I don't know if I should be looking forward to the next hypothetical State of Play livestream, and that's a problem. What was originally designed as an online platform for Sony to showcase upcoming PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 titles (in a very similar vein to a Nintendo Direct) has now morphed into something that even the most committed Sony fans will probably skip watching from time to time. That's because the branding has been adopted across simple gameplay trailers for past first-party titles such as Demon's Souls and Destruction AllStars. And while those games absolutely needed to be shown in the flesh at the time, it gives a very blasé feeling to the State of Play name. Obviously, Sony would communicate ahead of time if an upcoming showcase is centred around new announcements and reveals, but I don't really get that sense of excitement when the term "State of Play" is muttered anymore.
The first few streams back in 2019 were what lent some legitimacy to the idea. While there weren't loads of huge announcements that broke the internet, Final Fantasy VII Remake made its long-awaited return and Resident Evil 3 was also confirmed to be a thing during past presentations. So, you know, information worth tuning in for at least. Then came State of Play broadcasts focusing on The Last of Us: Part II, Ghost of Tsushima, and one final stream dedicated to PS4 games and a handful of PS5 experiences. At the time, Push Square editor Sammy Barker applauded Sony for allowing the project "to find its way". However, since then, I don't think the term has been used effectively.
In fact, I think this is where the State of Play branding falls apart. What followed were three random drops onto Sony's social media channels. Sid Shuman debuted the PS5 user-interface and some of its features, Demon's Souls treated us to some raw gameplay, and current PlayStation Plus title Destruction AllStars finally revealed how it actually plays. All welcome reveals, but as far as the State of Play branding is concerned, sort of obsolete. The name didn't need to feature whatsoever, simply appearing at the very start of each video as a sort of title card. There were no breaks to focus on key topics and news was barren besides the existence of the trailers themselves.
The waters have been muddied in terms of what to expect when you hear the term. It could be a digital showcase you won't want to miss, or the focus could be on a PS5 game you're not particularly interested in. And I actually did miss the drop of one of these State of Plays because I was out walking the dog on a Saturday afternoon. It almost makes me think Sony doesn't care so much about the branding anymore as it drops something noteworthy completely outside of the usual news cycle. You could argue that's a good thing as it comes as a nice surprise, but on the other hand, it could also come across as an afterthought.
What I'm trying to get at here is that if you told me Sony has a State of Play video planned to drop later this week, I don't know if I should be excited about it anymore. The branding has become confusing to a point where Sony would have to clearly describe what an upcoming showcase will detail for me to align my expectations correctly. A State of Play nowadays could mean anything from a bog-standard gameplay trailer to a long list of PS5 and PS4 reveals. I think Sony needs to correct that as digital presentations become all the more important without the likes of a physical E3 or PSX space to attend.
Do you agree with Liam's take? Does the State of Play branding need an overhaul? Place your vote in our poll and share your thoughts and feelings in the comments below.
Comments 51
I gotta say, I’ve got no qualms with State of Play. I think it’s lovely and I’m glad they began doing it!
Do we even need one right now? I don't even know what they would talk about.
I gave up. I rely on you guys to watch them and tell me what happened!
It would be a shame if with the decline of E3 as an event we might lose that time of year where we get exciting first glimpses at several upcoming games in one event/stream. It probably makes more sense to space game info out to best fit the games individually but I miss the excitement E3 used to elicit.
I don't see the problem with it. Nintendo do the same thing with their Directs where some are dedicated to individual games. Plus Sony have always been clear about what each SoP entails. The problem is more to do with people's inflated expectations with whenever these type of things happen, it's like they crave the next megaton announcement but realistically those only happen once or twice a generation. Last week's Direct reaction was typical of that where people seemed angry at not getting the game trailers they actually wanted.
They use it for multiple types of showings - similar to Nintendo directs vs. mini directs vs. indie directs. Sony has been using the State of Plays for showcases of upcoming games, but then do smaller State of Plays for specific games right before they release. I think they've done a good job labeling each one as to not confuse the fanbase or overhype the event. I don't see any problem with how they've been doing it.
I think the fact that it’s not used consistently or often kills my hype for it.
Yeah I’d like to see one but don’t really care. Hell, I can’t remember when the last one occurred.
It would be nice if it was a weekly event even if it was smaller and shorter to preview one or two games.
Im not sure it's worth thinking that deeply about Sony's State of Play presentations and what they should conform to. It not something I've ever paused for thought on, and the ones I've seen have been informative and interesting. Even if they differ wildly from one presentation to another it doesn't matter, as long as they keep us updated the format doesn't bother me.
