Dan: Looking at everyone’s favorite first-party PlayStation development studio, Naughty Dog, we can only hope to see what they have been working on. Job listings for a singleplayer, multiplayer and co-op level designer hint at what’s coming, but it is difficult to know just what these listings mean, as they could be just for The Last of Us DLC.
Uncharted Next is almost guaranteed to be in development for the PS4, but until we get an official word, it is sadly still in the rumor mill. As we still have the VGAs coming up later this year, I still say that it is unlikely that Sony will drop the reveal at gamescom and not the highly televised awards show, especially as the developer has a history of revealing games at the Spike show.
With the recent image caught by eagle eyed viewers of ND video showing a character model draped in what appears to be pirate garb, rumors have sparked up that either Nathan Drake will be taking to the seas or they have another new IP baking in the background.
Seb: Sony’s other big US studio along with Naughty Dog is of course Sony Santa Monica. Along with probably a GOW game that’s in the early stages of development, there’s their new IP. In development since 2010, with approximately 150 developers working on it, this is a huge game that could very well be Sony’s biggest game in development at the moment, with more than double the team size of Sucker Punch (inFamous: Second Son). Stig Asmussen is thought to be heading it, Cory Barlog may have joined as of April – with the dev describing the game as a “freaking huge” title “that will rock the free world”. Michael Angeli, who helped write Battlestar Galactica and Dark Angel has also been working on the game for the past two years.
If Sony really wants to blow everyone away at gamescom, this would be the game to do it, however it may well be E3 2014’s centerpiece title.
Dan: Quantic Dream, the studio that Sony really should make a first party and the minds behind the upcoming Beyond: Two Souls, have yet to show off what exactly their new game is going to be about. QD released a tech demo showing off the capabilities of their latest engine at E3, but like Kara, it’s unlikely there is a clear connection between it and the final game. So, while many people loved The Dark Sorcerer trailer they demoed, it isn’t likely we will be seeing him again, or at gamescom.
Quantic Dream has registered the domain SingularityPS4, which has led to speculation that their upcoming PS4 title will be titled Singularity. They also have job listings that say the PS4 game will include online multiplayer. As QD is based in France, there is a chance that they could show off their new title at gamescom, but with Beyond only a few months away it would be odd for them to overshadow it this close to launch.
Seb: Media Molecule demoed their new IP back in February, during the PS4 reveal event. Most people thought the video was a tech demo, but the developer revealed to us in an interview that it was an actual game. In the same interview, the UK team explained: “we’ll talk more about PS4 stuff at some point. We don’t know when, but soon.”
“Soon” would suggest that gamescom will be the perfect place for more information, but we must caution that the developer also said that “we have a fairly small team on the” PS4 project.
Dan: Sumo Digital, an independent studio based in the UK, was revealed as the developers of LittleBigPlanet 3 by a resume. Having only had experience with the IP developing a ‘cross-controller pack’ for LittleBigPlanet 2, and a work history with nothing of quite the same scope, it will be interesting to see if they are able to not only bring the same quality we have expected, but to improve on it.
As LBP does seem to be becoming a fading memory, Sony could do with getting this title out soon, and gamescom could be a great platform to reveal the title. As barely any information is known, it is anyone’s guess at this moment when we will be seeing the Sackboy next.
Seb: Also in the UK is SCE London, who we uncovered want to “set the bar for the industry” visually, and we can only hope that’s with core games. The studio has lost its way this gen, creating casual games only, when it used to also make titles like The Getaway – we can hope that they are now making core games as well as casual, but it may be too late.
A SCE London developer I talked to under conditions of anonymity confirmed to me that the team behind Wonderbook’s tech was working on augmented tech for PS4, so there’s that and, with the success of the SingStar F2P edition on PS3, it’s hard not to see SingStar coming to PS4.
Dan: Housemarque, the studio that brought the highly regarded Super Stardust HD, has stated that the ‘spiritual successor’ to the game will be making its way to the PS4 exclusively, and will be a ‘shoot-em-up’. We don’t know any more, but we do know that one of the two PS4 games they have in development will be shown at gamescom.
Also, something that should be shown off at gamescom this year is the sequel to the top down shooter Hotline Miami, Hotline Miami 2. Having released a YouTube video with the PS4 (and Vita) being listed, which was then removed, there is a strong chance we will be seeing a confirmation next week.
Seb: Next up is Zindagi Games. With their 2nd party PS4 motion game coming out at the end of the year, time is running out for them to reveal the game. Sadly, as this isn’t the biggest game ever, a PS Blog announcement may end up being the appropriate place for a reveal if it doesn’t show up at gamescom. Sports Champions 3, anyone?
Dan: SCE XDev or External Development Studio Europe, is the arm of Sony that works with independent studios on upcoming projects set to be published under SCEE. The team tweeted:
Looking forward to Gamescom in 2 weeks and some of the fantastic announcements we have and working with @PlayStationEU @PSAccess
With their previous history of working with Sumo Digital, the team rumored to be behind LBP3, and Seb’s comments on Ovosonico, we will likely see those two titles, but could potentially also see something we didn’t even know about.
Seb: That’s all we know about the ‘more confirmed’ unconfirmed titles, so now it’s time to get a little more off the wall. First off, there’s all the PS4 games Shahid Ahmad teases, presumably indie PSN ones such as one from Beatshapers, and then there’s all the rumors of crazy third party exclusives. Agent making a return, this time on PS4, is always a possibility given recent developments, but it’s sadly all the more probable that the game has been cancelled. In other Rockstar news, rumors of GTAV coming to PS4 continue to circulate, but with the developer saying “We’ll get the current gen version out first and see what happens in the future”, gamescom is probably too soon for news on that.
As for The Last Guardian… give up.
Dan: And here’s all the confirmed PS4 exclusive/console exclusive games that we know are coming that may be on display, and will likely be on the show floor.
DCUO, PlanetSide 2, The Order 1886, Killzone: Shadow Fall, DriveClub, Knack and inFamous Second Sun.
And the self-published ones: Octodad, The Witness, Daylight, Blacklight: Retribution, Outlast, Ray’s the Dead, Warframe, War Thunder, Basement Crawl, Transistor, Don’t Starve, Hohokum, Contrast, Mercenary Kings, Carmageddon: Reincarnation, Awesomenauts, Forgotten Memories, Galak-Z: The Dimensional, GlowTag, Liege and QuickDraw.
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