Game Informer: What will the PS4 do this Christmas?

The PlayStation 4 is doing well as the console continues to fortify its foothold this generation, and with exclusive hit Bloodborne just released. But trouble is on the horizon. The are currently no first-party titles officially scheduled for the system during the all-important holiday season. This will surely change, but the company could be in for a rough Christmas.

Sony could announce one or more big first-party games for the PS4 this Christmas at E3, but what can realistically come out in time? Guerrilla Games is working on a new IP, Sony Santa Monica is doing a new God of War, and Polyphony Digital (Gran Turismo 7), Quantic Dream, and Media Molecule are working on unannounced projects. In my experience, it seems unlikely that any of those titles are going to be suddenly announced at E3 and then rushed out for a release in 2015.

Perhaps a way forward for Sony this holiday season would be to strike a deal with a third-party title for a timed exclusive. Hello Games' No Man Sky already fits this bill, but at the moment the game only has a nebulous 2015 release date. Hopefully Sony announces a firm holiday release date for the title, and the PS4 gets some bullets back in its chamber.

Last Christmas, Sony's first-party developers neither bombarded the platform nor hit home runs with their holiday titles – with all due respect to Driveclub and LittleBigPlanet 3 – but it didn't hamper the momentum of the PS4 through the holiday season. But if you're Sony, do you want to coast through another holiday season when your main competition is coming to the fight with Halo 5 as well as many of the same third-party titles?

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Personally, i don't think Sony have much to fear. Not only do they have a lot of momentum on their side, but console exclusives such as No Man's Sky and Persona 5 could definitely help them retain mindshare. That said, I think Microsoft especially will do far better this year than they would have had Uncharted not been delayed- Halo is too big to ignore. And if Star Fox ends up being a full fledged AAA release as well, even Nintendo will have a flagship holiday game.

But I think Sony will still manage to eke out a win.

I HOPE and PRAY we get Persona 5 this holiday, and Dragon Quest Heroes.

they also are teaming up with batman

and mortal kombat

its looking definitely fine for sony

your gonna see adds play batman on ps4 play battlefront on ps4 play cod on ps4

sony is def fine this holiday... its microsoft whos not pummeling its competition and with scream ride came out an no big hitters i just don't see a turn around here

if they announced like fall out 4 exclusive or something or like mass effect exclusive id be like okay i don't even know if that would win at this point its just too far behind and bad image in the gaming community

Kick the Xbox's ass in sales for the rest of the year, and swallow the "victory" the Xbox will have in the US during the holiday run. They aren't the ones with an actual need to do something, Microsoft is the one that actually needs to do things. Nintendo are the ones that actually need to do things.

Sony? From a business standpoint their current routine is helping them bring in money. They need better first party work sure, but they have the benefit of a system with a healthy third party and indie scene, so their consumer base will be entertained all year long.

Sensationalist writing, there's a bunch of third party big hitters going their way and their exclusives, while nothing huge so far, can still be used in marketing as something that differentiates the PS4 from the other systems on the market.

Dragon Quest Heroes is confirmed for an October release, I think.

Persona 5 is the big one, and it's in the air. The question is, can Sony and Atlus a) localize and release it on time, b) capitalize on the franchise's good word of mouth to generate hype, especially on social media (remember, Persona is already among the top trending topics on Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr), and c) manage to concoct a marketing campaign to actually have it appeal to the mainstream gamer? The last one may seem tough, but who knows?

Join me in my delusional hope that Persona 5 will be FF7'd

What if there is only one waifu

Keep ridin dat hype.

I predict another indie game, but a notably one. Thatgamecompany, creator of flOw, Flower, and Journey, has made games for SCE, one every three years, in 2006 we got flOw, in 2009 we got Flower, in 2012 we got Journey, so 2015 I'd say maybe we're set for another game, and given their games get great critical praise. So, maybe Sony has a game announcement from them at E3, I guess we'll have to wait until E3.

What will it do? Outsell its competition. That is what it'll be doing.

Man, what the hell does that even mean?

@Slashkice said:

This is probably the best usage I have seen of this GIF yet

Takes off. Transcends its genre. Overtakes its previous niche cult popularity and becomes mainstream. Assume Persona 4 to be equivalent to Final Fantasy VI (Persona 3 can be Final Fantasy IV), and Persona 5 to be Final Fantasy VII, and you get the idea- a sudden explosion in mainstream popularity.

I think he means he hopes Persona will break into the mainstream in the way FF7 did.

And, well...I mean, at least Chaz can admit it's a delusional hope.

@charizard1605 said:

@Slashkice said:

This is probably the best usage I have seen of this GIF yet

@DarkLink77 said:

Man, what the hell does that even mean?

Takes off. Transcends its genre. Overtakes its previous niche cult popularity and becomes mainstream. Assume Persona 4 to be equivalent to Final Fantasy VI (Persona 3 can be Final Fantasy IV), and Persona 5 to be Final Fantasy VII, and you get the idea- a sudden explosion in mainstream popularity.

Persona is way too animu and waifu for that shit to be mainstream.

But at least you know that already.

@DarkLink77: Hey, I said it's delusional :P

Continue to outsell the competition.

