E3 2014: Sony Predictions - Article

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Following on from Microsoft's presentation, Sony will have their chance to steal the spotlight. They will need to grip gamers by showcasing a solid line-up of titles that will justify their fan base's purchase of the PlayStation 4 and encourage new consumers to jump on board. Sony has some strong original IPs in its back catalogue, as well as continued fantastic third party support, but what will Sony showcase at their E3 conference in June? Here are some predictions.

Expect To See

Uncharted 4

Uncharted 4 will definitely be making an appearance at E3 this year. Naughty Dog has proven time and time again that they are one of Sony's strongest developers and, aside from the Gran Turismo series, Uncharted is the strongest performing PlayStation exclusive IP in sales terms in recent years - that's without even mentioning the critical acclaim it attracts. Even more importantly, Naughty Dog's technical prowess will be a reliable way of demonstrating the true horsepower of the PS4.

We're hoping to see debut gameplay for the next Uncharted title and a rough release window of some point in 2015.

The Order: 1886

At the same time, The Order: 1886 will have an opportunity to recapture the hype it initially managed to generate last year. There's little doubt it will be shown at Sony's conference - officially its release date still hovers around late 2014, so you'd expect to see a live gameplay demo as well as an official release date, although recent rumours of a delay don't bode well for the game on the release date front.

Ready at Dawn actually has a lot to prove after The Order's gameplay reveal earlier this year - and again the other day - attracted a mixed response. The title marks the developer's first major AAA project and, if it pulls through, it could become a system seller.

God of War 4

Even though Sony Santa Monica has been assisting in the development of The Order: 1886 and has been going through a series of tough adjustments of its own after one of its projects was cancelled and staff were hit with lay-offs, it seems very unlikely that they don't have a game of their own to reveal.

And that game is likely to be none other than God of War 4. The God of War series has amassed a huge following, and despite the lackluster sales of prequel title Ascension, the God of War franchise is still one of the heavy-hitters in Sony's IP catalogue and a new mainline entry will attract a lot of excitement. Except a teaser trailer and rough 2015 release window.

New Guerrilla IP

Guerrilla Games is known to be working on a brand new IP and there are hints that this new game will be revealed at E3. This isn't as sure-fire as the above predictions, considering that studio only recently released Killzone: Shadow Fall, but their new IP has long been in development. Expect a teaser trailer that will at least show off the new universe Guerrilla is creating.

Driveclub

Driveclub recently received a release date of early October, so expect Sony to showcase their upcoming exclusive racer with a gameplay demo on stage. A full Gran Turismo 7 release is likely some ways off, so there's some pressure on Driveclub to deliver a great PS4 racing experience. After a nearly year-long delay, the pressure on Evolution Studios to deliver a polished experience by both gamers and Sony is undoubtedly high.

Media Molecule Game

What has Media Molecule been working on for the past few years besides the charming Vita exclusive Tearaway? And will they reveal it at this year's E3? If we had to bet we'd say yes. Last year they continued to demonstrate their creativity as a developer with an intriguing PS4 tech demo; this year they may go one step further and show off their next actual game project, which seems likely to be a brand new IP.

Third Parties & Indies

Sony's strong relationships with a number of third party publishers essentially guarantees the appearance of certain games on stage. Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed Unity will likely be making an appearance at Sony's press conference as well as Ubisoft's own one. In the same vein, the strong partnership between Sony and Activision and an upcoming multiplayer beta for Destiny ensures that it will be making an appearance on stage.

Sony has proven its support for independent developers at past conferences and indie support has been key to the PS4's post-launch success. With this in mind, it seems likely that some select indie developers will be given time in the spotlight to show off upcoming titles.

Short PlayStation Vita Segment

The PlayStation Vita has had a rough time as of late - only Japanese gamers seem interested in the handheld on the sales front and support for the platform fro developers and publishers has slipped away since its release just two years ago. Sony's conference is going to primarily focus on the PS4 - of that there's no doubt. We can probably expect to hear boasts of upcoming support for the Vita though - it would be impolitic to ignore their own handheld platform entirely - but this will likely come in the form of a 'sizzle' trailer or brief segment that highlights the platform's upcoming titles. Beyond that, we're not expecting much, but who knows, perhaps Sony will pleasantly surprise us all with a neat reveal.

Longer Shots

Crash Bandicoot

Activision infamously removed the listing for the Crash Bandicoot series from their website last year, leading to speculation that it had been sold to Sony. This was later denied, but Activision stated their intention to explore 'ways to revive' the series. Could we see such a revival at Sony's conference this year? It's a long shot, but it would undoubtedly go down well with fans of the once venerated series.

Ratchet & Clank

Insomniac is hard at work on Sunset Overdrive, but Sony own the IP and no doubt still recognise the strength of the Ratchet and Clank series. A Ratchet and Clank movie is releasing mid 2015, so an all-new Ratchet and Clank title for the PlayStation 4 seems a no-brainer. With so many spin-off titles in recent years, though, we may be approaching burn-out - a reboot or brand new trilogy would probably be the better approach for the health of the series as a whole.

Sony's conference last year lacked big game announcements. Instead, it rode a wave of good will from gamers who were hostile to Microsoft's Xbox One reveal and anti-consumer policies and who appreciated Sony's courting of indie developers. This year, they need to have a strong AAA gaming presence in order to reassure their 7 million+ userbase that the PS4 has been a good gaming investment which has plenty of big, new titles on the horizon, and that Sony haven't become complacent with their solid early sales lead. Do that, and they'll have had a great E3 conference.

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