioned in this conference. A lot of this conference showcased a wide spread of games, that will all be coming either second half of 2026 or 2027, with God of War Laufey being a glimpse into the broader future beyond.
The State of Play feels like it was a solid showcase, with no real low-points, but nothing that really had me shocked or jumping out of my seat. But the more grounded showcase with a bunch of solid games coming in the near future, positioned with these games being predominantly single-player focused, does show Sony harkening back to what they're best known for, which is a strong single-player lineup and with the recent shift back to console exclusivity, Sony could very well be trying to cap off the PS5 on a high, something it has desperately been missing since the climatic send-off to the PS4 and the release of the console back in 2021, during the COVID period.
Marvel's Wolverine
Release: September 15th 2026
The show kicked off with a lengthy look at uninterrupted gameplay of Marvel's Wolverine, Insomniac Games latest new game that has been in the works for years, and looks to be a much more brutal and grittier experience compared to its Spider-Man counterpart that the studio has been known for, going on almost a decade now. Wolverine is looking to be a much more linear game with many cameos from the X-Men universe, and it makes me excited to see how they thread this needle, and bring this much more darker character to life.
Marvel's Wolverine is looking like an awesome action-combat game, that weirdly reminds me of the the Deadpool game that released back on the Xbox 360 and PS3, but who knows what doors this game could open with the vast pantheon of X-Men you could make a game based around. But there isn't long now until the long-awaited Wolverine drops, with Marvel's Wolverine locked in for September 15th 2026.
Bancho The Chef
Release: TBA
The next game was surprise, Bancho: The Chef, a Dave the Diver prequel, that is looking to capture a lot of the cooking magic that was an aspect of the original game. There is still no release date on this game, but excited to see more of this game in the coming months or years.
Marvel Tokon - Fighting Souls
Release: 7th August 2026
Marvel Token Fighting Souls dropped a new trailer revealing the villains, there are some mad choices here, it's awesome to see some villains like Carnage from Spider-Man, Magneto, and Doctor Doom. It's look really promising with the roster that has currently been released, and there isn't too long to wait for this game to release with Marvel Tokon Fighting Souls releasing on the 7th of August 2026.
The Lost Wild
Release: 2027
The Lost Wild is an interesting new game that is recently, that is a first-person survival game where you'll be navigating a world that looks to be overrun by dinosaurs. It's being developed by a studio called Great Ape Games, and published by Annapurna Interactive who have a great track record for the games that they get behind. So I'm eager to see how The Lost Wilds plays out when it releases, sometime in 2027.
Stuntman: Hollywood
Release: TBA
The Sony State of Play revealed the revival of the Stuntman series, action-racing game that has been dormant since the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 era with Stuntman Ignition. This is Stuntman: Hollywood, which much like its predecessors will see you get up to a myriad of hijinks in a variety of films. However, here in Stuntman: Hollywood the stunts will be for licensed films such as Back to the Future, Death Race and Night Rider to name a few, opposed to the fictional films of the previous game.
Phantom Blade Zero
Release: October 29th 2026
We got another look at Phantom Blade Zero, which has been pushed out of early September into late October, which is good considering September is becoming overwhelmingly packed with new releases, but is also cutting it close with it being just a few weeks out of the blast radius of Grand Theft Auto VI.
Phantom Blade Zero will also have another State of Play that will show off a lot more information about the game, and the more I see of it, the more excited I become.
ILL
Release: 2027
We saw another trailer for the grotesque horror game ILL being developed by Team Clout, and published by Mundfish. The game is looking more and more brutal and almost unreal with each trailer that is revealed, but feels like if Resident Evil 7 and STALKER had a baby.
ILL has been announced that it will be releasing in 2027, and I'm interested to see more about how this one develops.
Kemuri
Release: 2027
Back in 2023 the world was revealed Ikumi Nakamura's next game she was directing along with the new studio named UNSEEN, and we'd get our first look at Kemuri. It looked interesting then, showing some promise with a cinematic trailer that oozed style and an interesting setting. Now flash forward to 2026, and what we have is a co-op action game that is focused around capturing and fighting Yokai, working together in a loop that sounds promising.
Kemuri is expected to release sometime in 2027, but I would like to see some more gameplay and hopefully a firm release date some time in the near future.
