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Feature

What Games Will Be At Sony's Big Unveiling?

by Jeff Marchiafava on Feb 19, 2013 at 06:52 AM

The reveal of a next-gen system is always exciting, but as we all know, a console is only as good as its games. Join us as we take a look at Sony's first- and second-party studios and bet on what projects we think might accompany the reveal of the next PlayStation.

For each entry, we examine what franchises the developer is known for, as well as its last released game and current project (if any). We've also included GI staff predictions, which break down what percentage of editors believes the studio will have a project revealed at the press event, and if so, what that project might be.

Company: SCE Japan Studio
Known For: Ape Escape series, LocoRoco series, Patapon series, Siren series
Last Game: 2012 (Tokyo Jungle)
SCE Japan Studio is the development branch of Sony, so it's hard to believe the company won't have something to show at the PS4's unveiling – the question is what? In recent years SCE Japan has mostly collaborated with other studios on PlayStation exclusives and downloadable titles, but may be gearing up for something big for Sony's next console.

GI Staff Predictions:
Project Included In The Press Event: Yes 47% / No 53%
If Yes, What Project: Something New 100%

Company: Team Ico
Known For: Ico, Shadow of the Colossus
Last Game: 2011 (The Ico & Shadow of the Colossus Collection)
Though a subdivision of SCE Japan, Team Ico has been responsible for two of the studio's most beloved titles, as well as its most anticipated upcoming game, The Last Guardian. Team Ico has been working on the project for years, and although it's suffered a number of setbacks, Sony assures fans the game is still coming. Will it make the jump to next-gen?

GI Staff Predictions:
Project Included In The Press Event: Yes 60% / No 40%
If Yes, What Project: The Last Guardian 100%

Company: Polyphony Digital
Known For: Gran Turismo series
Last Game: 2010 (Gran Turismo 5)
Every console needs a racing series, and Polyphony has been supplying Sony with critically acclaimed installments of Gran Turismo since the original PlayStation. Polyphony hasn't released a game since 2010, but that doesn't mean the studio will have anything to show at Sony's event, given its notoriously long development schedules.

GI Staff Predictions:
Project Included In The Press Event: Yes 80% / No 20%
If Yes, What Project: Gran Turismo 92% / Something New 8%

Company: Naughty Dog
Known For: Crash Bandicoot series, Jak and Daxter series, Uncharted series, The Last Of Us
Last Game: 2011 (Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception)
While one of Naughty Dog's teams is finishing up The Last Of Us, we still don't know what Amy Hennig's team is working on. Launching the PS4 with a new Uncharted title would certainly make sense, but Naughty Dog may want to take advantage of the change in hardware to introduce a new IP to the market as well.

GI Staff Predictions:
Project Included In The Press Event: Yes 53% / No 47%
If Yes, What Project: Uncharted 62.5% / Jak and Daxter 12.5% / Something New 25%

Company: SCE Santa Monica
Known For: God of War series
Last Game: 2010 (God of War III)
While SCE Santa Monica collaborates on a wide variety of Sony games, including the recently released PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, God of War has been the studio's flagship series. SCE Santa Monica is putting the final touches on God of War: Ascension, so we don't expect the studio will have anything to show for the PS4's debut. Kratos is probably Sony's most recognizable character, however, so we shouldn't completely rule out an appearance by everyone's favorite god killer.

GI Staff Predictions:
Project Included In The Press Event: Yes 40% / No 60%
If Yes, What Project: God of War 17% / Something New 83%

Company: SCE San Diego Studio
Known For: The Mark of Kri, MLB: The Show series, Sports Champions series
Last Game: 2012 (MLB 12: The Show)
MLB 13: The Show ships just a few weeks after Sony's press event, so while MLB 14: The Show will likely debut on next-gen, we may not see it for quite some time. That said, SCE San Diego announced last March that it's working on a new Move title with Zindagi Games, which could show up at Sony's event if the next PlayStation incorporates the peripheral.

GI Staff Predictions:
Project Included In The Press Event: Yes 47% / No 53%
If Yes, What Project: MLB: The Show 57% / New Move Game 43%

Company: SCE Bend Studio
Known For: Syphon Filter series, Bubsy 3D
Last Game: 2012 (Uncharted: Fight for Fortune)
After interest in the Syphon Filter series fizzled out, Bend Studio has been relegated to portable versions of the Resistance and Uncharted series. Will the PS4 mark the developer's comeback? Probably not, unless Sony is planning to launch its next-gen system with a new Bubsy 3D.

GI Staff Predictions:
Project Included In The Press Event: Yes 7% / No 93%
If Yes, What Project: Something New 100%

Company: SCE London Studio
Known For: EyeToy series, SingStar series
Last Game: 2012 (Wonderbook)
SCE London has been relegated to EyeToy and SingStar iterations for years, but once upon a time the studio was also working on The Getaway 3 and a new, ambitious action title called Eight Days. Sony announced both projects were canceled in 2008, but SCE London later stated the projects were simply on hold. Having an exclusive open-world action game or two would be a great selling point for the PS4.

GI Staff Predictions:
Project Included In The Press Event: Yes 73% / No 23%
If Yes, What Project: Eight Days 9% / Something New 91%

Company: Sucker Punch
Known For: Sly Cooper series, Infamous series
Last Game: 2011 (Infamous 2)
Sucker Punch made headlines in 2011 when it posted a job opening for a senior producer position on the studio's "next big thing." The job posting originally listed PS3 as the intended platform, but considering we've heard neither hide nor hair of the project, we're guessing Sucker Punch has jumped to next-gen hardware. Seeing as how Sanzaru has effectively taken over the Sly Cooper series, we'd expect Sucker Punch's next title to either be Infamous 3 or something new.

