Email us at PSPodcast@sony.com!

Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google or RSS, or download here

This week, this team recaps the latest news from State of Play, and chats with Naughty Dog Lead Game Designer Emilia Schatz about level design and Pride in gaming.

Stuff We Talked About

• Deathloop
• Lost Judgment
• Moss: Book II
• Arcadegeddon
• Death Stranding Director’s Cut
• The Last of Us Part II (Interview with Emilia Schatz begins at 32:50)
• Astro’s Playroom

The Cast

Sid Shuman – Senior Director of Content Communications, SIE

Tim Turi –  Manager, Content Communications, SIE

Kristen Zitani – Senior Content Communications Specialis

Read more

Last week, we asked you to soak in the summer sun from your favorite games using #PSshare #PSBlog. From beachy shores or green summer fields, here are this week’s seasonal highlights: 

JRPyznar explores a beachy scene in Astro’s Playroom.

CGBehemoth shares the blue waters of Hitman 3.

imroyank lounges in the sun of Fortnite.

M_Joe_Hort is ready to surf in GTA Online.

TysonaterVA shares Aloy enjoying a sun-dappled break in Horizon Zero Dawn.

AhmadYuanda_1st says, “It’s Summer, time to Porky Party” with this share from Far Cry 5.

Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week? 

THEME: Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart – Photo Mode

SUBMIT BY: Wednesday 9 AM PT on July 14

Next week, we’re diving into Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart’s newly updated Photo Mode! Share epic interdimensional moments using new sticker packs and colored backgrounds using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.

Welcome back! Last month’s PS5 chart was a busy one, with big debuts from Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Chivalry 2, Guilty Gear Strive, and Scarlet Nexus, while Cyberpunk 2077, Beat Saber, and Fortnite topped the PS4, PS VR, and Free-to-Play charts, respectively. Peruse the full rundown below.

PS5 Games

*Naming of products may differ between regions
*Upgrades not included

PS4 Games

*Naming of products may differ between regions

Hello, Travelers! On behalf of the entire Genshin Impact team, we’re very pleased to share with you that Inazuma, the much-anticipated third city of the seven major cities, will finally arrive with the upcoming Version 2.0 The Immovable God and the Eternal Euthymia on July 21.

Today, for the first time, we’re going to take you on a short tour of the unique cultural landscapes of this major city completely surrounded by the ocean, and the beings that inhabit it. Meanwhile, we’d also like to share some latest features and supports added to PlayStation, including the cross-save function among PlayStation, PC, and mobile.

The Nation That Seeks “Eternity”

While Mondstadt believes in freedom and Liyue honors contracts, Inazuma and its ruler, Raiden Shogun, the Electro Archon, pursues eternity. But what makes the Archon with the power of the fleeting lightning seek eternity? As the story unfolds, this will be a theme that runs through your adventure in Inazuma.

In contrast to her Almighty Shogun’s pursuit of eternity, Inazuma is a place where you can find ephemeral beauty everywhere. Unlike the clear sunny days in Mondstadt and Liyue, the weather in Inazuma changes quickly and drastically, tinting the landscapes with a strong sea breeze, flickering light and shadow, and raging thunderstorms in the blink of an eye.

The Inazuma area consists of six main islands and a series of islets scattered across the ocean, each with a unique landscape and history. You may visit the Grand Narukami Shrine and Sacred Sakura on the mountain of Narukami Island, or admire the blooming cherry blossoms and the magnificent Tenshukaku where the Shogun resides at in Inazuma City. You may also witness the giant skeleton and the palpable aura of the Tatarigami at Yashiori Island where the Raiden Shogun battled a great serpent, or traverse the desolate coastline where lies the ruins of war at Tatarasuna. You may also find yourself getting lost in the area shrouded in thunderstorms, or stumble into huge mysterious underground areas and ruins hidden beneath the sea surface.

