Category: PlayStation

With Concord’s launch next week on August 23, we wanted to take a moment to talk about the adventure that lies ahead. We see launch as just the beginning. The beginning of not only the vision we’ve set out for Concord, but also the beginning of how we support and grow the game with our players.

The base game is a foundation for us to build upon over time, through systems that will expand the universe, introduce new ways to play and master each character, give you hundreds of unique rewards to earn and unlock, and narratives to unfold week after week, alongside seasonal updates that will introduce new characters, new maps and worlds, new modes, new stories, new features, and more.*

As we look ahead to launch, here’s a glimpse of what’s to come in Concord:

Concord Season 1 launching this October

From the very beginning, we wanted Concord to be a complete experience, where all core content is available to you on day-one and moving forward—not gated behind paid expansions or a Battle Pass. We take your investment in the game seriously and want to ensure that we bring all players along for the journey.

Our first major content drop will arrive in October with the launch of Concord Season 1: The Tempest. Season 1 will mark the introduction of a brand new playable Freegunner, as well as a brand-new map, new Freegunner Variants, more earnable cosmetics and rewards, and a new season of weekly Cinematic Vignettes that will continue the story of the Northstar crew.

With season 1, we’ll also be introducing an in-game store for those looking to personalize their Freegunners further with additional customization items and to continue to support the game. These will supplement the hundreds of rewards earnable through progression and will be solely cosmetic, optional, and have no gameplay impact.

We’re also hard at work on future seasons, beginning with Season 2 launching in January 2025 and more seasonal drops throughout year one of Concord. We can’t wait to fully unpack what we have in store for Season 1 ahead of its launch in October.

The continuous evolution of your crew

When we first formed Firewalk, we thought a lot about the type of game that we wanted to make and what we could add to the multiplayer FPS genre. We knew we had to focus on the fundamentals that can make an FPS game great: precise, responsive gunplay and fast, fluid mobility. Those qualities had to be the bedrock of everything.

However, we also wanted that special spice provided by character abilities. Beyond the impact their abilities, roles, and kits could have in moment-to-moment combat, we saw exciting opportunities to add strategic layers to how and when you choose to deploy them throughout a match. In effect, we wanted to infuse the theorycrafting of a deck builder with a PVP first-person shooter. This became the root of our Crew Builder system.

Crew Builder allows you to create Custom Crews of Freegunners that you bring into a match. Every Custom Crew offers 12 configurable slots, which you can fill with characters from what will become a growing roster of Freegunners and their Variants. Each Freegunner will have multiple Variants, which are unique versions of each character that have special modifiers to their base abilities and can be unlocked by completing various in-game challenges.

Each Custom Crew must have five unique Freegunners, but you can stack up to three copies of any given Freegunner’s Variants, empowering you to really focus on specific characters that you like to play as and that align best with the broader makeup of your team, the modes you’re playing, or your general playstyle.

However, while Crew Builder enables you to hone your own unique approach to combat strategy, it’s also meant to inspire experimentation with different characters as well. Each Custom Crew comes with four Back Up slots, which are randomly populated with Freegunners not otherwise in your Custom Crew.

Crew Builder also incentivizes you to populate your Custom Crews with characters of different roles. Unlike traditional archetypes, like Tank or Support, each Freegunner in Concord is meant to deliver high-DPS and be effective in a gunfight. Instead, our characters are defined by one of six distinct roles and the impact they can have in combat—whether that’s locking down an area, dominating long sightlines, or flanking enemies.

Balancing your crew with Freegunners of different roles can give you an edge through special in-match benefits called Crew Bonuses. When you deploy Freegunners of different roles for the first time during a match, you’re granted special bonuses that can increase mobility, improve weapon recoil, reduce cooldown times, and more that apply to any character you deploy from that point on.

When you combine all of these systems—Crew Builder, Back-Up Slots, Freegunner Variants, and Crew Bonuses—there’s so much depth to how you can craft, refine, and master your builds in Concord as your experience grows. It also allows the meta to evolve continuously in exciting new ways, as you unlock new Freegunner Variants and new Freegunners and Variants are introduced over time with each season.

