Skip to main content

PlayStation in 2021: Sony presses its advantage with a string of big exclusives

God of War, Horizon, Gran Turismo and more look to drive PS5 into new homes all year.

All signs indicate that PlayStation 5 came roaring out of the traps when it went on sale at the end of last year. It was to be expected: the new Sony console had a number of advantages over its Xbox rivals, including momentum from the previous generation, brand loyalty in many markets and a stronger line-up of launch software (which is to say any new exclusive games at all).

Xbox Series X and S sold well too, though, and Microsoft can point to several strategic initiatives to show that it is playing a long game: its cloud gaming platform, its mass-market play with Series S, its Game Pass subscription service and its recent studio acquisition spree, culminating in the purchase of Bethesda. The acquisitions won't see full fruit for a couple of years yet, but Microsoft can afford to bide its time and watch these plays gather momentum. Sony, by contrast, needs to hit the ground running and push hard to sell, sell, sell PS5s while selling games consoles is still a thing. It really only has one strategy for this: exclusive games.

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, seen in impressive gameplay footage from its reveal last year, is Sony's early 2021 PS5 showcase.Watch on YouTube

Fortunately for Sony, this is the best strategy, proven time and again over the years, not least by Nintendo. And it is a strategy Sony is enviably well equipped for, having spent a quarter-century building a network of talented first-party studios and publishing eye-catching marquee games to critical acclaim. This is how come the company was ready for PS5 launch - in terms of quality, if not quantity - with cross-gen crowd-pleaser Spider-Man: Miles Morales, brilliant freebie Astro's Playroom and PS5-exclusive fan-bait Demon's Souls. It looked a little thin on paper but in the real world, at the end of a pandemic year, it was a mighty impressive showing.

Worldwide Studios, the production group led by former Guerrilla boss Hermen Hulst, is pledging to keep up the pace. There are no less than four major releases in fan-favourite PlayStation franchises scheduled for 2021. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, from recently acquired Spider-Man dev Insomniac, is due in the first half of the year; it might be our strongest indication yet of the new experiences these consoles can offer, with PS5's fast loading enabling instant, seamless transitions between the game's colourful and bustling worlds. Issuing from deep within Insomniac's comfort zone, it should be an uncomplicated blast, too.

Gran Turismo 7.

Gran Turismo 7 seems to have drifted from a first-half release window to just '2021', which might set alarm bells ringing - Polyphony Digital's record of delivering its totemic racing series on time is less than stellar. But the game is understood to be pretty far along, reaping the benefits of Gran Turismo Sport's all-new, next-gen-ready technology base and progressive approach to building a content library. Essentially, Polyphony half-skipped a generation to make sure it would be ready to grace PS5 with the kind of weighty release PlayStation fans associate with the series. (Incredibly, it looks likely Polyphony will beat its formerly much more prolific rival Turn 10 to market. Both studios released their last games in late 2017, but Forza Motorsport's reboot is seemingly still some way off.)

In the second half of the year we are due sequels to two of Sony's biggest and most beloved hits of the PS4 era. Open-world action-adventure Horizon: Forbidden West from Guerrilla - doubtless a graphically lush and sprawling game, even though it will grace PS4 as well as PS5 - has been pinned to the second half of the year. And God of War: Ragnarok, about which next to nothing is known beyond its unsurprising existence, also has a 2021 date.

Horizon: Forbidden West.

If any of these games slip into next year, it will be God of War. Nevertheless, as a publishing schedule it remains a powerful statement of intent - the definition of bringing out the big guns. Horizon, Gran Turismo and God of War are all potential 10-million-sellers and they will all sell consoles by the truckload - although it's worth restating that, of these games, only GT7 and Ratchet & Clank are guaranteed PS5 exclusives. (Sony's commitment to generational shift has, it seems, melted slightly in the face of the sales potential represented by PS4's titanic install base.)

There is more. In March, we get Returnal, a Sony-published sci-fi shooter from Finland's Housemarque. PS5 players can also expect two very alluring timed console exclusives from the unlikeliest source - Microsoft-owned Bethesda. Arkane's assassination Groundhog Day, Deathloop, and the striking paranormal action game Ghostwire: Tokyo from Shinji Mikami's Tango Gameworks might not be blockbusters, but they both have serious conceptual style.

Ghostwire: Tokyo.

Perhaps the least clear part of the picture is what the major third-parties intend to do. There are precious few AAA releases confirmed for 2021 as it stands, and we don't yet know when publishers like Ubisoft, EA and Activision will feel comfortable releasing their games exclusively on the new consoles rather than going cross-gen. Of the few games that have been announced, Resident Evil Village and Far Cry 6 stand out, and of course there is the remarkable prospect of Grand Theft Auto 5 extending its unbroken seven-year run into a third hardware generation.

But such is Sony's publishing clout that it barely needs third-parties to get through this year. It has a fantastic slate. If it all comes together in what continues to be an extremely challenging working environment for just about everyone, it will be just the start PlayStation 5 needs. If games sell consoles - and they do - then PS5 is going to have a great year. And it will.

Read this next

seductrice.net
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
prowp.net
webmanicura.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
kftz5k.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
casino-natali.com
iprofit-internet.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
healthandfitnesslives.com
androidnews-jp.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
britsmile.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
kakakpintar.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
rajasthancarservices.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
hemendekor.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com