State Of Play 2023 Recap: Every Major Announcement And Reveal

After a relatively ho-hum reaction of fans and critics to the PlayStation Showcase that went live back in May, Sony has come up with another event in the same year following months of rumors and speculations. Given the level of exhibitions on display, it’s safe to say that a lot of things appear to be in motion for the industry giant, revealing the likes of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Resident Evil 4 DLCs, and a lot more. 

We’ll explore everything of noteworthy importance that happened to pop up during the State of Play 2023 presentation, so you don’t have to miss out. Sony not only pushed out information on projects that it has previously revealed already, but also came up hard and fast with new announcements, including Baby Steps, Tales of Arise: Beyond the Dawn, and Honkai Star Rail coming to the PlayStation 5.

All Major State Of Play Reveals And Announcements 

Let’s get into all the major reveals of the event in a little more detail ahead. If you’d like the lengthier version, feel free to watch the following 27-minute video uploaded by PlayStation for everything that was put on view. 

Extended Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Feature Presentation 

State of Play 2023 plunged into an extended reveal of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 somewhere in its middle, highlighting some of the drastic new changes that are going to be a part of the mega-anticipated sequel. Bryan Intihar, Insomniac’s Senior Creative Director, spoke over the footage and talked us through the novel features in question. First off, Spider-Man 2 will boast almost double the in-game map size. 

Next, both Miles and Peter will get what the dev calls “web wings,” similar to a wingsuit that lets you glide in the sky and travel at fast speeds. Combine that with the web-swinging of the Spider-Men and you’ve got a devastating traversal combo here. Bryan also went over the inclusion of about 65 suits and over 200 ways to customize them to boot. Exceptionally monumental, this one. 

In other relevant news, PlayStation has also announced the Digital Deluxe Edition for the action-adventure, offering a total of 5 suits for each Spider-Man along with additional Photo Mode content and 2 skill points to nudge you with a boost. If you pre-order the collection though ahead of the game’s release on October 20, 2023, you get added bonuses of two more suits and 3 more skill points.  

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Reveal

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is the sequel to the Final Fantasy 7 Remake that made landfall in 2021 for the PlayStation 4. The developers behind the project—Square Enix and Creative Business Unit 1— have planned a trilogy of remakes for the original Final Fantasy 7 that came out in 1997. The first remake covers the Midgar portion of the initial title, while Rebirth ought to go over the middle segment. 

The State of Play event, therefore, came with a delightful surprise, revealing the release date of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, which is February 29, 2024, and showing off some in-game action as well. It even shows a low-poly version of Cloud Strife in the trailer, which acts as a subtle throwback to the good, old days of the first Final Fantasy 7. 

On a side note, though, the developers have announced as of late that Final Fantasy 7 Remake has sold over 7 million copies. The sales figures include Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade as well, which is an even more enhanced version of the remake made specifically for PC and PlayStation 5. 

A Lengthier Gameplay Trailer For Helldivers 2

Helldivers 2 was formally announced back at the PlayStation Showcase, but this time, we get to take a deeper look into its gameplay system, and how cooperative strategies can turn the tides for your boss battle outcomes. The ambitious third-person shooter has received a release date of February 8, 2024, thanks to the event. Pre-orders for the title ought to go live soon, with two different purchasable editions. 

New PlayStation 5 Console Covers And DualSense Controllers

Running short on drip for your PlayStation 5? Not anymore with what Sony has been working on apparently. The new Deep Earth Collection reveal for the metallic PS5 face plates and DualSense controllers kick things off in a remarkable fashion, taking inspiration from the core of the Earth and the layers that form its fundamentals. Here’s what the design team members of PlayStation say about it,

While crafting this new collection of DualSense controller and PS5 console cover colors, we drew inspiration from the beautiful and powerful hues found in the depths of planet Earth. We elevated the colors by adding a metallic finish for a touch of sophistication,” says Satoshi Aoyagi. 

Leo Cartoso is of the opinion, “Volcanic Red boasts a rich blazing red tone. Cobalt Blue, on the other hand, presents a deep shade of blue with intriguing hints of purple. Lastly, Sterling Silver showcases a classic aesthetic with a subtle blue undertone.”

A Deep Earth console cover, no matter the color variant, will set you back about $60 a pop, and the DualSense controllers are priced at $74.99 each. Pre-orders for these items ought to begin on October 4 and your color options range from Volcanic Red, Cobalt Blue, and Sterling Silver. A pretty interesting addition to the PlayStation face plates family, especially after the Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 collection.

Story Trailer For Avatars: Frontiers Of Pandora

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, an open-world action-adventure title, is coming later this year for multiple platforms, specifically on December 7, 2023, after a hefty period of leaks, rumors, and speculations. The State of Play reveal of the title focuses on its story aspect, detailing the plotline concerning the protagonist Na’vi and how he was raised as a child soldier on Pandora away from his actual home. 