Ultimately, when we step back and think about what drew us to make Concord and what we love most about multiplayer games, it’s exactly that: the potential for continuous evolution. It’s the thrill of the potential possibilities of where we can take the experience moving forward. And it’s the sense of adventure of finding out, together.

Prepare for launch

We can’t wait to welcome you to the Concord galaxy and see how you learn and master each Freegunner and all of our systems in new and exciting ways, beginning with Concord’s Early Access launch for Digital Deluxe Edition owners on Tuesday, August 20 and followed by our global launch on Friday, August 23. Pre-load for all editions on PS5 will begin today, Tuesday, August 13.

Servers for Concord’s Early Access launch on August 20 will go live at 10:00am PDT | 7:00pm CEST | 2:00am (August 21) JST.

For all the latest on Concord, be sure to follow us on Twitter/X, Instagram, and TikTok, as well as by joining the community in the Official Concord Discord.

*Account for PlayStation Network and internet connection required. Paid for PlayStation Plus membership (sold separately) required on PS5.

Hi PlayStation players! I’m excited to reveal that Shadows of Doubt is coming to PS5 on September 26. We can’t wait for you to launch your investigations and begin tracking down your suspects when the game comes to PS5 next month! 

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Shadows of Doubt is an immersive crime-solving detective sim that puts players in the role of a private investigator, scouring the city for clues and evidence on the search for suspects responsible for various crimes and misdemeanours. 

As a private detective, you’ll take on tasks and investigations ranging from theft and sordid affairs, through to kidnappings and murder, uncovering evidence through various means to track down your suspect. Our dream is for players to feel fully immersed as a PI wandering the streets of a dynamic, living city. You can buy and decorate your own apartment, while every street, building, and room is fully explorable, giving you the freedom to fully discover – and investigate – the sci-fi noir world we’ve created. 

Everybody in the city has their own lives, their own living space, jobs, friends, and daily routines. They’ll grab a coffee or have a dance at a bar. And with a serial killer on the loose, any one of them could be the next victim. 

Equally, that means anybody could be the perpetrator, and it’s up to you to track them down. While each case is different, you’ll typically want to try a few tried and tested measures to get some early leads. Take out the fingerprint scanner to comb the scene for fingerprints, or if CCTV is available, scrubbing through it may help you spot any suspicious characters. There are lots of ways to gather evidence, from browsing call logs for recent contacts, or collecting sales slips thrown in the trash. Alternatively, there’s always the option to take the more dubious route by bribing citizens for information, hacking private terminals or breaking into private apartments. There may be repercussions to your actions, but we’ve built Shadows of Doubt with multiple ways to solve each case, meaning you can always be the detective you want to be. 

As well as improving as a detective and earning a chunk of cash by solving each case, the main form of player progression in Shadows of Doubt comes via Sync Disks, genetic updates that give you a permanent upgrade, and increasing your Social Credit level. Each time you find a Sync Disk in the city or receive one as a reward, you’ll be given a choice from a selection of upgrades, making for some interesting decision-making and introducing some RPG-like elements to the game. Upgrades range from traditional buffs like additional health or inventory space, through to more interesting modifiers that subtly change how you play the game. Social Credit levels act as a form of experience level that you gain when completing cases. There are a host of benefits that come from levelling up, from being able to buy property in the city to citizens being more likely to let you into their homes. There are a host of other benefits that I can’t wait for you to discover as well, but the overall idea is that you may choose to play Shadows of Doubt with different builds across different generated cities. 

Exclusive to the PS5 version, we’ve been able to take advantage of the DualSense Wireless Controller to immerse players even further into the world of Shadows of Doubt. Feel the nuance of lockpicking through haptic feedback or – my favourite – feel the subtle pitter patter of rain when the weather takes a turn. But of course, Shadows of Doubt wouldn’t be a true detective sim if you didn’t also have an umbrella at your disposal. 

