Sony PlayStation officially announced that its next State of Play conference will air at 5:00 AM Beijing time on September 25th, lasting approximately 35 minutes. The conference will focus on the latest news on third-party and independent games, as well as revealing important developments from PlayStation Studios teams. The highlight will be the new PS5 exclusive "Saros" developed by Finnish studio Housemarque. Previously only concept art has been released, this mysterious game will feature its first gameplay footage, expected to include nearly five minutes of in-depth gameplay.
According to official information, "Saros" continues Housemarque's signature sci-fi shooter and roguelike elements, set on the outer space planet Carcosa. Players will assume the role of protagonist Arjun Devraj as he explores an alien colony. The eerie sun seen in the trailer hints at a close connection between the game's death mechanics, and its world setting is reminiscent of the time loop concept of the studio's previous game, "Death Return." Notably, the game utilizes motion capture from real-life actor Rahul Kohli, a first for a PS5 exclusive.
In addition to Saros, the press conference may also feature several highly anticipated titles. According to Insider Gaming, Marvel's Wolverine, a PS5 exclusive from Insomniac Games that previously garnered widespread attention due to leaked data, is expected to reveal new development progress. Santa Monica Studio's new God of War game is rumored to shift to an Egyptian mythological setting, potentially pitting Kratos against the sun god Ra. Furthermore, Naughty Dog's Star: Heretic Prophet is playable, its dark and depressing narrative style described by the developer as "more brutal than The Last of Us."
This State of Play event coincides with the launch of the PS5 Pro, and Sony may be using it to hype up the hardware upgrade. Previous leaks have indicated that the PS5 Pro will support race-level ray tracing and a 120Hz high frame rate mode, and new titles like Saros are likely to serve as benchmarks showcasing the new console's capabilities.