Sony announce the evolution of PlayStation 4 (PS4), with a huge range of exclusive software announcements from both SCE Worldwide Studios (SCE WWS) and third party developers and publishers, System Software Update 2.0 bringing groundbreaking new features to the console and a focus on innovative new gaming experiences.
At the Gamescom trade fair in Cologne, Germany, SCEE unveiled an update for the social hub at the heart of PS4 including a revolutionary new feature called Share Play, which allows gamers to invite their friends to enjoy interactive gaming experiences they may not already own, whether it’s to help defeat a tricky section of gameplay or compete in a shared multiplayer experience.
A number of exciting new exclusive games for PS4 were unveiled including the first party horror title Until Dawn, allowing players to craft a bespoke interactive experience based on their actions and WiLD from Michel Ancel’s newly formed Wild Sheep studio. Other exclusive games unveiled included The Tomorrow Children from industry veterans Q-Games, Alienation, from Housemarque and TearawayUnfolded, a reimagining of the award-winning PlayStation Vita (PS Vita) title. Showcasing PlayStation’s focus on innovation, a variety of fresh new titles were also unveiled for PS4, including, The Vanishing of Ethan Carter from The Astronauts, Hollow Point, Rune Master both from Paradox Interactive, Hell Blade from Ninja Theory and PT from 7780s.
Away from software, SCEE also announced plans to expand its innovative PlayStation ecosystem throughout Europe, with the PlayStationNow beta due to hit the UK in 2015, as well as the announcement of the European and PAL territories launch for PlayStation TV for just €99, on the 14th November.
Showing a clear commitment to The Players, the conference featured fresh gaming experiences for the PS4 system, designed to capture the imagination and offer a glimpse of the adventurous spirit of game development. Jim Ryan, President and CEO of SCEE, began the presentation by saying: “At PlayStation, we’ve always taken the European market extremely seriously and have been fascinated by the way that Europeans embrace some of the most original, unusual and surprising experiences that we offer.”
PlayStation’s enthusiasm for exciting new content was matched by their third party developers and publishers, with the likes of Destiny from Bungie and Activision, Day Z from Bohemia Interactive, Shadow of Mordor from Warner Bros. Interactive and Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain from Konami Digital Entertainment also on show.
PLAYSTATION GAMESCOM CONFERENCE 2014 – IN SUMMARY
- As part of PlayStation’s continued commitment to The Players, this year’s conference burst out of the blocks, before Jim Ryan took to the stage, with updates on big titles from SCE WWS all available over the next six months:
- inFamous: First Light – the upcoming standalone expansion to inFamous: Second Son
- Ready at Dawn’s cinematic masterpiece - The Order: 1886
- LittleBigPlanet3 – which showed off the exciting Create potential for SackBoy and his new friends
- And a dynamic first gameplay reveal for the highly anticipated new franchise from industry legend Hidetaka Miyazaki and his studio FROM Software, Bloodborne™.
- PlayStation went on to showcase the innovation and imagination of developers across the globe, highlighting their willingness to leverage the potential of PS4 to push the envelope and provide truly breakthrough experiences. A range of unique, compelling and quirky experiences were on show to demonstrated the level of choice coming to the diverse PS4 community
- Dylan Cuthbert of the acclaimed Q-Games took to the stage to kick off this deluge of exciting titles by offering a first glimpse at their fantastical new game The Tomorrow Children
- The game is a beautifully depicted reimagining of a future world created by the after-effects of a 1960’s Soviet experiment gone wrong
Players must explore, mine, craft and battle in cooperation with each other in a bid to reinstate the human race and restore it to its former glory
- It was announced that indie favourite The Vanishing of Ethan Carter was headed to PS4
- The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is a story-driven mystery game that focuses entirely on exploration and discovery
- The game is played through first-person perspective to offer immersive storytelling – an escapist experience of discovering the secrets within another world
- Mike Bithell, independent game developer and creator of the critically lauded Thomas Was Alone then introduced a new video for his latest work, Volume, coming to PS4 later this year
- Volume is a stealth game about being heard and is a near future retelling of the Robin Hood legend starring Danny Wallace and Charlie McDonnell
- Two new titles were announced as coming first to PS4 from Paradox - Hollow Point and Rune Master
- Dean Hall, from Bohemia Interactive announced that Zombie-survival sensation Day-Z was coming to PS4
- Hell Blade, by Ninja Theory was announced to be coming first to PS4