Shadows of Doubt has been a real labour of love for myself and the team over the last 7 years, and we’ve been so excited to see the response the game has already received. It’s a game that can be as deep or complex as you’d like it to be, and we’ve worked hard to build intricate systems that power the sandbox behind the game’s crimes and citizens to make it as fun and fresh to play no matter your playstyle. We can’t wait to see how you crack each case when Shadows of Doubt launches September 26 on PS5.

Email us at PSPodcast@sony.com!

Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or download here

Howdy folks! This week the PlayStation Podcast gang returns with a quick episode to discuss this week’s news and new releases on the horizon. Plus the team talks Jak and Daxter, Darkest Dungeon II, and Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree.

Stuff We Talked About

• Upcoming releases:
  • Madden NFL 25 | PS5, PS4
  • Cult of the Lamb: Unholy Alliance | PS5, PS4
  • Dredge: The Iron Rig | PS5, PS4
• Dead by Daylight Update Blog
• God of War Ragnarök PC Specs Blog
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Zombies Blog
• Jak and Daxter
• Darkest Dungeon II
• Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree

The Cast

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Sid Shuman – Senior Director of Content Communications, SIE

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Tim Turi – Content Communications Manager, SIE

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O’Dell Harmon Jr. – Content Communications Specialist, SIE

Thanks to Dormilón for our rad theme song and show music.

[Editor’s note: PSN game release dates are subject to change without notice. Game details are gathered from press releases from their individual publishers and/or ESRB rating descriptions.]

Last week, we asked you to get characters on their feet and share moments where they are running #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights:

secondcapture shares an armored Ratchet running in Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart.

WarDaddyPlatine shares Amicia running from the rats in A Plague Tale: Innocence

SeeyoulaterHihi shares their V and a cat running next to a watery landscape in Cyberpunk 2077.

laya_photo shares Aerith, Cloud, and Red XIII running along a railroad track in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.

shimo_ps shares protagonist of The Cub running through a blue and purple landscape

MrioMoreno5 shares players running and celebrating on the pitch in eFootball 2024.

Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week?

THEME: Essential Items
SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on August 14, 2024

Next week, we’re diving into your inventory. Share items or artifacts that are essential to the game of your choice using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured. 

Calling all students of Beauxbatons, Hogwarts and Durmstrang! We are excited to reveal the Triwizard Quidditch Cup in Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions.

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Featuring the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, and Durmstrang Institute for Magical Learning, the Triwizard Quidditch Cup will be included in the game’s Career mode. This tournament marks the first adaptation of the iconic international schools from the wizarding world. We could not be more excited to show off this exclusive look at the pitches and give some insight into what players can expect to see when the game launches digitally September 3 on PS5 and PS4.  Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions will be available at no extra charge for all PlayStation Plus members as a Monthly Game from Sept 3 to Sept 30!

We knew from the beginning that we wanted to leverage the fact that Quidditch Champions is not limited to Hogwarts, or locations we have seen in the films. Quidditch is an international sport enjoyed by witches and wizards worldwide, and it is natural for students of every wizarding school to play the sport in their own unique way.

While progressing through the game’s Career mode, players eventually reach the Triwizard Quidditch Cup where they select one of the three international schools to represent in the cup. Players may choose to represent Hogwarts, where they line up next to the school’s very best such as Cedric Diggory, Ron Weasley and Harry Potter. When competing against Beauxbatons, players may find themselves in a high-speed chase for the Golden Snitch next to Fleur Delacour. While in a high intensity match against Durmstrang, players should be sure to watch out for Viktor Krum, who was skilled enough to play as a Seeker for the Bulgarian National team at 19 – in the World Cup Finals no less. 

Of course, a large part of the inspiration came directly from the Goblet of Fire film, which gives us the only visual glimpse into the students and cultures of two of the greatest magical schools in Europe. It left us wondering, how would students from these schools approach Quidditch? We imagined Beauxbatons students on finely crafted brooms, flying with perfect form and showmanship over a beautifully manicured pitch, and the students of Durmstrang running drills on sturdy brooms in harsh conditions. 