I figured. I just wanted to hear him say it.

As long as you know.

Look on the bright side, Persona 5 will actually be a good game worthy of its praise. FF 7 wasn't :]

I won't take the bait. I won't do it. I won't.

Oh no. What have you done

persona 5 isnt coming out this year in the west. sorry char

I will hold out hope until December 31 2015

Which means Persona 6 will be awful and Persona 7 will be awesome?

Remasters probably aren't gonna excite anyone here, but I think an Uncharted Collection featuring 1, 2, 3 and maybe Golden Abyss could do pretty well this holiday season. There have been a couple indications they're working on one, plus Yoshida himself said it would be a good candidate. It could be the Nathan Drake version of MCC before an Uncharted 4 release in 2016 (and it would be a lot easier and faster to make, since no graphics overhauls would be necessary).

And then the series will go off the rails and not recover for another 15 years, yes.

Microsoft will win Black Friday again, they will win Christmas again...

trolololololol

The same thing it did last one sell like hell.

Unless they go $250 i don't see that happening the xbox one is $349 with 2 games and is losing to bundles of the PS4 that are $449 a clean $100 dollar more on amazon.

The PlayStation 4 (as of now) has really nothing for the holiday season just as it didn't last year, the Xbox One has three block busters releasing... It's kind of a no brainer what is going to sell better during the latter part of the year...

Why are people cheering a console selling well in spite of a lack of heavy hitters?, i want the PS4 to continue to be very successful so Sony continue to exist in the console space, but as a gamer their first party offering so far has been pretty dreadful. MS is in the same boat.

And yes i know first party games aren't always the best, far from it in a lot of cases but as a primarily PC gamer, my consoles are pretty much exclusive machines and the Xbone and PS4 have been big letdowns in this respect, and no amount of good sales will make that go away.

people will associate metal gear solid 5 with ps4, and buy it for ps4.

Oh it did have you people just have problems seeing games on PS4.

LPB3

The Binding of Issac (scored higher than Halo broken collection in Meta)

Guilty Gears

All 3 came on november of after.

Guilty Gears has 85% just like Halo MCC on meta,so you can't basically donwplay the game.

The Binding of Issac as 88% on meta that is higher than FH2.

So you see the PS4 did have games on the holidays you people were just to blind to see them.

The xbox one sold good last holiday because MS sold it at rotten meat price with freebies and gift cards,not because of any of its games.

Sony. Thank Christ for the multiplat.

The bullshit doesn't get past you does it? Great post!

If ps4 were facing an insurmountable number of exclusives from other platforms I'd put more credence into the dilemma tc is suggesting... In reality, no platform looks overwhelmingly great throughout the remainder of 2015 and thus, Sony should just keep doing what they're doing.... Which is riding the good vibes it opened the generation with, continue releasing top tier multiplats, and keep the killer indies coming... I'm already satisfied.

I have a feeling a "Uncharted Trilogy (HD?)" will be a thing come E3. Also they still have the Ratchet and Clank reboot. Sure it's no Uncharted and it likely won't even return to former glory, but it's still a AAA type game from a known franchise.

Who knows, with E3 still a couple of months away I feel it's a bit too early to panic about Christmas.

I'm calling for a $300 dollar bundle for fall/holiday season. Maybe offer a limited free access to playstation now for ps plus members. It doesnt look like they'll be able to compete with MS on the exclusive software, but could def. steal some sales with a bundle and hit the casual market harder with multiplats., and bring in hardcore gamers who've waited for a chance to jump in. Make Bloodborne the pack-in game for the bundle.

SONY's competition is so poor this generation that I don't think they need to do anything this holiday season in order to assure that their machine continues to do as well as it's been doing.

E3 will be a better indication of what they have planned for the holidays. If they announce exclusives that is, but mostly it will be multiplats and bundles.

Sony will do what they do every year. Anounce games at E3 for this year to pad their lineup then delay them for a year or more at the last minute.Cows fall for it every year.Sony excels at creating false hype or I should say people are gullible enough to fall for it time and time again.

Look at this Onlive deal.Cows are ready to follow them into always online gaming,its awesome now.

Bloodborne was only delay a month, quantum break new ip delay for years, not looking good based on treck recker

No Man's Sky (timed), Ratchet & Clank, Tearaway Unfolded, The Tomorrow Children, Until Dawn, etc.

There are PS4 first-party titles coming out this Holiday. Sure, NONE of these will be able to compete against Halo 5 (not even combined) but I feel like these games are getting shafted (granted Sony better friggin' advertise them I hope).

Ratchet and Clank are gonna tear it up. This franchise has a huge following and platformers need to make a comeback anyway.

Amazing why people say Ratchet and clank when R&C hasn't sold any real numbers since Up your Arsenal with TOD getting to where it is after numerous years.

Xbox One will have, Forza, Halo 5, COD Marketing, Tomb Raider, Rare game (probable),

PS4 will have Battlefield 5 marketing, MGSV marketing, Until Dawn, colelction of some series (probable)

These line-ups will be enhanced by the momentum of games released after E3 until this time frame. I have a feeling both will have games before this time after E3 if not also in June, but July and august. Fable will probably be august definitely unless it comes out in May.