Rayman Legends Retold
Release: 2nd October 2026
An unexpected reveal, unless you were spoiled by the various leaks related to this one and that is Rayman Legends: Retold which is a remake of 2013's Rayman Legends, which is an interesting point in the series to reboot as someone who used to play these back in the PlayStation 1 and 2 days. Rayman Legends: Retold does look interesting, and for those who are looking for more Rayman this one releases October 2nd 2026.
Dune: Awakening
Full Release: 22nd September 2026
Dune Awakening is now coming to the PlayStation 5, and is getting major updates heading into the launch of its 1.0 release September 22nd 2026.
No Rest for The Wicked
Full Release: October 2026
No Rest for the Wicked is also leaving Early-Access with it's 1.0 full release expected to launch July 10th 2026 for those who purchased the game during the early-access period. The official launch is currently slated for sometime in October with no official date currently listed. This is the latest from the folks at Moon Studios, responsible for the gorgeous Ori series.
Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis
Release: 13th February 2027
Crystal Dynamics is returning to Tomb Raider, with Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis being the first of two new games in the large catalogue of Tomb Raider games. Legacy of Atlantis is going to be a remake of Lara Croft's debut adventure, completely rebuilt and reimagined in Unreal Engine 5.
It was initially slated to release in 2026, but has been pushed into 2027, with an official release date of February 13th 2027, which gives the game room to breathe and a less cluttered release window, that the stacked year of 2026 is shaping up to be, and the nuclear month that is November.
Onimusha: Way of The Sword
Release Date: September 25th 2026
Capcom have been having an absolute stand-out year, and they don't look to be slowing down anytime soon. We finally have a release date for Onimusha: Way of the Sword, the long awaited return to the beloved Onimusha series that many have been long awaiting. But on top of providing a release date, Capcom also announced the release of a demo that is now readily available for all to play.
Control Resonant
Release Date: September 24th 2026
Next we saw more of Control: Resonant, the sequel to Control that has a much stronger focus on hack-n-slash combat. This one also came with a release date, with Control Resonant now releasing on September 24th 2026.
Silent Hill: Townfall
Release Date: September 24th
The September release date reveals didn't stop there, with many loving the tail-end of the month, seeing it as the best opportunity to avoid the blast radius that is Grand Theft Auto VI. Silent Hill Townfall, revealed earlier in the year at a State of Play, will be releasing September 24th 2026, and is a first-person survival-horror experience.
Ace Combat 8
Release Date: 2nd October 2026
Next up we'd see a look at the next Ace combat game, Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve and it'll be releasing on October 2nd 2026. I've never played an Ace Combat game before, but this one has me interested check it out.
Until Dawn 2
Release Date: 2027
The next game that we would get a look at, is a sequel to Until Dawn, which is slated to release sometime in 2027.
God of War: Laufey
Release Date: TBA
To close out the State of Play we'd get a look at the next game that Santa Monica Studio has been working on, and it was an interesting new direction that they're taking the series, with God of War: Laufey, which will follow Kratos' wife Laufey, after her funeral at the beginning of God of War 2018, she is transported to another realm, where she'll be fighting gods of both Egyptian and Tibetan/Mongolian gods.
This wasn't just a teaser either, they showed an extensive 20-minutes of gameplay which seemingly looked like it kicked off from where the game begins. There is no release date for this one, and it is currently listed as "in-development" meaning that I believe this game is a 2028 game at the earliest.
Closing Thoughts
The Sony State of Play if I had to grade it overall felt like a B-Tier Presentation, it was overall a solid showcase with plenty of release dates for games that we're looking forward to in 2026, and a look into what 2027 will be looking like for PlayStation. But it also does speak to how quiet 2027 currently looks for PlayStation on the first-party front with most of the showcases reveals being multi-platform releases, and the first-party games that extend beyond 2026 being far-off like God of War: Laufay. It makes me curious where games like Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet and what is Guerrilla Games or Bend Studio. The question also is, are the development of near future first-party video games still in the air due to Sony's focus on on live service this generation.
It'll be an interesting few years that lay ahead for this generation, and it is undeniable that the PlayStation 5 has had some absolute banger games, but regardless of how you look at it, this generation will leave a footnote that talks about how Sony have poorly utilized time and resources to pivot towards the live-service trends, and even now are still trying to correct course. The State of Play is something that leaves me optimistic on Sony's long term revival, but skeptical on how it mends that bridge and sheers the ship back on course during the short-term.