Beauxbatons Academy of Magic sits among the Pyrenees mountains in the south of France. The descriptions of the ice sculptures and fountains in the school bring to mind Baroque architecture and gardens. The grass is perfectly manicured, surrounded by reflecting pools, and the audience views the sport from elaborate and ornate stands. 

By contrast, Durmstrang Institute is located in the far northern reaches of Europe. Contrasting the scenic daytime weather of Beauxbatons, we set Durmstrang’s pitch at night, under the light of aurora borealis. Viking-inspired architecture can be seen surrounding the pitch, with minimal flames to preserve the secrecy of the school. The pitch itself is a way off from the school for the same reason, and the iconic ship the students use to travel is docked beside the pitch, which is surrounded by water. The surface of the pitch is frozen-over black stone, ensuring that athletes who fall off their broom learn from every mistake.

We can’t wait for players to experience the Triwizard Quidditch Cup in Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions when it launches September 3 on PS5 and PS4.

Relive the original storyline and spin up a new tale of the Jura Tempest Federation in the first action-RPG based on the popular animated series. That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Isekai Chronicles is available today on PS5 and PS4!

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The game has a plethora of elements offering a unique experience for fans and newcomers alike, such as thrilling battles and new storylines directed from the series’ original author. We’re excited to share an in-depth look into the city building features that give you the ability to grow your community from a small village to a great nation.

Create your own Jura Tempest Federation

To quickly recap the series, the Jura Tempest Federation was founded by Rimuru Tempest and was originally a small goblin village before expanding into a great nation that many species called home. In this game, you will be able to create your own Jura Tempest Federation alongside a lively cast of characters.

As you progress through the main storyline and recruit new allies, you can unlock a variety of buildings that can be placed in your own community. There are also unique buildings inspired by Rimuru’s memory from the world before his reincarnation (into a Slime!) that you can choose from as you plan out your city’s development.

Choose from a variety of building types

As you expand your Jura Tempest Federation, take advantage of Tempest Resonance which gives different facility effects that boost character stats for you and your allies as you construct various types of buildings. Facility effects range from increased attack power, reinforced defensive stats, enhanced luck rates, and more. While there’s a variety of buildings to choose from, here are a couple of options that may help you in your adventures.

The Kaijin Weapon Shop and other Kaijin-affiliated buildings like the Weapon Stand and Weaponry all provide an increased ATK boost for you and your allies, giving you the extra strength needed to finish off challenging foes in your next battle.

The Hot Springs enhances the Luck for one character randomly between you and your allies, determined by different conversation patterns within the Hot Springs. Improving your Luck rate will increase your chances to obtain more luxurious items from treasure chests during exploration. Also, who wouldn’t want Hot Springs in their own city if they had the chance?

Gain helpful resources for your journey

Along with facility effects that boost character stats, some buildings provide an additional benefit of producing goods and materials that can be sold, allowing you to earn more gold to construct other buildings.

The bee farm, also known as the Royal Apiary, not only provides a facility effect that boosts Luck rate, but also regularly produces honey which can be collected and sold for gold.

Similarly, there are farms and ranches that produce wheat and beef worth selling for gold to help fund your construction plans for the next building.

Forge your city with a playful spirit

You can’t have a great nation without having some fun! Add unique locations like Veldora’s park to your Jura Tempest Federation which has an amusement park look to it along with other locations such as the Game Pavilion and Rimu Burger for residents to enjoy. Don’t worry, these buildings aren’t just for show, they also provide Luck boosts to your character and allies for a higher chance at luxury treasure chest items in your next exploration.

As you progress further into the story and develop your city, there are several sub-quests that reward you for constructing specific buildings. In the Cinema sub-quest, Gabiru and his team need your help to build the nation’s first cinema – build the Tempest Cinema and receive a generous reward of level experience and gold!