I don't need to wait for a reveal or nugget of info to be shown on a specific video, I rather get that knowledge as soon as is possible so if that means one show has less content or appears less relevant than another I'm not bothered.
I agree with Liam. I think Sony should name their other “State of Play” differently. If it’s indie focused, give it another name. Not State of Play. Just like Nintendo has the indie world showcase, they didn’t name it direct. It’s a simple solution tbh.
I mean the poll doesnt mean much. I didnt vote because of course we dont know what to expect. I thought focusing on one game like they did was great. However who knows what next one will be?
It's like making a fuss about nothing really.
Only event I have to look forward to is the Game Awards now. State of play needs a time schedule!! Just like E3 and the Game Awards people need I set date to look forward to.
@Icey664 lol isn't that the point..?
I think the author has a point. I feel Sony’s recent approach in regards to communication and marketing in general has been buckshot.
There’s been no mainline narrative to follow, no clear platform for news, no well defined roadmap to follow and radio silence on delivering important information. The brand currently feels weak, like it’s resting on it’s laurels and it’s fan base, not like it’s forging a new and exciting path forward. Where’s the vision? I know it’s there, but I’m admittedly not really seeing it.
@JJ2 The poll isn't asking you what you expect from the next State of Play livestream. It's asking you about the branding and the expectations the name sets.
@LiamCroft
Well I'm sorry I maybe be slow today 😃
Just sounds the same to me. State of play could be deep dive into one game or could about a few announcements. I usually dont like surprises but in this case I dont mind.
State of play should be about deep dive of one game, like ghost of tsushima state of play.
@JJ2. 🤔.sony is sure taking theyre sweet time doing Another state of play.off topic what happened to February bluepoint aquisition the rumor was singing its song a lot.word up son
@wiiware I agree completely!
The main issue for me is it's hard to be excited for games coming when I now know that I won't get to play any of them until basically a year after release. The new price hike has ensured that all hype I have for any PS5 games has to be severely tempered. Because of this a state of play really doesn't offer me much no matter what they show.
I’d quite like one to just focus on 5 minute extended trailers of upcoming heavy hitters. Like dedicate 5 minutes to Gran Turismo 7, the same to Horizon, Returnal and Project Athia. A bit meatier than these CGI teasers and of games actually launching in the near future.
Id just quite like one in general to be honest. The 'post launch lull' is in full effect at the minute. Understandable but a bit of news on something would be nice to put me on.
Pretty easy solution
State of Play
General updates towards games and game announcements
State of (Title)
A SoP specifically for a certain game
State of Indie
A SoP focused on smaller scaled games
State of VR
A SoP focused on VR games.
I don't really mind keeping the banner State of Play for everything across the board but I wouldn't mind a tiny change to minimize the daily search from entitled gamers to have a reason to complain.
@JJ2 I think you've described what I expect from State of Play. It can either be a focused look at one game, or a quick look at a few. The name fits both.
I'd rather have E3, but any info is good info.
After the last 50 minute Nintendo Direct was such a huge let down to me - I'm still baffled how they left out New Pokémon Snap! which releases April 30th and will likely be one of the best sellers all year on Switch - whatever State of Play is, it is.
I wish they’d just opt for a few old school psx presentations each year for new big announcements. One in summer E3 time and one before xmas like they used to.
That can obviously be live streamed too so everyone wins.
I don't understand the point of a poll after creating bias lol, I'm sure most of the rational self thinking individuals in the world are all gonna read your opinion and not automatically agree /s
I think they should leave the State of Play banner for individual games, and drop the format when it comes to presenting multiple games at once. I really, really liked the format they used for the June PS5 event. Just game after game after game with sometimes a short summary of the game in between. It worked extremely well for me.
Think it's good but there definitely needs to be more focus on what they are actually doing. Would be great if they could have it on the ps dashboard to get live stream of it, maybe it would reach more people too. And maybe say it's on once every 3 months to focus on what is coming up.
I like the fact that it is varied to be honest. As long as its all about games I'm not fussed 😀
You start telling people what to expect then it gets overhyped to the point that it never meets expectations. But that's just my view of course.
I like the info, but I very much dislike the dehumanization feel of them.
The other day I watched Nintendo Direct and really didn't connect with how the Japanese person tried to make the viewer excited.
It was horribly bland!!
I miss the old days of E3's showcases where loads of people got bombed with new exciting trailers. Even when not present in the room I felt the excitement through the tv!!