GI Staff Predictions:
Project Included In The Press Event: Yes 80% / No 20%
If Yes, What Project: Infamous 67% / Something New 33%

Company: Guerilla Games
Known For: Killzone series
Last Game: 2011 (Killzone 3)
Earlier this month a rumor surfaced that Guerilla Games is working on Killzone 4 for the next PlayStation, and that it will launch in 2013. Considering Killzone is the developer's only popular IP and the company shipped its last game in 2011, the rumor seems highly plausible – as does the prospect of it making an appearance at Sony's press conference. It also doesn't hurt that Killzone 2 was present when the PlayStation 3 made its debut.

GI Staff Predictions:
Project Included In The Press Event: Yes 73% / No 27%
If Yes, What Project: Killzone 73% / Something New 27%

Company: Evolution Studios
Known For: World Rally Championship series, MotorStorm series
Last Game: 2012 (MotorStorm: RC)
Employees at Evolution Studios have taken to Twitter to build up excitement for Sony's upcoming press conference, leading many to believe the studio will have an announcement of its own at the event. The studio's last game, MotorStorm: RC was a downloadable title, so the idea the team has also been working on a next-gen title is plausible.

GI Staff Predictions:
Project Included In The Press Event: Yes 53% / No 47%
If Yes, What Project: MotorStorm 50% / Something New 50%

Company: Media Molecule
Known For: LittleBigPlanet series, Tearaway
Last Game: 2011 (LittleBigPlanet 2)
You can add Media Molecule to the list of developers recently teasing new projects; the studio added a new entry to its projects list in the form of a question mark. Media Molecule is currently working on its Vita title, Tearaway, but given the studio's value to Sony, an additional next-gen title makes sense.

GI Staff Predictions:
Project Included In The Press Event: Yes 73% / No 27%
If Yes, What Project: LittleBigPlanet 9% / Tearaway 9% / Something New 82%

Company: Clap Hanz
Known For: Hot Shots Golf series
Last Game: 2012 (Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational)
Clap Hanz has made an iteration of Hot Shots Golf for every Sony system thus far, so it's not really a matter of if the company will make a next-gen cartoony golf title, but whether or not Sony will decide to highlight it during the PS4's unveiling.

GI Staff Predictions:
Project Included In The Press Event: Yes 40% / No 60%
If Yes, What Project: Hot Shots Golf 100%

Company: Ready At Dawn
Known For: God of War (PSP installments), Daxter
Last Game: 2010 (God of War: Ghost of Sparta)
Ready At Dawn has only worked on portable titles for Sony thus far, but last year the studio announced it was working on a new triple-A IP for a next-gen console, stating it would be a third-person action/adventure game. Will we see it at the press conference?

GI Staff Predictions:
Project Included In The Press Event: Yes 20% / No 80%
If Yes, What Project: Spinoff of Existing IP 33% / Something New 67%

Company: Insomniac Games
Known For: Spyro series, Ratchet & Clank series, Resistance series 
Last Game: 2012 (Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault)
Insomniac may be taking its multiplayer-focused shooter Fuse multiplatform, but the studio has a long history of working with Sony on its exclusive Resistance and Ratchet & Clank series. Insomniac CEO Ted Price has stated the studio is done making Resistance games, but could the company be working on a new Ratchet & Clank title for the next PlayStation?

GI Staff Predictions:
Project Included In The Press Event: Yes 40% / No 60%
If Yes, What Project: Ratchet & Clank 50% / Something New 50%

Company: Sanzaru Games
Known For: Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time, The Sly Collection, Secret Agent Clank
Last Game: 2013 (Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time)
After impressing Sucker Punch with The Sly Collection, Sanzaru was given the opportunity to create a Sly Cooper adventure of its own, which just released to positive reviews. While it's doubtful Sanzaru will have anything to show at the PS4's unveiling, bringing a few beloved mascots to its new system wouldn't be a bad move for Sony.

GI Staff Predictions:
Project Included In The Press Event: Yes 7% / No 93%
If Yes, What Project: Something New 100%

Company: Supermassive Games
Known For: Start The Party, Tumble
Last Game: 2012 (Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock)
Supermassive Games is an independent developer that's been primarily creating Move-based PS3 games. The developer is currently working on a PS3 horror game, Until Dawn, and a Wonderbook title about dinosaurs. Once again, if Sony is planning for Move to be a big component of its next-gen system, we could see a new title from Supermassive making an appearance at the event.

GI Staff Predictions:
Project Included In The Press Event: Yes 0% / No 100%
If Yes, What Project: N/A

Company: Zindagi Games
Known For: Sports Champions series, Medieval Moves: Deadmund's Quest
Last Game: 2012 (Sports Champions 2)
Zindagi has been one of the Move's leading developers, collaborating with SCE San Diego on a number of projects for Sony's waning peripheral. If Sony doubles down on motion gaming for its next-gen system, there's a good chance we might see something from the project we know the two developers are currently working on.

GI Staff Predictions:
Project Included In The Press Event: Yes 47% / No 53%
If Yes, What Project: New Move Title 100%

Company: Quantic Dream
Known For: Indigo Prophecy, Heavy Rain, Beyond: Two Souls
Last Game: 2010 (Heavy Rain)
After his keynote speech at this year's D.I.C.E., David Cage told Games Industry that he has three new games planned for after Beyond: Two Souls, one of which is already in development. Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two Souls have been highly touted exclusives for Sony, and we're guessing the company wouldn't mind teasing a next-gen exclusive at its press conference if Quantic Dream is ready.

GI Staff Predictions:
Project Included In The Press Event: Yes 27% / No 73%
If Yes, What Project: Previously Rumored Title Infraworld 75% / Something New 25%

What games do you hope to see at Sony's press event? Share your picks in the comments section below.