Are you ready to start building your own Jura Tempest Federation?

Enjoy the reincarnated life of an all-powerful Slime as you expand your Jura Tempest Federation and work together with allies to make the nation a better place for all its residents. Start building your own nation today in That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Isekai Chronicles on PS5 and PS4.

Hello to all Monster Jam fans out there! We know you’ve been waiting for a while, but the most action-packed motorsports event on four wheels will soon land on PlayStation in a whole new guise. I’m Federico Spada, Monster Jam Showdown Game Director, and I’m here to sweeten the wait by taking you through the discovery of career mode, our single-player campaign also known as the Showdown Tour. 

The Showdown Tour will be the pillar of your journey, with over 130 events combining speed and skills. From the outset, this variety has been an important element in terms of design. Developing a game with Monster Jam trucks is way different from working on any other racing title, as this is a one-of-a-kind discipline that expands the competition beyond pure racing. When we designed the Showdown Tour, our goal was to leverage this uniqueness to create the most tailored gaming experience and exalt the strengths of each player. To do that, we came up with a sandbox-like design where you will be free to enjoy the events you prefer without a given order.

You’ll compete in 8 different game modes and explore 3 original environments

To welcome different playstyles, we grouped the events into three categories: Stunt, Short, and Racing. Once a certain event has been played, you will unlock new events in the same category as the one just played. This way, you will constantly find new challenges akin to your preferences, but nonetheless, you’ll get plenty of variety as events from the same category will cover several game modes and take place in all three original environments we developed. 

Importantly, the locations of the Showdown Tour are wild and out of the ordinary, the perfect place to push your Monster Jam trucks to the limit and unleash their full power even beyond what you see in live events. Whether it’s a stadium, an open-air arena, or an actual circuit, the environment will put those mechanical beasts to the test, from the glaciers of Alaska to the scorching desert of Death Valley and the forests of Colorado. Following our free-progression approach, you’ll get to race these untamed landscapes from the very first minutes of play simply by navigating a map with all the events, which will gradually appear as you progress. For instance, after completing a Freestyle event in Colorado, you might find a new Freestyle contest in another region of the map as well as a different game mode, such as a Best Trick match. 

Showdown Events are epic boss battles that unlock new Monster Jam trucks and paint outs 

By earning victories in the same event category, you will collect medals which will grant you access to Showdown Events, which are special challenges that unlock higher-difficulty competitions within the same category. In Showdown Events, you will have to prove to be the worthy owner of some of the most iconic Monster Jam trucks by competing against their previous driver. If you succeed, you will become the official driver of that truck and it will be added to your collection. But beware – Showdown Events are not just simple 1v1 races; to win, you don’t just have to come first, but you also have to please the crowd by performing a spectacular run. That’s why you’ll see the layout of the circuits changing at every lap in these races and will find even more destructible objects or bigger ramps to boost your run.  

This design will leave you completely free to decide at any time whether to progress within the same category by playing the most difficult events or to test yourself in something different. In one case, you’ll maximize your skills in your favorite game modes and unlock the associated trucks. However, to fully complete your career and collect all 66 vehicles* and over 140 paint outs, you’ll have to master all categories. I’m sure both kids and adults will give their all to have each of the fan-favorite Monster Jam trucks in their private collections.  

You can think of the Showdown Tour as the elite Monster Jam competition. Only the best trucks can join this championship, which pushes both vehicles and drivers to the limit in a series of extreme and unconventional clashes that broaden the action of real-life Monster Jam events. By beating the best trucks on the planet, you will make your way to the victory of the Showdown Tour and eventually become the ultimate Champion of the toughest Monster Jam competition ever. 

If you do think you have what it takes, get ready to step on the gas and kick off your career as Monster Jam Showdown will release on PlayStation 5, and PlayStation 4 on August 29, 2024, with Early Access available from August 26, 2024.

