PlayStation Showcase 2023: Spider-Man 2, Metal Gear Solid, Alan Wake 2 and more

Summer is almost upon us, which means that the gaming industry is slowly getting into a season of flashy and large-scale video game launches from major publishers and platformers. Sony were the first to take the stage, holding PlayStation Showcase 2023 late on the evening of May 24, 2023. The presentation lasted for almost 1 hour and 15 minutes, and during this time the gaming fans could see a lot of announcements about the games and gaming devices. Below you can see all the major announcements and premieres that were shown at PlayStation Showcase 2023.

Presentation announcements

The presentation kicked off with a cinematic trailer for the game Fairgames, which is being developed by Haven Studios. The head of the development team is Jade Raymond, former producer of the Assassin's Creed series. The game will be grounded in team heists.

After an introduction from Jim Ryan, President and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment, we were shown a trailer for Helldivers 2 from Arrowhead Game Studios. It will be released on PC and PS5 in 2023.

Ascendant Studios unveiled Immortals of Aveum, a magical first-person action game. The project will be released as part of EA Originals on July 20 this year.

After the success of the original Ghostrunner, Polish studio One More Level has announced Ghostrunner 2. The game's graphics have been beefed up and motorbike riding has been added. Specific release date the developers have not indicated, it is only known that the project is expected in 2023.

Phantom Blade 0 has attracted the attention of many players. This game clearly belongs to the souls-like category, but it boasts colorful graphics and detailed motion animations. From the trailer, you can see that the game is presented in a dystopian Japanese style. One of the most heresy announcements of the presentation. The game is a PS5 exclusive.

The creators of such great games as Journey and ABZU have unveiled the new game Sword of the Sea. The project looks extremely recognisable visually, with elements of minimalism. Overall, we should expect an enjoyable game in terms of gameplay, with a deep message or metaphor as usual.

Also at PlayStation Showcase 2023, fans of various puzzles and riddles have not been spared. A sequel to The Talos Principle has been announced, which is considered to be one of the most entertaining of the genre in recent years. The Talos Principle 2 will be released in 2023 on all major platforms.

Nomada Studio, the creators of award-winning indie game Gris, have unveiled their next game. It's called Neva. It is not yet clear what the genre focus of the project will be, but we should expect a platformer with drawn graphics. Highly anticipated release in 2024.

The Gentlebros studio announced another part of Cat Quest. The new game will be subtitled Pirates of the Purribean. The release is scheduled for 2024. The game can already be added to your wishlist.

Square Enix continues to shine with "fresh" ideas. The publisher has unveiled Foamstars, a session-based third-person shooter clearly inspired by Nintendo's Splatoon series. A release date is not yet known.

Publisher Devolver Digital also made an appearance at the presentation. They're publishing a game from All Possible Futures studio called The Plucky Squire. The adventure indie action game, whose events unfold in three dimensions, is due out this year.

Teardown, which was released on the Windows platform back in 2020, will make its way to the PlayStation 5 this year.

The long-awaited Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater remake was announced. Together with this Konami revealed that the first three Metal Gear Solid games will be released on PlayStation 5 in the fall of 2023.

The developers from Dreamlit Games revealed Towers of Aghasba, an open-world game where you have to balance between flying platforms.

Square Enix continues to share trailers for Final Fantasy 16, the next full-length iteration in the legendary series. The game boasts beautiful graphics, a combat system, and The International rugged storyline. The game will be available to play in Final Fantasy 16 on the 22nd of June.

The first full trailer with gameplay shots of Alan Wake 2 was presented by Remedy studio. Continuation of the story of the same name writer, trapped in a world of shadows, will be released on October 17 this year on all major platforms. It is worth noting that the game will have the Ukrainian localization.

Ubisoft have shown the Assassin's Creed Mirage trailer. Events will unfold in Baghdad, and the game will be done in the spirit of the series before the trilogy Origins, Odyssey, Valhalla. More stealth, more stealthy assassinations, and overall the game will move away from a lot of action. The next installment of the legendary series will see the light of day on October 12th.

The creators of Night in the Woods have announced Revenant Hill, a game in the same universe and with a similar graphical style.

Cygames has unveiled Granblue Fantasy: Relink. The new installment of the Granblue Fantasy RPG series. It's set to release in the winter of 2023.

Capcom continues to share the details about Street Fighter 6. The game will be released very soon, namely on June 2 this year.

Ultros action-platformer from Hadoque studio will be released in 2024. Metroidvania boasts acid style and unusual drawing.

The long-awaited sequel to Dragon's Dogma has also been unveiled. The original was released 10 years ago. The action-RPG game boasts beautiful graphics and a story focus. The first trailer does not reveal the project's release date.

Scott Cawthon continues to squeeze the most out of the Five Nights at Freddy's franchise. Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted 2 is the sequel to the 2019 game. More details about this survival horror project were not shown, the release is scheduled for the end of the year.

Next, a whole block of the presentation was devoted to games for PlayStation VR2. Resident Evil 4 VR Mode, Arizona Sunshine 2, Crossfire Sierra Squad, Synapse and Beat Saber Queen Music Pack were presented. Overall, it's clear that Sony is worried about its VR direction and is trying to delight players with new projects for the freshly released PSVR2.

After the purchase of Bungie, it was a matter of time before the big name studio would unveil its new project under the wing of PlayStation. This was Marathon, made in a light biopunk style. The developers did not provide any details about the release date or gameplay footage. According to the announcement of Xbox at the end of the presentation, Marathon will also be released on Microsoft platforms.

Along with this, Bungie announced another add-on for Destiny 2. It's called Destiny 2 The Final Shape. After a short trailer the developers said that the presentation with lots of details will be held on the 22nd of August this year.

Firewalk Studios have unveiled a new multiplayer PvP shooter called Concord. The game will be made in a sci-fi setting. The game will be released in 2024 for PlayStation and PC.

Sony could not but advertise the Gran Turismo movie adaptation. They have shown another trailer for the film. Gran Turismo will be available in cinemas in August this year.

After that, Jim Ryan appeared on viewers' screens again to introduce two new devices in the PlayStation family. This was Project Q, a handheld device that allows streaming from the PS5 to the 8 inch screen of this very device via Wi-Fi. Also shown were the PlayStation Earbuds, the headphones in TWS format.

The last game shown at PlayStation Showcase 2023 was Spider-Man 2. The trailer showed both cinematic footage and gameplay. Of the characters, Kraven the Hunter and Peter Parker's Spider-Man, who was dressed in a symbiotic Venom costume, made an appearance. Gameplay-wise, the game is similar to its predecessor. We will be allowed to play as both Peter Parker and Miles Morales. The release is scheduled for autumn 2023.

Conclusion

In general the Sony presentation turned out to be really good. At PlayStation Showcase 2023 there were few filler inserts with talks and a lot of trailers and announcements. In just over an hour fans got a concentrated dose of games. The company continues to develop its various areas, including PSVR2, and has unveiled new devices from the PlayStation ecosystem that will allow you to play your favourite games anywhere in your flat or home. Let's see how the other major players in the market, especially Microsoft, respond.