- A new trailer for Tequila Works’ RIME was also shown, once again enthralling audiences with its beautiful art style and mysterious setting
- An additional eight indie titles were also announced to be coming first to PS4
- SCEE showcased the diverse range of partnerships across the entire gaming spectrum as well as the plethora of awe-inspiring PS4 games being produced as a result
- Eric Hirschberg, CEO of Activision Publishing and Jonty Barnes of legendary game creators Bungie showcased the latest trailer for Destiny, featuring multiplayer action on an epic scale
- An exciting partnership with Warner Bros. Interactive will offer PS4 players exclusive content for the upcoming action adventure title Shadows of Mordor, launching later this year
- Alex Hutchinson, creative director at Ubisoft, demonstrated the vast opportunities available to players using the Keys to Kyrat mechanic, making its debut in Far Cry 4
- Hideo Kojima, Head of Kojima Productions, came on stage to unveil an unusual and light hearted view of his next blockbuster game Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
- A playable teaser for PT is also now available to download exclusively from the PS Store
- Just as critical to the PlayStation experience is the technology that underpins it. With social connectivity at the heart of PS4, SCEE announced the evolution of its system software promising groundbreaking new ways to interact with this global gaming community
- System Software Update 2.0 - launching in Autumn - improves on the best-in-class innovation gamers have come to expect from PlayStation with many new features designed to take the central experience of sharing and interaction to a whole new level
- Share Play was announced as a key feature in the update; a truly groundbreaking addition that allows gamers to invite their friends to join them in a shared gameplay experience even if they don’t own the game that’s currently being played
- Whether it’s asking a friend to take over and help them overcome a particularly tricky section of gameplay or having them join in a game of intense multiplayer, Share Play is a completely new way of sharing these interactive experiences with friends
- Other feature announcements include:
- The ability to upload game footage direct to YouTube and even view it through the bespoke PS4 YouTube Player App
- And more to come
SCEE unveiled plans to expand the PlayStation ecosystem in the European markets over the coming months
- It was announced that a PlayStation Now beta would be coming to the UK in 2015 - opening the doors to a large library of PS3 games, ensuring the innovative service is the destination for all players
- SCEE announced that it would be bringing PlayStation TV to European and PAL territories for the low price of just €99, including three digital games, on the 14th November
- PlayStation TV is an entertainment system that utilises Remote Play functionality allowing players the freedom to play their favourite PS4 games on a separate television
- PlayStation TV gives players access to a vast lineup of PS Vita, PSP, and PS One classic titles, complementing the outstanding PS4 remote play experience
- Project Morpheus, made available to the public for the first time on the Gamescom showfloor, is part of PlayStation’s pursuit to reach the outer limits of immersive and breathtaking PS4 experiences that have never been seen before. It immerses players in other worlds with a full 360 degree perspective
- Senior Vice President of SCE WWS, Michael Denny, unveiled even more 1st Party exclusive games for PS4
- Built from the ground up to take full advantage of the PS4, Until Dawn is a truly next generation horror game that allows gamers to craft a bespoke interactive experience based on their actions
- Paul Rustchynsky of Evolution Studios demonstrated the social heart of DRIVECLUB, a title that is redefining the racing genre
- It was announced that the mesmerising platform adventure Tearaway will be making the jump to PS4 in a reimagining of the PS Vita hit – Tearaway Unfolded. The game has been rebuilt from the ground up to take advantage of the enhanced power of the PS4 and the unique features of DUALSHOCK 4 Wireless Controller, with new fourth-wall-busting interactions and a bigger, more beautiful world to explore
- Michael Denny closed the show by announcing two brand new IPs, developed in Europe, coming exclusively to PS4
- Alienation, developed by the hugely talented Housemarque, creators of the hit PS4 shoot-em-up RESOGUN
- WiLD, a survival adventure that offers players unlimited online interactions in a vast Celtic landscape set 10,000 years ago, was announced live at the conference
- This modern adventure tasks players with handling the primal beauty and harsh destructiveness of the natural world and everything in it, offering emergent gameplay in a living community where every other character or animal could be another player
- Developed by Wild Sheep, an all-new European studio, WiLD was built using the core philosophies of the PS4: power and sharing
