PS5 Exclusive Returnal Looks to Be Targeting a 2021 Release Date

@get2sammyb they better have enough ps5 stock to make that a reality

I'm not usually a fan of rogue like games, but I like Housemarque and it's a PS5 exclusive, so I'll give it a shot.

Let’s get the PS5 out first and under my cabinet please Sony.
After recent slight changes to late 2020 on official boards it’s getting near but later.

Destruction All-Stars is the lowest profile exclusive I would say.

I really hope this game comes out close to launch. Housemarque have always delivered, even during the Amiga days. Not many do twitch shooters as well as Housemarque, and I'm really looking forward to what they can do with Returnal. I have high hopes for this game, could be a cult classic in the making.

@AdamNovice you are aware Sony Interactive Entertainment release games to make money as well, right? There's a damn good reason SIE want to increase not only the amount of games they release per year, but also per studio over the life cycle of the PS5... Profits.

@AdamNovice no it's not. Thankfully speaking to and listening to Sony reps they aren't thinking like you. Spider-Man Miles Morales is a 15 hour game max apparently. It's not a full AAA release. It also won't appeal to everyone. We get it, you've got a stiffy for Miles Morales, but not everyone does. Sony's own metrics tell them this. Also why should SIE leave all the holiday sales to third parties? Have you considered the fact people spent money on CoD at the launch of the PS4 because the launch line-up from Sony wasn't great? If viewing metrics are anything to go by then Demon's Souls, GT7 and Ratchet & Clank are the games that have generated the most interest.

We're also potentially looking at a global launch, and there's considerable difference between regions and what games they like. So having a broad range of games at launch will be beneficial. Sony's first parties and the XDev program look like they can fill those gaps, so why shouldn't they? Especially if they think they can shift 5m units by the close of holiday 2020?

I feel like I'm the only one who is talking about this game, nobody else even mentions it.

@GilbertXI I'm talking about it as well, it's one of the games from the reveal event I want to know most about. I want to see more on most of them, but Horizon Forbidden West, Returnal, and Demon's Souls are the games I want to see more of.

@SirAngry Horizon 2 and Destruction All-stars are the only exclusives I flat out wasn't interested in. And even then, I might get Horizon 2 somewhere down the line.

@GilbertXI you see, and that just speaks to my point, if Sony do want the fastest conversion / adoption rates ever they're going to need to cater to a lot of wide and varied tastes. Destruction Allstars, as much as it might not be for me, or indeed a game Sony would have commissioned at the start or middle of the PS4 generation, it shows they feel the need to broaden what they do. Hell, Returnal probably slots into that category too. So I'm actually looking forward to the shocks that'll come from Sony this generation.

@AdamNovice again, I have to disagree with you. Sony have generally vacated the Christmas sales period because of two reasons:

1) They didn't think they could compete with big franchises in that space.

and

2) They didn't want to compete in that sales space and potentially annoy third parties.

The sales figures for GT Sport, LBP3, Death Stranding probably had more to do with them as products.

Spider-Man launched September right? But got it's biggest sales of the year in October / November that year. I'm not arguing that Sony don't favour Summer and Easter launches, historically this generation they have, just pointing out that if their financial report plan they say they want nearly 10 games in the first year after launch and then between 4 and 5 a year going forward. They're not going to launch all those at the same time obviously. However, if they really do want the fastest adoption rate ever, then yeah front loading with 3 to 4 games over holiday and then Trickling others out over the year makes sense to me. At launch on average gamers buy 4 to 5 games in the first two to three months, why wouldn't Sony want to be 2 or 3 of them? I do happen to think Sony will have 5 to 6 games out in the first 4 months.

I think there will will be more than enough games released at launch and afterwards to keep but the most fussiest of gamer occupied. And even if there aren't you can always sprinkle some ps4 games into the mix too, which should get a boost playing them on PS5. Maybe some people want more than that but it is certainly good enough for me.

@JohnnyShoulder if I get Demon's Souls and Ratchet & Clank in the first couple of months I'll be fine. The question is how do Sony drive the fastest adoption rate of a gaming system in history? Certainly not by not releasing games. I actually think the spread of games Sony Studios have shown so far suggest Sony actually are looking to plug niche gaps, with a few blockbuster titles thrown in there to mix things up. For me if the games shown by Sony at the reveal event come across the first 12 months it's already their strongest launch in history, but there's acknowledgement within the industry that they have more to come.

@SirAngry I was impressed by the variety of games shown at the ps5 reveal stream. Not every game was for me but I didn't expect that either. Like you say there is likely more games to be announced too.

With Spider-Man MM for launch and Cyberpunk 2077 already pre-ordered for me, if we get Demon Souls Remastered and Rachet and Clank in the first couple of months of launch, those titles alone will keep me busy for a good chunk of time. Then there will be third party games to play also.

This is the game I am most looking forward to on PS5, hands down. Housemarque is one of the best developers out there.

This is why I’m not in a hurry to get a PS5 until next year, most of everything they announced is probably a little ways off. Hopefully there won’t be a shortage of consoles in the spring when I’m looking to get one.

Not sure what its targeting but it's one of my top picks. Really looking forward to knowing more about it.

@GilbertXI It was one of my favorite reveals it looked awsome.

Just delay it...... Too much going on now covid, protest , elections, evictions, unemployment , xbox don't have games to make look bad. I say next year

@TVRFLY considering they're supposedly already flying stockpiles of consoles into the US for launch (both Microsoft and Sony) I think it might be a bit late for that. lol.

@AdamNovice within the industry there's been talk of the big 5 Sony have for launch window for over a year now. Platform holders collude with publishers all the time so as to not tread on each others toes. There's also joint marketing deals. So my bet is that on or very close to launch Sony intend to have 3 games. Maybe it's 2 on day 1 and then a launch before Christmas. Or maybe 3 games day 1 and a launch before Christmas. However, given one of the studios I've done freelance work with has said they've slotted their game in after the Christmas rush and before Easter to fit in with Sony's plans, I am expecting a big Easter launch from Sony... and everything coming from Guerilla Games tells me Horizon Forbidden West is much closer to being finished than people think. They were employing "finishers" and outsourcing loose ends spring this year, that suggests s product that's entering the final push in my experience. It might slip due to Covid-19, but at this point in time I'd assume it won't slip past 2021, and you can quote me on that.

My bet has been since before the reveal that Sony wanted GT7, Demon's Souls and Ratchet and Clank at launch. Mostly because I didn't expect Spider-Man Miles Morales to be so close to finished, but hey, Insomniac are one large God damn studio now. They are currently working on 4 projects if rumours are to be believed, including R&C and SM:MM. My point being I do think Sony will front load the launch, because that's what all the noises coming out of them have suggested for two years now. Sony have way more games to come as well, including deals that many believe have been struck for third party / second party exclusives.

It was one of the better-looking titles in the presentation, along with Ghostwire: Tokyo and Demon's Souls.

@Gaia093 I always seem to forget Ghostwrite: Tokyo, but whenever I'm reminded of it I remember how much fun it looked. I'm certainly keen to see more of it that's for sure.

@GilbertXI - i'm with ya! this is a definite day1 purchase for me - i have a lot of confidence in housemarque.

@SirAngry I very much agree. Destruction all-stars does give me hope for some sort of twisted metal game in the future. one can hope.

@GilbertXI It looks so awsome the main lead is something else too. It looks cool love the setting and im sure the gameplay will.

@GilbertXI Twisted Metal World Tour i loved that game and the endings. 😃👍