With Version 2.0, we’re only releasing three of the six main islands of Inazuma. There are many more landmarks and locations with distinct scenery, stories, secrets, and their respective connections to the history of Inazuma and the Electro Archon waiting for the Trav

Hello everyone! It is with great pleasure that today, Kojima Productions can officially announce Death Stranding Director’s Cut is in development and will arrive on the PlayStation 5 console on September 24, 2021.

Death Stranding Director’s Cut is the definitive experience

Featuring the unique Social Strand System which allows players to stay connected with other players from around the globe*, Death Stranding Director’s Cut will enable players to experience Death Stranding, the genre-defying open world action-adventure game starring Norman Reedus, Mads Mikkelsen, Léa Seydoux and Lindsay Wagner, fully remastered and expanded for PS5 consoles.  

Play Video

Tomorrow is in your hands

In the future, a mysterious event known as the death stranding has opened a doorway between the living and the dead, leading to creatures from the afterlife roaming the fallen world marred by a desolate society.

As Sam Bridges, your mission is to deliver hope to humanity by connecting the last survivors of a decimated America.

Can you reunite the shattered world, one step at a time?

New Delivery Order! Enhanced and expanded content

Death Stranding Director’s Cut is packed with a ton of new content and enhanced gameplay features. We are introducing more weapons, equipment and vehicles, a variety of new modes, missions and areas to explore, expanded storylines, and enhancements to the UI. We will also be adding new online features including Friend Play and Leaderboards, more news on that coming soon!

Today however, I wanted to take this time to clear up a few things that have been floating around following our teaser release during Summer Games Fest back on June 10 … if you didn’t see it, check it out here…

Play Video Read more

Miss the live broadcast earlier today? We’ve got all of today’s news collected in one handy spot!

Play Video

Catch the highlights of the latest State of Play episode with this quick video recap.

Moss: Book II

Play Video

Quill returns in this intriguing follow-up to one of the most beloved PS VR titles of all time. Get your first look in today’s brand new trailer.

Arcadegeddon

Play Video Read more

Hello everyone! It is with great pleasure that today, Kojima Productions can officially announce Death Stranding Director’s Cut is in development and will arrive on the PlayStation 5 console on September 24, 2021.

Death Stranding Director’s Cut is the definitive experience

Featuring the unique Social Strand System which allows players to stay connected with other players from around the globe*, Death Stranding Director’s Cut will enable players to experience Death Stranding, the genre-defying open world action-adventure game starring Norman Reedus, Mads Mikkelsen, Léa Seydoux and Lindsay Wagner, fully remastered and expanded for PS5 consoles.  

Play Video

Tomorrow is in your hands

In the future, a mysterious event known as the death stranding has opened a doorway between the living and the dead, leading to creatures from the afterlife roaming the fallen world marred by a desolate society.

As Sam Bridges, your mission is to deliver hope to humanity by connecting the last survivors of a decimated America.

Can you reunite the shattered world, one step at a time?

New Delivery Order! Enhanced and expanded content

Death Stranding Director’s Cut is packed with a ton of new content and enhanced gameplay features. We are introducing more weapons, equipment and vehicles, a variety of new modes, missions and areas to explore, expanded storylines, and enhancements to the UI. We will also be adding new online features including Friend Play and Leaderboards, more news on that coming soon!

Today however, I wanted to take this time to clear up a few things that have been floating around following our teaser release during Summer Games Fest back on June 10 … if you didn’t see it, check it out here…

Play Video Read more

Prowling stealthily across rooftops or tearing through the streets of Blackreef in a hail of bullets. Finding a hidden entrance or busting in through the front door. There are many ways to reach your objectives in Deathloop. Our target in this extended look at the game is the Visionary Aleksis “The Wolf” Dorsey. Watch Colt infiltrate his well-guarded nightly party and take him down in this first extended look at Deathloop, with commentary from Dinga Bakaba, Game Director at Arkane Lyon.

Deathloop launches on console exclusively on PlayStation 5 on September 14, 2021.

