Sony’s latest State of Play had a bit of everything, but some reveals caught my eye more than most.
It’s early June, and Geoff Keighley’s video game extravaganza has officially begun. Often jokingly called “Keigh3” as a playful jab towards the now-defunct Electronic Entertainment Expo (or E3 for short), this is the time of the year when we get our fill of video game announcements, and Sony was first in line to warm up the crowd with their State of Play. We knew Insomniac’s Wolverine would show up, as Sony itself has explicitly said it would be part of its livestream, but the rest of the showcase was still a mystery. It ended up running for a little over an hour, and some reveals had me excited.
First was a new character trailer for Arc System Works’ next fighting game, MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls. As a very longtime fan of this developer, I may be biased in my judgment, but I think Arcsys delivered, showing something the game had been sorely lacking: villains. Three of them, to be precise. X-Men antagonist and fan favorite Magneto, Norman Osborn, better known as Green Goblin, and last but certainly not least, Carnage, whose inclusion definitely caught me off guard, as I did not expect the reveal of two Spider-Man villains at the same time.
I think these are all great picks. Magneto is an FGC (fighting game community) veteran. The man has been playable in multiple Capcom fighting games at this point (Marvel vs. Capcom 2 and 3), and his inclusion in a new Marvel fighting game makes sense. As for the other two, they are great picks because unlike Magneto, Green Goblin and Carnage have never been playable in a fighting game before, although we may see some overlap between Carnage’s moves and Venom’s past Marvel vs. Capcom iterations. Marvel Tōkon’s roster is looking pretty well-rounded as of now, not to mention that there are still three more characters to be revealed before the game’s August 6 release date.
Speaking of release dates, we finally have one for Onimusha: Way of the Sword, which will be available on all platforms bar Nintendo Switch 2 on September 25, 2026. Not only that, but Capcom has also announced a demo for it, which was out by the time the State of Play ended. This reboot of Capcom’s samurai action series puts you in the shoes of legendary Japanese swordsman Miyamoto Musashi, a historical figure known for his mastery of the sword, although I am pretty sure the man was not swinging his steel at demons in real life.
I was starting to wonder whether the game would be pushed back to early 2027 since we have been without a proper release for some time, but instead it will be joining the long list of high-profile games releasing this September, such as Insomniac’s Wolverine on September 15, Blood of the Dawnwalker on September 3, and Silent Hill: Townfall on September 24, a release date it shares with Control Resonant. That is a lot of games, and I do not think I will be playing all of them, but I have my eye on Onimusha.
And finally, la pièce de résistance. Sony ended its State of Play with a bang, as the showcase’s “one more thing” moment was the reveal of God of War Laufey, a brand new God of War game starring Kratos’ wife and Atreus’ mother Faye, who is played by actress Deborah Ann Woll of Daredevil fame. This new adventure takes the deceased Fay to the Everywhen, a strange land where gods from multiple mythologies seem to fight for control over the realm.
Sony’s blog post on God of War Laufey reads: “Death was supposed to be the end, but for Laufey (Faye), warrior and wife to Kratos, a new adventure is just beginning. Awakening unexpectedly in a strange land after her funeral, Faye discovers the plans she put in place to protect Kratos and Atreus are now at risk. To save the ones she loves, Faye must fight through the afterlife of the gods— the Everywhen— where ruthless gods from across mythology vie for power in a land overflowing with dangerous magic.”
This premise alone is enough to get me on board. Faye is a pretty mysterious character within God of War’s story, and getting to finally know more about the person who changed Kratos for the better is promising. Combat also looks interesting. It seems to be a mix between old and new God of War, with a touch of Devil May Cry. I am more than down for this. Dialogues do seem to have a bit of a Marvel Cinematic Universe flair, and the talking cube “Phranque,” played by Jack Quaid of all people, is a little goofy, but to be fair to Santa Monica Studio, the series has been heading towards a more lighthearted direction since God of War 2018.
TL;DR, I think God of War Laufey looks fantastic, and while it does not have a release date yet, Jason Schreier of Bloomberg claims the game is not too far off: “FWIW I wouldn’t read too much into God of War Laufey not getting a release date or window — in contrast to a lot of other big announcements, this one *isn’t* years away.” he explains on Bluesky.
Overall, a solid State of Play. I think most of what was shown looked promising, and getting release dates for highly anticipated games is always a plus. Summer Game Fest is next, and I plan on covering it. Stay tuned.