How can the unpredictable be predicted? 2020 has been, for all people on the planet, the strangest year imaginable, and now, as we look forward to 2021, it is almost impossible to imagine what the future holds. However, the show has to go on and our annual PlayStation predictions are part of the New Year ritual here Push Square. This is what we expect from the next twelve months.
Sammy Barker, editor
E3 is over. Who knows what the state of the world will be next summer? I don’t, that’s for sure. However, even if it is is sure to hold conventions in June (I don’t think so), I think E3 is done. You may recall, before the coronavirus pandemic finally took off, that many companies were withdrawing from E3 2020. I argued at the time that it may be a disguised blessing. But now I think the show is definitely done – publishers have shown this year that it’s best to advertise games on their own terms and that there’s no real purpose anymore. COVID-19 will finally determine if there is a show in 2021, but I think advancing this annual industry boom has had its day.
Starfield receives a full-price PS5 release a month after Xbox. The fact is that, at the time of writing, Microsoft has not yet officially acquired Bethesda and I think Starfield is scheduled to release in 2021. With Fallout 4 and Fallout 76, the company did not officially debut them until around of the six months before the release, so I guess it’s almost finished. And, until a few months ago, the company would have been planning to release it on the PS5 (there was even talk that Sony was trying to secure it as a timed exclusive), so I think a lot of work has already been done . The result? The game will still be released on PS5, it will only arrive a month later, with minimal marketing support, and you will obviously have to pay the full price for it instead of getting it as part of a subscription. Better than nothing?
Uncharted is a great year. Oh, do you think Sony is done with Uncharted? You are absolutely out of your rocker. This is one of the most popular intellectual properties of PlayStation, and it’s not like there’s a new one every year: heck, the previous installment released in 2017, which is a lifetime in this industry. This year, a new Uncharted game will definitely be announced, for both PS5 and PS4, and I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if it launches in time for the holidays. I hope your marketing is closely related to the Unexplored film, which will have a rating of less than 50% on Rotten Tomatoes, but will be relatively well received by fans. Speaking of the movie, by the way: don’t be surprised if it’s available for rent exclusively on PS Store while being screened in theaters.
Robert Ramsey, assistant editor
Final Fantasy VII Remake gets an extended reissue on PS5 (and other platforms). I’m not sure what it will really mean, but I think Final Fantasy VII Remake will get some sort of improved re-release on PS5 in 2021. Maybe it will have a section where it plays like Sephiroth or something. amateur. I just feel like Square Enix has been suspiciously quiet since the release of Remake in April. Viouslybviament, this team will have gone into sequel at this point, but I still can’t leave it leaving Remake alone, not when the publisher can take advantage of other platforms.
Final Fantasy XVI gets the release date of November 2021 and then is delayed until 2022. Look, I don’t want to be a bassist, but Square Enix will totally sell us a Final Fantasy XVI release date that will end up being too soon. While reports have said the game has been in some sort of development for at least four years, I think there is still time. But that won’t stop the publisher from pumping out the trailers and showing us the game until well into the summer, before telling us it will arrive in November 2021. A few months later, it will be delayed until the spring of 2022 and so we will all shake our heads in unison. However, I can’t wait to see more of the game.
We will see Kratos ride a giant wolf in the game God of War Ragnarok. Here is my super specific prediction that will make me look like a prophet if I get it right. While I’m not convinced it will really come out this year, I think we’ll see some God of War Ragnarok game. And in this game, at some point we will see Kratos riding on a giant wolf. Probably Skoll or Hati, the wolves that chase the sun and moon in Norse mythology, but we fail too specific. By the way, the game will look crazy.
Stephen Tailby, associate editor
The Bloodborne remaster is real, and will be announced and released in 2021. I will confess that I am not the big Bloodborne fan. I appreciate it a lot, the combat, the art direction, the bosses, but it’s not my cup of tea, personally. Still, I understand the desire for a remaster (or even a sequel). This is one of the most beloved PS4 games and deserves a full treat. Want to know why Sony has been so quiet in this game for so long? It’s because you get a PS5 remaster, it’s been running for years and it incorporates everything you want; 60 frames per second, very short loading times and beautiful 4K images. Book it, it’s happening.
Spyro gets his turn with a new game. Activision has been pumping remakes of its beloved franchises, but in 2020 it went one step further with Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s Time Time. Given that Spyro’s collection of retro remakes followed the N. Sane trilogy, I think the new title starring Little Purple Dragon is next. I would expect you to follow a similar pattern. This will be a numbered sequel after the events of Year of the Dragon, and its gameplay and structure will resemble the original trilogy, albeit with some new features. I think Activision will announce this new Spyro game sometime in 2021.
MLB The Show 21 is released on various platforms and there will be memes. The famous San Diego Studio baseball simulator has been exclusive to PlayStation for many years, but as we know, that will change with the next game in the series. Show 21 will be cross-platform, will appear on Microsoft and Nintendo systems, as well as on PC. My prediction is that the quality of the game will vary from platform to platform, and this will lead to “fun” memes. The game will be subject to special control because the series has always been of such a high standard and all defects found in a version of the X or Switch series will be chosen in chunks and distributed online. I’m sure the game will be another fantastic sports simulator, I just can’t see the first cross-platform iteration being totally unscathed.
Liam Croft, lead writer
Elden Ring is finally back, but will not be released in 2021. It must be the year, right? FromSoftware’s latest title has been missing from action for a very, very long time right now. I think there will be a proper presentation during the first six months of 2021, although Elden Ring will not yet be fully prepared to hit the store shelves. A release window will be confirmed in early 2022 before the final release date for The Game Awards is announced. To add a little extra spice to this prediction, the chalice dungeons seen at Bloodborne will be back after a thorough overhaul of their mechanics and design. Get it, George RR Martin.
CD Projekt RED will release the first major piece of the Cyberpunk 2077 DLC for free. It is almost impressive how the Polish studio managed to absolutely destroy its reputation in a single week. As a result, the developer will do almost anything to regain the heart of its former devoted fans, which includes delivering the first major expansion of Cyberpunk 2077 for free. I’m not talking about the little DLC snippets that complemented The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt at launch. This will be a great story-centered expansion that introduces a whole new story to Night City. You won’t pay a penny to access it and the PS5 update will be released the same day.
Sony is offering a new subscription service that hosts PS Plus and PS Now under one roof. The Japanese giant has recently stated that it has news waiting to be answered by Microsoft’s Game Pass service. This will be a new optional subscription that combines everything PlayStation Plus has to offer with the full PlayStation Now library. Sony will promise to add more PS4 and PS5 games to the service faster, but its own titles won’t be part of the subscription from day one.
What do you think will have a future for PS5 and PS4? What are your big game predictions for 2021? What do you expect to surprise us and surprise us this coming year? Distribute everything in the comments section below.