E3 is just around the corner folks and you know what that means. That’s right, wildly inaccurate predictions as to what will appear at the show. The Player 2 crew has once again gotten together and gazed into their crystal balls (there was a 2 for 1 special at Kmart) and have put their E3 predictions on the virtual page for everyone to tease them about in 2 weeks time. Strap yourselves in for Sony’s time in the spotlight.
E3 2016 Predictions – Sony
Stephen del Prado
Safe Bet
Sony owns up to many of the rumours that have been flying around pre-E3 – they announce a Neo launch date and pricing, as well as a VR/Neo bundle available sometime in November. Release dates for Horizon Zero Dawn and The Last Guardian are revealed.
Fairly Likely
Ramping up for the October launch of PSVR, Sony presents a demo reel packed with unannounced VR exclusives along with a list of existing titles receiving VR facelifts. Kojima-san and Sony join forces on stage to deafening applause with a platform exclusive title shown extremely briefly.
Wishful Thinking
Sony drives a dump truck of money up to FromSoft, resulting in the announcement of Bloodborne 2. Sucker Punch announce they are making a game based on Brandon Sanderson’s ‘Reckoners’ book series. Level 5 throw Ni No Kuni 2 on the backburner in favour of Dark Cloud 3.
Adam Rorke
Safe Bet
I know I’m doubling up here from what I mentioned with Microsoft, but you can bet your left arm that they’ll be releasing full details on the PS4.5 and how it totally won’t make the 40 million PS4 units out there obsolete. I am indeed interested to see where Sony and MS both take this new approach, I’m not entirely sure I want them to succeed but until the full details come out I’ll hold my criticism.
Fairly Likely
Sony VR! We have a release date, we have details and thanks to some conventions this year (and last) we got a glimpse at some titles we’ll see that use this new tech. What we don’t have is the game release extravaganza that PR companies have wet dreams over when this sort of thing falls across their desks. I think we’re all expecting the Sony WOW factor to hit our eyes this time around, the timing all makes sense, let’s make it happen!
Wishful Thinking
Well, Uncharted 4 just came out, it looks nothing short of stunning and is quite honestly one of the best examples of current gen gaming out there. But God willing, I’m praying for news to break on another PlayStation exclusive from Naughty Dog … oh yes … I want to see The Last of Us 2, a sequel to my favourite game from the last generation.
James Swinbanks
Safe Bet
No Mans Sky – More like No One’s Sky, amirite? It’s been pushed back past its release date according to reports, so I can see Sony squeezing as much marketing mileage out of it as possible before they do finally release, possibly a month or two after scheduled.
Fairly Likely
The Last Guardian – Given the insane reception this game got during Sony’s E3 press conference last year, and the news that it will land in 2016, The Last Guardian is an almost safe bet to get some screen time at this year’s show. The only thing that might hold them back would be preferring to wait for a different platform like Tokyo Games Show, but with most western eyes on E3, we’ll probably see it come June.
Wishful Thinking
Shenmue 3 – Because I can’t bloody think of anything else, and also this is potentially the only PlayStation 4 game that I’m kinda interested in, which I guess is what happens when you don’t own that brand of console for years. But, in saying that, I’m really just looking for a really good excuse to have to get one. And maybe, just maybe, Shenmue 3 would be it.
Jenn Christodoulou
Safe Bet
Playstation VR. Pre-orders for this sold pretty damn quick so I’d think they’d showcase some more of the games that will become available for it. We got a list of titles a while ago but some more info and potential footage would be great.
Fairly Likely
PS4.5! Sony has been talking about this for a while now and with all the hype surrounding VR (particularly Playstation VR), it would make sense that they mention something more about this new console.
Wishful Thinking
I don’t know about anybody else, but I love handheld consoles. And I love Sony. So if they could make one with a catalogue of games on there that weren’t either super boring or just ports of older titles, I’d be really happy.
Stevie Mcdonald
Safe Bet
Now that Uncharted 4 has been released, played and slowly digested, I haven’t been paying as much attention to Sony gaming news. Therefore, my safe bet this year will be that Sony announces a new PS4 console that is either smaller, more powerful, comes in a new colour or some unique combination of the three.
Fairly Likely
If Sony does announce a new console, it’s fairly likely it will include some sort of technical boast, such as built-in VR support instead of an external add-on, or 4K video output.
Wishful Thinking
Even if a new console is announced, it’s probably wishful thinking that we’ll finally get the option to change gamertags. Sorry WeedlordBonerHitler69, you’re gonna have to wait even longer for credibility.
