PlayStation Is Hosting Its Next State of Play Event This Week: Details

Sony is hosting a new State of Play event this week. In a tweet, PlayStation revealed that the presentation will be focused on five new PS VR2 titles, some indie and third-party entries, and an over 15-minute extended showcase for the upcoming Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League game. The latter is, of course, the big draw here, for which developer Rocksteady Studios still hasn’t shown any raw gameplay footage or detailed its co-op mechanics. The upcoming State of Play will be live across PlayStation’s official YouTube and Twitch channels on February 24, at 2:30am IST in India, and February 23, 1pm PT in the US.

Having stepped away from E3 in 2019, these digital-only State of Play events seem to be PlayStation’s preferred medium to showcase upcoming games. Originally slated for a 2022 release and hit with multiple delays, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League eventually settled for a May 26 launch date at The Game Awards 2022. In it, you pick one of the four lead characters of Task Force X — Captain Boomerang, Deadshot, Harley Quinn, and King Shark — and head out on a world-saving mission to bring down the Justice League, who’ve succumbed to Brainiac’s mind control. Set within an open-world Metropolis, players can go solo or team up with three others in online co-op and mix and match attacks to unleash devastating combos. Each character is equipped with unique skills and traversal mechanics. For instance, Quinn relies on a grappling hook, while Boomerang can teleport around the map by hurling his, well, boomerangs.

A screenshot leak from last month revealed that Rocksteady Studios’ latest was incorporating a battle pass system and menu elements that aligned with a live-service title. A development source clarified that all unlocks would be cosmetic only and that players could upgrade their characters’ abilities through XP earned during gameplay. “You don’t start off debuffed and weak,” the source said, at the time. “You just start off great and can get ridiculous, like Arkham Knight’s Batman.” With the screenshot coming to light, fans got upset with the changes, as they expected a standalone, linear story experience with co-op mechanics serving as an add-on. This design choice also caused many to speculate whether creative conflict was the reason behind Rocksteady Studios co-founders and former studio heads Sefton Hill and Jamie Walker’s departure from the company in October.

As mentioned before, PlayStation will also offer a glimpse at five new PS VR2 titles set to launch later this year. The next-gen virtual reality headset launched earlier today, alongside big-name VR titles like Guerilla Games’ new Horizon Call of the Mountain and Sony’s racing simulation game Gran Turismo 7. Currently, there is no word on an India launch. Just last week, PlayStation made a three-hour free trial for God of War Ragnarök available to PS Plus Deluxe/ Premium subscribers. Costing Rs. 849 per month, this time, the subscription also grants access to the critically-acclaimed Horizon Forbidden West and a range of third-party titles including Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, Borderlands 3, and more.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League releases May 26, across PC, PS5, and Xbox Series S/X. The State of Play event is set for February 24, at 2:30am IST/ February 23, 1pm PT.