PlayStation’s first State of Play event includes Iron Man VR announcement

By Gabe Gurwin March 25, 2019

[ENGLISH] State of Play | PlayStation

Sony won’t be attending E3 this year, but PlayStation fans still have plenty of games to look forward to in 2019. During its first “State of Play” event — think the PlayStation version of Nintendo Direct — several new games were announced, including a first-person Iron Man title. PlayStation VR got the bulk of the airtime, so anyone looking for an excuse to pull out the headset should be very happy. Here is all the biggest news.

Contents

I am Iron Man
Five More Nights at Freddy’s
No Man’s Sky Beyond
Concrete Genie
You’ve got to be Liu Kang

I am Iron Man

Marvel’s Iron Man VR – Announce Trailer | PS VR

Developed by République studio Camouflaj, Iron Man VR is a first-person virtual reality game coming later this year to PlayStation VR. The trailer shown during the event didn’t showcase gameplay, but it seems to be taking a lighter tone akin to Marvel’s Spider-Man for PlayStation 4. We’ll likely get more concrete information as we move further into the year.

Five More Nights at Freddy’s

Five Nights At Freddy’s VR: Help Wanted | PS VR

Five Nights at Freddy’s is also getting the VR treatment with Five Nights at Freddy’s VR: Help Wanted, scheduled to release this spring. The game will play as a sort of “greatest hits” collection from the series’ past and will include scenarios from previous games as well as new content.

No Man’s Sky Beyond

No Man’s Sky Beyond - VR Reveal l PSVR

No Man’s Sky is scheduled to receive its new “Beyond” update this summer, which will add new features and continue to transform the game from what it was at launch a few years ago. Hello Games is being quiet about the specifics other than more multiplayer features, but Sony confirmed during the presentation that a VR mode will be releasing alongside the update.

Concrete Genie

Concrete Genie - Story Trailer | PS4

The inventive adventure game Concrete Genie looks to tell an emotional story complete with supernatural and magical elements, and in the latest trailer, we see the bullied protagonist Ash chased down the streets by a group of bullies before being transported to a different location. The game features a painting mechanic prominently and is scheduled to arrive this autumn with a VR mode.

You’ve got to be Liu Kang

Mortal Kombat 11 – Old Skool Vs. New Skool Trailer | PS4

Mortal Kombat 11 confirmed even more characters in the lead-up to its April 23 release. During the presentation, developer NetherRealm Studios revealed that Liu Kang, Jax, and Kung Lao will all be appearing in the game, complete with some very deadly fatality moves. They will interact with past versions of themselves, as will veteran fights like Johnny Cage.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…

Gaming

Xbox Games Showcase can succeed where the PlayStation Showcase struggled

Senua stares ahead wearing war paint.

If there’s one video game presentation happening over the next week that has the most to prove, it’s the Xbox Games Showcase. Despite a strong start to the year with Hi-Fi Rush and a solid Developer Direct showcase, Microsoft’s gaming branch has floundered in recent months because of struggles with its acquisition of Activision Blizzard and the rocky launch of Redfall. With the Xbox Games Showcase and Starfield Direct Double Feature, Microsoft must reconfirm its commitment to gaming and to releasing high-quality first-party exclusives.

That said, Xbox is in an excellent position to do just that because of Sony’s underwhelming May showcase. As the first major gaming presentation of the summer, Sony had the chance to “win” the whole game reveal season early with its PlayStation Showcase. Ultimately, that live stream proved disappointing because of its focus on CGI reveal trailers and live service games.

Gaming

PlayStation Showcase teased Sony’s live service future, but I’m not impressed yet

playstation showcase live service games reveals marathon

Ahead of the May 2023 PlayStation Showcase, I wrote that the presentation needed to “elicit confidence in Sony’s future with live service.” Well, multiplayer-focused live service games did end up being a big part of the show, but I can’t say I’m that confident in them yet.
Between neat looks at single-player exclusives like Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and Synapse, Sony revealed four live-service games that it's publishing. Those games are Haven Studios’ Fairgame$, Arrowhead Studios’ Helldivers 2, Bungie’s Marathon, and Firewalk Studios’ Concord. The fact that these accounted for almost every major first-party announcements of the show signals that we’re entering a new era for Sony: one where multiplayer rules.
Over the past year or so, PlayStation Studios has made it very clear that it’s trying to break into the games-as-a-service sector now that it’s perfected the single-player adventure with games like Horizon Forbidden West and God of War: Ragnarok. Unfortunately, these early live service announcements raised more concerns than hope, which isn’t a great start when it comes to establishing a new direction for PlayStation.
A live service showcase
Haven’s sci-fi PvPvE heist game Fairgame$ was the PlayStation Showcase’s opening, and honestly, it wasn’t a memorable first showing. The trailer was purely cinematic, but its shots were composed like they were live gameplay. That still feels misleading 18 years after Sony did it with Killzone 2, even if it clarified it at the start of the trailer. It also means I don’t have a good idea of how this game will be structured and when I’ll have a chance to play it. All I know is that this is an anti-capitalist game that will probably also be a heavily monetized live service experience. It wasn’t a strong show opener; at least, like all of the other titles on this list, it’s also coming to PC.

Fairgame$ was followed up by the long-awaited reveal of Helldivers 2, a sequel to an entertaining 2015 PS Plus sci-fi top-down shooter. To Helldivers 2’s credit, it had the most honest-feeling showing of these games, with a trailer that showed lots of impressive third-person action gameplay and even gave a 2023 release window. Even if its anti-capitalist undertones were a bit similar to Fairgame$, this was the style of reveal I was hoping to see from Sony’s live service announcements. Unfortunately, it was the only live service game reveal to feature any actual gameplay.
After a break from live service announcements, Bungie emerged to reveal that it was reviving Marathon as a sci-fi PvP extraction shooter. While it’s very surprising to see Marathon coming back and that Bungie is making something other than Destiny, it was a purely cinematic trailer that leaned into its techno-futuristic aesthetics -- much like Fairgame$’s reveal trailer. A dev diary released after the reveal also says that we’ll need to wait a while to learn more and see gameplay. But you can buy a $77 shirt based on this game we don’t know much about yet, though.

Gaming

The most exciting PlayStation Showcase trailers you shouldn’t miss

A planet floats in the sky in Marathon.

Sony returned to its long-form PlayStation Showcase format today with an hourlong reveal stream showing off what's next for the PlayStation 5. The stream was filled with plenty of exciting announcements, from a remake of Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater to a spectacular Marvel's Spider-Man 2 trailer. Those were just a few of the games shown off during the stream though, which was packed with trailers.

There was a lot to see and no one would blame you if you missed a few things during the hour. From astonishing indie games from celebrated studios to a mysterious new project from Bungie, these are the trailers you need to catch up on if you missed the show.
Marvel's Spider-Man 2
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 | Gameplay Reveal