These emotional reveals are a thing of the past, and that's a great shame!!!
The announcements of GTA5 or Horizon Zero Dawn. People went nuts!!
This just doesn't happen with these bland State of Plays.
I agree, but in general I've noticed both Sony and Nintendo making a shift away from any kind of direct marketing, and instead just dropping information on social media at random and letting it go viral. I'm not sure if this is a game industry issue, or a new "normal" where social media has become so invasive and all encompassing, that companies have learned all they have to do is throw bread crumbs out and wait for the vultures to consume and spread. In a way, they've obsolete the entire gaming press in one go. The public just hears from a friend who heard from a friend who heard from a friend who's cousins' brother works at Nintendo that Sony has a new game - here's the link.
@AdamNovice The reaction to the ND was negative because it's the first presentation of basically anything in a year and a half, and most of it was F2P and indie filler garbage (for which they've already had indie presentations.) The entire presentation that was, originally, intended to showcase what new games Nintendo as a publisher (and close partners) was bringing forward back in Iwata's era when he started it, effectively had no new games from Nintendo other than a Golf game, an ancient port, and one legit big announcement that's 1.5-2 years away, with no updates on the 5 other games they told us were coming, 4 years ago.....
It's not really that the Direct was hated. It's that Nintendo as a publisher is starting to produce anger, and people had pinned hopes on the idea that eventually they'd do a Direct and have new games to show, or at least a roadmap of the games we know about. This direct more or less confirmed that whatever is in the pipeline we know about is probably all that the console will ever get, first-party-wise. If that.
Imagine if Sony had no major new games and no major new announcements for 1.5 years, then announced an hour long State of Play, and most of it is about multiplat indies and F2Ps, an update on The Show, a feature on Destruction All Stars, and then an announcement that Killzone 5 is coming out probably holiday 2022....that's it, that's the roadmap, thanks for watching!
I’ve never really understood what it was meant to be. I guess updates on new games and features? But they’d need a constant stream of these to make a series worthwhile. Do they have this? I’m sure they would if they committed to more in depth interviews and “state of play” updates on games in development but...that would take a bigger commitment than they seem to want to do.
I don't really see the problem with them. I like how they have used them so far. Only thing that might help is sub-brand each of them, make one your yearly E3-like-state-of-play, have a partners-state-of-play and a deep-dive-state-of-play.
What I don't like is the Direct-style "voice-over" approach. Just give me only developers and trailers and I'll be fine. Announcers are so 19xx.
Honestly, I don't really get your concern. The purpose of a State of Play is to update players about the state of PlayStation games. Sometimes that's trailers, sometimes it's gameplay, sometimes it's UI info - whatever it is they've been working on. I'm not sure why there is confusion or consternation about this.
At least they do something..it would be so easy for them to just sit on their laurels and just let the sony playstation branding do the talking..i dont understand what the issue is here..its almost as if you think you can do a better job..
State of Play's purpose is the same as Nintendo Direct though Nintendo makes it clearer between the type of presentations:
Meanwhile with State of Play, everything is called State of Play.
A little off-topic, but I wish Sony would create some sort of web show to share game development news. Think behind the scenes sort of videos. They certainly can't drop huge gaming news every now and then, which is why we don't have frequent State of Plays, but talks and insights from development studios could be done in a timely fashion - and they would be quite fun to watch.
I don't know what's going on really. I see trailers for games on the PS Youtube channel and some third party publishers I follow. That's about it. Looking forward to an online event like Nintendo Direct can be fun. But these can also be a let down for some or are spoiled by leaks or other predictions. I like being surprised and happy when I watch them.
Seems like an odd thing to worry about. I mean pushsquare is comprised of a variety of different articles - the expected news, previews and reviews as well as more random items like soapbox, random and weirdness - written and/or produced by a number of contributors. Rather than dilute the pushsquare brand, the variety lends itself to a more compelling place to visit. I have no qualms if State of Play becomes a catch-all for all manner of game reveals, single game previews, hardware announcements or even shorter one-off style videos. I think it helps to keep things fresh, interesting and frequent, rather than only release a handful per year.
I am pretty sure Aloy was confused by my state of play during our adventures together.
regardless 50% of 'reveals' for new games are just cinematic garbage
Imagine being so spoiled that you find the most foolish things to complain about. 🤦♂️
The definition of slow news day.
I guess it's very slow news these days and it's not PushSquare fault.
