At this point, we’re all aware that Sony skipped E3. And do you know what? It was smart to do so. In this day and age, industry titans like Nintendo, Sony, and Xbox have sufficient clout to attract enormous audiences regardless of whether or not their showcases are facilitated by traditional trade shows. Sure, E3 is still a major date in the games industry calendar, but if a mega publisher wants to skip it and highlight its current reel on its own terms… well, it can do that pretty damn easily. There may be no God of War, Horizon Forbidden West, or any of Sony’s other posterchild prestige titles at this week’s State of Play, but what’s there is both closer to launch and far more intriguing than any of those options. This Thursday, we get to see Deathloop.
For those unacquainted with my personal most anticipated game of 2021, Deathloop is the time-bending, mind-boggling shooter currently in development at Arkane Lyon. Immersive sim fans will know Arkane – which also has a division in Austin, Texas – as the renowned studio behind titles like Dishonored and Prey. In fact, the Austin branch also has its own game – Redfall – in dev at the moment, which is my most anticipated game of next year. If you haven’t played any of Arkane’s games before, please do yourself a favour and rectify that immediately. As in, stop reading this article and go download Dishonored – it’s on Game Pass and everything.
Related: 23 Fast Facts And Cool Details About Deathloop
While State of Play is also set to feature details about a host of third-party games, Deathloop is in a particularly intriguing position right now. You might recall that Microsoft spent a whopping $7.5 billion to acquire Bethesda last year. As well as Bethesda Game Studios, id Software, and MachineGames, Arkane is one of many prestigious developers under Bethesda’s masthead, which is why its games are on Game Pass now. Duh!
Deathloop, however, is a timed exclusive for PS5 due to preexisting agreements with Sony. This was a huge get for the PS5 back when it was originally announced – although Arkane games don’t attract as many players as FIFA or Call of Duty, this is one of the most unanimously respected studios on the planet by hardcore players and fellow devs. That’s why it got the “one more thing” encore section of Microsoft’s Xbox and Bethesda showcase at E3 2021 – some people would argue that a slot this coveted should have gone to a blockbuster like Halo Infinite, but Arkane has a whole different kind of wow factor. Sure enough, Redfall – which is eschewing Arkane’s usual immersive sim formula for a co-op vampire shooter base – did the business. About 20 minutes after the trailer was shown, I’d already posted over 1,000 words on how Redfall stole the show.
Sony obviously saw that. Deathloop will eventually come to PC and Xbox Series X, but right now it’s a huge deal for PS5. It’s not some kind of cash cow or golden goose, mind – I personally think anyone who likes shooters, fashion, art, or just… good things in general should pre-order Deathloop right this second and play it at launch. But the fact of the matter is that it’s not going to sell like one of gaming’s buzzword blockbusters. Prey and Dishonored are two of the best games around town, but if you conducted a survey on a random street somewhere in the world, 95 out of 100 people probably wouldn’t have heard of them.
That’s why it’s so important to watch this week’s State of Play. Sure, you might be deterred by the lack of Sony Santa Monica and Naughty Dog. Maybe you were hoping for Insomniac, Guerrilla, or Sucker Punch to make an appearance. The fact is, this is a State of Play that’s touting Arkane as its main event – I can’t stress how much of a promise for quality that is.
You may or may not have heard about Deathloop before, but there’s no way in hell you’re watching this week’s showcase without thinking, “Holy shit, I need this game” immediately afterwards. I’m sure there’ll be some other cool games on display as well, and I’m curious about what Sony has in its back pocket for its first major showcase since skipping E3. I can almost guarantee that there’ll be a game or two that are ostensibly bigger than Deathloop – but do you know what? It’s not a State of Play in their honour, is it?
This is Deathloop’s time to shine, and if you’re in any way interested in games, this is something you’re not going to want to miss. I mean, it’s a Thursday evening in the middle of a pandemic – what else are you going to be at? There’s not even a Euros match on Thursday, for God’s sake. Clear the calendar and make sure you catch Colt and Julianne – I can guarantee you won’t regret it.
Next: We Did The Math: Which Subscription Service Has The Best Games?
