PS5 Livestreams Are No Longer Speaking to the Fans Who Built the Brand | Push Square

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It’s been eight years since Sony’s outstanding E3 2016 press conference, where it hired a full-blown orchestra and introduced the rebooted God of War to the world. And it’s been nine years since arguably the greatest gaming livestream in history, where the holy trifecta of Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Shenmue 3, and The Last Guardian were revealed back-to-back-to-back. Whatever you think of the final products, these were iconic events.

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Yesterday’s anticipated State of Play was never going to rival those moments because things have undoubtedly changed, but there’s a growing sentiment that PlayStation is no longer speaking to the fans that built its brand with these broadcasts. The overwhelming reaction from both readers on Push Square and on social media in general is that the platform holder’s latest livestream was middling at best, and it’s not exactly the first time.

Last year we had huge expectations for the firm’s PS Showcase, as it had skipped 2022 entirely. Aside from a glitzy Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 demo, however, it was a largely lacklustre show. Sony, perhaps responding to that feedback, rebranded this year’s summer stream as a State of Play, likely in an attempt to align expectations ahead of time. But this still didn’t really hit the right notes, perhaps signalling that the days of legendary PlayStation livestreams are long behind us.

There were undoubtedly positives: Concord and Astro Bot, the two tentpole first-party titles on display, are due out in a matter of months. PlayStation no longer seems interested in announcing projects years in advance, especially when AAA titles take the best part of a decade to release these days. We’re obviously still waiting for an update on Marvel’s Wolverine, which was revealed eons ago and has been kept under wraps ever since – sinisterly stolen assets aside.

The problem for PlayStation right now – through a heady combination of its own adjusted marketing plans, the aftermath of the pandemic, and