Though previously known through rumors, Frontiers of Pandora will utilize the first-person camera perspective but will feature a third-person mode when you’re riding those magical animals. Pre-orders for the game are now live, spanning multiple buyable editions to look into. Here’s a rundown of each variant, what it brings to the table, and how much it costs. 

Resident Evil 4 VR Mode & Separate Ways

The relatively newly released Resident Evil 4 remake has taken fans aback with the level of quality on display by Capcom—the game’s creator. Apart from its triumphant sales figures surpassing the likes of Hogwarts Legacy, the title has just settled extremely well with fans and critics alike, generating hype for Capcom’s next projects, such as Dragon’s Dogma 2.

Everyone saw this coming really, so this doesn’t come across as that much of a surprise. There were several hints in the past, along with a highly convincing data mine, that hinted at the Separate Ways DLC for the Resident Evil 4 remake, so it’s reassuring to see all that coming true at the State of Play event. Behold Ada’s very own playable mode that shows her side of the story in Leon’s efforts to rescue Ashley.

Along with this expansion, you’re also getting a Resident Evil 4 VR mode for those who have the PS VR2. The initial announcement for it came about 3 months ago, and its now set to be released sometime in the winters. Separate Ways, however, is launching on September 21, and bringing a free update for The Mercenaries minigame in its wake, adding Ada Wong and Albert Wesker to the line-up of playable characters.

Honkai: Star Rail Comes To The PlayStation 5

As far as the best gacha games to play in 2023 go, Honkai: Star Rail is right up there with the big dogs. The space fantasy RPG was released this year to rave reviews, with many calling it a higher-quality game than Genshin Impact. Up until now, the title has been available on a multitude of platforms, including mobile operating systems of Android and iOS, along with PC through Steam and Epic Games.

And now, there’s a PlayStation 5 port coming out as well, as announced during the State of Play event lately. Star Rail comes from Hoyoverse, which is the same developing head behind Genshin Impact. The former apparently improves upon its sibling video game in a number of ways and comes across as more high-quality for the masses, thereby being recognized as one of the best free games of the year so far.

Star Rail was released on April 26, 2023, for PC and mobile phones, and it’s coming to the PlayStation 5 on October 11. It bears noticing that the title isn’t available for Xbox consoles, nor is there any word suggesting the release. Anyhow, head on over to the game’s listing on the PS Store to pre-order it with exclusive bonuses (the $9.99 pricing you see is for the extra goodies since Honkai is free-to-play). 

DLC Expansion For Tales Of The Arise

Tales of Arise is a third-person RPG with gripping visuals, an enticing storyline, and appreciable combat mechanics. The game has been out for a while now, tracing its initial release back to 2021 for the Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and PC, but has been only treated to a major story expansion in present times, thanks to the State of Play event.

From what we can tell, Tales of Arise – Beyond the Dawn kicks things off one year after the events of the base game. Moreover, it brings a new character into the mix called Nazamil. The expansion is slated to release later in the year on November 9, 2023, and if you’d like to know more about the game in the meantime, best check out our in-depth Tales of Arise review for favorable results.  

Ghostbusters: Rise Of The Ghost Lord Gameplay

A solely PS VR2-dedicated announcement also made it into the State of Play event. If you like spooky stuff combined with friendly humor, Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord is just the title to pick up this Halloween season, as the game launches on October 26. The gameplay reveal shows off various customization options for your character and gameplay that encourages cooperative measures. 

Ghostrunner 2 Demo Announcement  

Jack is back and looking more ferocious than ever in the sequel to the critically acclaimed Ghostrunner. Although we did get to see a gameplay teaser trailer for Ghostrunner 2 at the PlayStation Showcase, things have certainly been pumped up a notch this time around at State of Play, which seemingly gives away glimpses of the title’s over-the-top cutthroat action and the news of a demo release.

The first title in the series did make bank for the developers, as revealed through a post on Steam that Ghostrunner has sold over 2.5 million units. The incentive for a sequel certainly looked on the cards in that light, and I’m glad things turned out that way. Head on over to the PlayStation Store, therefore, and try out that demo right away. 

Wrapping Up – PlayStation Did Not Disappoint 

Fans and critics were left divided with the PlayStation Showcase earlier this year, with some saying that they expected a lot more from the company especially since the last Showcase was two years back. Credit where it’s due, though, the event did show off Spider-Man 2 gameplay for the first time, followed by a number of other interesting projects, such as Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater.

However, the recent State of Play event is something that we can all get behind. We all got to visualize the likes of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, an enhanced insight into the marvel that is Spider-Man 2, and a demo drop for Ghostrunners 2, among other enticing reveals. The announcement of the event took us by surprise and subsequently had our expectations kept lowered. 

Do comment down below and tell us your favorite sequence of the whole affair.