Paul James
Safe Bet
Though rumours persist that the game is on the verge of a delay into 2017, Horizon: Zero Dawn still stands to be the main attraction at Sony’s E3 2016 press conference. A hit with press and fans alike when the game was unveiled with a spectacular trailer and stage demo, Horizon is going to have a tall order ahead of it to match or even surpass the buzz that the debut generated, but despite what we’ve seen there’s still so little we know, so hopes are high that the game has a fantastic, comprehensive showing.
Fairly Likely
The Last Guardian – No I swear this isn’t a joke! Sony would never have brought The Last Guardian back to the stage last E3 if they weren’t supremely confident that the game was on track for a definitive release. They’ve gone as far as declaring that the game will be releasing in 2016 so with any luck we’ll get a trailer, demo and a solid release date. No more than that though please, after all this time, we don’t need an oversaturation of coverage.
Wishful Thinking
I know that Uncharted 4 has only been out for a couple weeks and that the studio still has to release its planned single player DLC, but following the release of Uncharted 3, the announcement for The Last of Us arrived only a month later – could the same occur here? Unlikely, but there’s nothing I want more than to see Naughty Dog back on the stage revealing both Uncharted 4’s single player DLC, and the ever more likely The Last of Us 2
Matthew Ballinger
Safe Bet
Expect to see a major focus on Playstation VR. Insomniac have been working on a few titles for VR so expect to see them among the likely 30+ minutes of stage time Sony will dedicate to its latest endeavour. Gran Turismo Sport is likely to get some of that sweet stage time real estate, If Matt Hewson was right about Microsoft dropping a sports car on the stage for Forza then expect to see TWO cars on stage for Sony…That’ll show them.
Fairly Likely
With the Uncharted saga wrapping up Sony will be looking to crown its next mascot, we can expect to see a “console selling” blockbuster to be announced and drilled into our heads that it is a Playstation exclusive. I’m also sensing some bonus content for Sony players is Watchdogs 2 is announced.
Wishful Thinking
Bloodborne 2 baby!! Dark Souls 3 has just dropped but all the devs at From Software don’t need to be working on the season pass content right? Even just an announcement trailer with a Q4 2017 – Q1 2018 release window would get me pumped. My body is ready for all the highs and lows (the lows being running back to recover Blood Echoes only to be killed again).
Sarah Ellen
Safe Bet
Because Playstation 4.5 sounded very tacky, recent weeks have fleshed out rumours about the “Playstation 4 Neo”, which boasts better graphical performance for games, more reliable support for the much-anticipated PlayStation VR, and support for Ultra HD Blu-Ray (hence a recent initialism – “PS4K”). Nintendo managed the transition from 3DS to New 3DS with minimal fuss, and with many fans finding their way to the new console in their own time or when exclusive editions were available (oh my sweet sweet Hyrule Edition New 3DS how I love you so). Similarly, it is a play that Sony has made before with previous hardware iterations of its own. It is certainly a valuable move that positions their focus on high-quality hardware provision to gamers who are trying to drown out PC fans and their constant mockery.
Fairly Likely
Destiny … something
Sure there is talk around the fringes about a sequel, but it is more likely that Activision and Sony will focus on emptying the wallets of current fans with new DLC or additions to the current game. The timing would be right in order to continue any semblance of competitiveness with Overwatch. It also wouldn’t hurt to continue plugging that sweet exclusivity deal with Bungie for certain Destiny content. Additionally, with Activision not at this E3 they would certainly welcome to piggy-back onto the Sony conference.
Wishful Thinking
No Man’s Sky VR
Oh, my darlings – wouldn’t that be something? I bet some uncouth fanboys would disappear from the social media periphery if they just lived in No Man’s Sky VR for the foreseeable future. It would solve a whole lot of really stupid problems.
Matt Hewson
Safe Bet
For mine the most interesting game shown at E3 last year was probably Horizon: Zero Dawn and the following 12 months has only furthered my interest in the title. It looks to be a cracking 3rd person adventure with a unique setting and I expect Sony to be selling tickets on the Horizon Hype Train in a big way. I can’t say I am too upset about seeing more of what this exciting game has to offer.
Fairly Likely
Ok, so we are all in agreeance right? Red Dead 2 is a thing? Well, in my mind at least, the logical place for Rockstar to confirm what we all know is at the Sony conference. Sony will get in bed with Rockstar for exclusive missions and DLC, similar to their deal with Bungie for Destiny. To announce it they bring Kurt Russell on stage in his Wyatt Earp gear and everyone immediately goes off to watch Tombstone one more time.
Wishful Thinking
Is it too much to ask that my Ps4 controller can be used for longer than an hour without dying? It is the one major gripe I have with the PS4 and what’s more it is probably an easy fix. Please Sony for all your dedicated players, a controller with a good battery life is a must.
Stay tuned tomorrow for our next predictions article, Nintendo.
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