Like Shu would say it's for us to have something to talk about. I often read here some fuss about the form, the pacing and other 'show' formula. Everyone has different perspective but I'm just pragmatic. I'm mainly interested in the info rather than the form. That's why I didnt like the way E3 was reported everywhere. The form and 'pacing' of a show while dismissing all the info around it because it's not 'in the presentation' even if only a few minute before or later demos on the show floor. And then make up some competition about which company had the best show within that artificial form limits. God I'm glad that s gone. The facts are all that matters. Not the form or the 'branding' of some event label. 🤷♂️
@NEStalgia Yeah, I think that's the difference. Direct used to be highly curated showcases made by Nintendo. This one definitely screamed ''pay-to-be-on-the-show'' Direct. The 50 minute early in the year Directs used to be something to get excited over. But knowing that most Directs will be bloated by filler means they're a lot less exciting. And yes, the lack of news on any of the big announced games didn't help it either.
I definitely expected actual Zelda news, and I don't think my expectations were way too high.
@LiamCroft Personally I like that it isn't always the same thing. The fact it can be either big or small means they don't get into the same hot waters as Nintendo with their recent (disappointing imho) Direct. Which didn't have the big hitters which were hoped for, and due to it being a full Direct not a mini-direct, frankly expected.
Crucially Sony usually does a good job of setting expectations ahead of time rather than just fuelling the already overflowing hype train in a bid to get eyes on.
Don't change a thing Sony
I mean, I'm someone who can only play one game at a time and I have my own road map set for what I'm going to be playing anyway. So while it is good to get a regular update on what's going to be coming out when, I won't usually get round to it by launch anyway. Plus, I just get a little annoyed when they get you excited about a game and then the end of the trailer says it's coming out over a year away. And then when you take in the delays it will likely face it just makes the whole thing a bit pointless to me. Maybe they have learnt their lessons on promoting games too early with what happened to Cyberpunk. I know that was cross gen and got promoted across all consoles but the outcome of it was a mess. So maybe the days of promoting games so early is dying out? Who knows...
@Corc11 Nice avatar
@Gremio108 nice username and avatar!
@Octane If you like to torture yourself go back in the archive and watch a few Iwata Nintendo Directs. Or the Nintendo Direct Micros with Trinen (in the US, not sure what the EU equivalents were.)
It's a whole other thing. It was a focused Steve Jobs-esque "personal" presentation, from the company, and the creators, of the products. Just a handful of products. First party, accessories, big partners. The Time Iwata met with the Sega CEO for Yakua in the Japanese direct. The time he was at Ubisoft HQ. The intros with the moon coming at him, him & Miyamoto with the vacuum for Luigi's Mansion and Year of Luigi, the race track background for MK8...... Skits, direct presentation, a setup to make the games exciting, and a focus only on the keystone products and new goings-on.
Then we get that early to mid Switch era where they replaced all that with that pre-done, externally made presentations with a single voice over and that fast infographic just going down the list of games in pure infomercial style. That's the format State of Play tried to copy, and was the least interesting of all of them. The heart was gone, it was just a commercial. Nothing direct about it.
But now we've gone into 50 minute pure ads. They tried to put Takahashi in there, sort of, as an uninteresting presenter which was at least better than that pre-recorded voice over an infographic (the same one that did the Summer of Games indies showcase.....just a video job for hire from a package deal.) Some people don't like having the Japanese presenters, but half of that is because the new format has them doing nothing interactive like Iwata did, and part of that is just a dislike of subtitled content.... Fine, have Bowser do it. Or Audrey....wait...scratch that... But the content is now down to 50 minutes of multiplat garbage games, and little Nintendo-specific. It wasn't a presentation of new things the company has to show you...it's just a standard marketing ad.
The Treehouse segments went downhill post-Iwata too. It used to be a celebration of all of their games they and partners and some indies have coming, showing bits of all kinds of games in exciting ways. Now it's just a "youtuber influencer piece" where they hammer the same game over and over to show how fun that one game is for a group and you can be part of that group too. The tone of everything changed and corrupted with the new leadership.
Flash forward to Sony, and they're immitating all the worst aspects of the "new" Directs. But given that the directs started as just that - DIRECT - an in-house presentation, personally presented by staff that cared, like an enclosed E3. As soon as they just outsourced packaged video presentations and let a marketing company produce what the video is, it lost all meaning. AFAIK, Sony started in that position with SoP.
(Edit: And the easiest way to tell how useless the Nintendo Direct was, was the sheer number of Push Square and Pure Xbox articles that could be made for the respective platforms based on the Nintendo presentation..... )
Tap here to load 51 comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...