Earlier this week, the prophecy was fulfilled: Spyro the Dragon's long rumoured remade trilogy finally got an official announcement and a confirmed release date. But with the hype came a rather troubling realisation: September is now absolutely stuffed full of big games on PlayStation 4 -- so stuffed that we've felt the need to sit down and write about it.

Okay, let's start at the beginning. Back on the 1st February, Red Dead Redemption 2 was hit with a delay. Originally due to launch in Spring, Rockstar's blockbuster was pushed back to the 26th October, and with that confirmed date, it was one of the first end-of-year heavy hitters to be officially added to the release calendar.

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This announcement seemingly sent many big publishers flying into a state of panic. No one wants to go up against Red Dead Redemption 2 -- a game that's likely going to rip sales charts to shreds for years to come if the insane success of Grand Theft Auto V is anything to go by.

Even the mighty Activision doesn't want to deal with Red Dead. In March, the mega publisher announced Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, but slapped it with a somewhat surprising launch date. Typically, Call of Duty occupies the first week of November with other games scrambling to avoid it, but that's not the case this year. Instead, Black Ops 4 hits two weeks ahead of Red Dead on the 12th October, as if it's trying to duck out of a possible clash.

And when a franchise as colossal as Call of Duty is being pushed around, you can bet everyone else will follow suit. Thus, we come to September 2018, a month that's become the de facto dumping ground for every game that doesn't want to tangle with Rockstar's giant.

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This is what September 2018 currently looks like for PS4:

Now at first glance, those four games may not look like much, but you have to break it down. Barring any huge cock-ups, Spider-Man is a surefire blockbuster -- there's no reason that game shouldn't sell like crazy. Potentially, the same is true of Spyro: Reignited Trilogy. People went nuts for Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy last year, and the exact same thing could happen for everyone's favourite purple dragon. Never underestimate the power of nostalgia.

Meanwhile, Shadow of the Tomb Raider may not quite sit on the same level, but you'd imagine that it'll still do well for itself. The franchise certainly has a heft to it, and with a slew of strong review scores, it could definitely shift a healthy amount of copies. But even with that said, it's still set to be a casualty of an overcrowded release window. Sandwiched between Spider-Man and the Spyro Trilogy, a week apart from each? That's an unenviable position to be in.

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Unfortunately for Dragon Quest XI, we reckon it's all but doomed unless Square Enix moves it somewhere else. Trying to find a decent foothold as a Japanese role-playing game is difficult enough, but launching just three days before Spider-Man makes it a near impossible task. Hardcore fans will still go out and grab a copy, but any positive word of mouth that usually drives a more niche title like Dragon Quest will be cancelled out as less involved onlookers save their cash for Spidey. The same's true of the press surrounding Dragon Quest's release -- it's going to get smothered within a matter of hours as Marvel's juggernaut edges closer.

So yeah, there may only be four games on that list, but it's already looking decidedly rough. Add in the fact that FIFA 19 will probably be thrown into the mix -- a franchise that tends to deploy around the end of September -- and things get even crazier.

But it doesn't end there. Numerous notable games are currently pegged with a vague "2018" release window and could potentially drop in September. There's Valkyria Chronicles 4, Dreams, Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown, SoulCalibur VI, Code Vein, Darksiders III, and Battlefield 2018 to name a few. And let's not forget poor Yakuza: Kiwami 2, which is due out on the 28th August, just before all of this madness kicks off. As if releasing Yakuza 6 just three days before God of War wasn't bad enough...

So, we think September's looking a bit too crowded for its own good, but do you agree? Will something have to give, or do you think there's nothing to worry about? Have your say in our polls, and then feed us your delicious opinions in the comments section below.

Is September 2018 too crowded on PS4? (228 votes)

  1. Yes, it's way too much13%
  2. Yeah, it's a bit overcrowded43%
  3. Meh, it's not that crowded11%
  4. Nah, it's busy but that's not a bad thing18%
  5. No, it's absolutely fine14%

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Which September PS4 games do you plan on buying at this point? (448 votes)

  1. Dragon Quest XI16%
  2. Shadow of the Tomb Raider19%
  3. Spider-Man39%
  4. Spyro: Reignited Trilogy21%
  5. I don't plan on buying any of them5%

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Which September PS4 games, if any, do you think will be delayed? (260 votes)

  1. Dragon Quest XI27%
  2. Shadow of the Tomb Raider27%
  3. Spider-Man9%
  4. Spyro: Reignited Trilogy4%
  5. None of them will be delayed33%

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