Play Video

Tips to master the island of Blackreef

If you were paying close attention in that gameplay, you might have noticed some handy tips for tackling Blackreef and its many obstacles.

The writing is on the wall… and in the air… and everywhere

All across Blackreef you’ll spot messages for Colt. Often they seem like helpful pieces of advice or guidance, but sometimes the messages are disjointed or confusing. They’ll start making more sense when you uncover more of the secrets hidden on the island, but you’ll learn to rely on them from the earliest moments of your adventure on Blackreef.

Watch and listen

Learning from each loop is vital to mastering the island and uncovering its secrets. Of course, there’s the high-value information regarding the Visionaries and their routines, but there are also smaller conversations happening everywhere on the island.  If you slow down and pay attention, you may learn something helpful. Like, maybe something a careless Eternalist lets slip about a back door into Aleksis’ party?

If at first you don’t succeed…

… Mix it up a little. Experiment with different playstyles. Maybe certain areas or missions are more suited to a stealthy, panther-like approach, while others are just begging for the razzle dazzle of an explosive entrance. You’re in a time loop. Play around and try something new.

Hey everyone! SEGA is proud to be a part of the latest State of Play and raise the curtain on new gameplay for Lost Judgment, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’s upcoming action noir thriller.

Tokyo District Court, 2021.

A convicted police officer reveals the location of a murder victim’s body, the man who had once bullied his late son. Private detective Takayuki Yagami is called to investigate the impossible case of two crimes committed at once. But what starts out as a straightforward tale of revenge bleeds into a growing criminal network, a flawed legal system, and those who would take advantage of both.

It’s up to you and Yagami to hunt down the truth, even if it means scaling buildings, going deep undercover, or breaking out the martial arts to defend yourself when push comes to punch.

Play Video

The new trailer showcases two of Yagami’s new investigative actions: athletics and stealth. Take detective work to new heights by scaling buildings and smooth acrobatics to access otherwise unreachable areas. Stealth can be used to sneak past security or silent takedowns to get a goon out of the picture without making a scene. 

…But if making a scene is unavoidable, Yagami has access to three combo-heavy, flashy martial arts styles: Crane, Tiger, and the new Snake style. The Snake style’s advantage is redirecting an opponent’s attacks right back at them for more merciful takedowns. Each style rewards active play and meter management in a unique way. 

Yagami’s leads take you across several districts of Japan and into a local high school where he must get to the root of how a mysterious rise in delinquency is connected to his case. In order to “infiltrate” the school, Yagami goes undercover as an outside counselor advising the activity clubs. 

In comes the School Stories, where you can befriend students fr

We are proud to reveal our first game footage of “Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles” “Tsuzumi Mansion” episode in solo play mode. In this broadcast we give a brief look at PS5 gameplay.

Play Video

The game’s solo play mode features the stories of the anime’s “Tanjiro Kamado, Unwavering Resolve Arc” up through the “Mugen Train Arc,” where players walk the path of the protagonist, Tanjiro Kamado, and re-experience his story. Players will find themselves immersed in the world of “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba” as depicted in the manga and anime as they explore the locations and battle demons alongside familiar allies.

In the solo play mode’s “Tsuzumi Mansion” episode, players will get to take control of other characters besides Tanjiro, including Zenitsu Agatsuma and Inosuke Hashibira. As these characters, they will be besieged by attacking demons as they explore inside.

While Tanjiro has a basic skillset with high controllability, Zenitsu’s and Inosuke’s fighting styles are different. Zenitsu uses his speed to his advantage, employing his only skill in a way that allows for continuous attacks. Inosuke has high offensive capabilities and impressive charging skills. Please enjoy the various character skills, controllability, mannerisms, and dialogue featured in the solo play mode!

The game is heading toward a global release on October 15, 2021. We look forward to telling you more about both the game’s solo play and Versus modes, so stay tuned!

• State of Play July 2021: All trailers and complete recap
• Read more