*40 trucks will be included in the base game and 26 will be available through free or premium DLCs

There have been many firsts for Dead by Daylight’s Killer Design team in recent years. The introduction of a third-person camera for a smaller Killer. A Killer with AI-controlled guards. A Power that consists of multiple different spells. Finding new ways to inflict pain and suffering remains an exciting challenge, and the arrival of Castlevania’s Dracula introduces yet another innovation: shapeshifting.

The vile denizens of the woods serve The Dark Lord, and he can take their forms as he chooses. Players can cycle between his Vampire form, his Bat form, and his Wolf form, with each one excelling at a different role.

Vampire form is Dracula’s base form, with the Flaming Pillar being his primary means of damaging Survivors. The attack can even traverse through obstacles, including Pallets and Windows. Wolf Form offers a third-person perspective and reduced mobility, but increases your efficacy at hunting and tracking. Bat Form is Dracula’s most stealthy form, with no Terror Radius and a snappy teleport ability.

Game Designer Jason Guzzo was tasked with bringing the legendary character into The Fog, and designing a Power that honored Dracula’s otherworldly abilities. The Castlevania team at Konami Japan were equally thrilled to see their iconic character come to life in-game, providing their knowledge and expertise at every step.

“Shapeshifting is a vital and unique part of the Dracula experience,” explains Guzzo. “It’s part of who he is, and it’s not necessarily something people focus on.”

Once the team decided on the Power’s direction, it was time to make it functional in-game. Of course, the unprecedented nature of Dracula’s abilities presented a few design challenges, particularly with the animal forms. Not to mention the fact that it would mark the first time this version of Dracula transformed into a wolf. Luckily, the Castlevania team was quick to give their seal of approval.

“There are limitations while designing animal characters,” explains Guzzo. “A bat can fly, but due to the balance of Dead by Daylight, it can’t fly over low obstacles. Unfortunately, that’s a concession we had to make. It takes some getting used to, but we must abide by our internal rules. Having a character that can fly over any obstacle would be entirely game-breaking.”

Building on the foundation laid by previous Chapters, which featured the arrival of a quadruped character (Alien) and a third-person Killer camera (Chucky), the design Team worked fleshing out each of Dracula’s three forms.

“Each form is basically a micro-killer, and we wanted players to use them however they liked, without needing to change if they don’t want to,” continues Guzzo. “On the Survivor side, we wanted facing Dracula to feel like a boss fight, where he can be anywhere at any moment with a tool to use against you.”

The Dark Lord’s forms

Dracula’s forms break down as follows: Vampire, Wolf, and Bat.  “Vampire is basically your core form,” explains Guzzo. “He moves at 4.6 meters per second, making him effective at loops and chases. He’s also got the Flame Pillar, which is one of my favorite Killer abilities to use in the game.”

“The Wolf Form moves a little slower, but you have enhanced senses and a pounce attack,” he continues. “When Survivors are sprinting, every so often they’ll drop a Scent Orb. Those Orbs give you information on the direction they’re going, and collecting them grants you a small speed boost. The idea is to simulate a hunt, where a wolf picks up a trail and quickens its pace.”

“We wanted the Bat to be the most effective traversal form, so it moves very fast – 6 meters a second, with extra stealth on top of that,” details Guzzo. “To compensate, the Bat can’t attack or see Survivors, Scratch Marks, and Pools of Blood. The main reason we did this was to balance the endgame, where Bat form was extremely potent at covering both Exit Gates.”

“Bat Form has another cool ability, which allows it to teleport a short distance, including through Vault points and Pallets,” explains Guzzo. “It also invites players to consider their choices. As a Survivor, downing a Pallet may come back and haunt you when Dracula gains a new teleport spot. Dracula players will have to grapple with the same decision, as losing a potential teleport option can hurt you in the long term.”

The end result is a dynamic Power that incentivizes exploration while providing an immersive experience befitting The Dark Lord. It’s also worth noting that the Castlevania icon was designed with new players and Dead by Daylight veterans in mind.

“When we’re working with a beloved licensed character like Castlevania’s Dracula, we want the skill floor to be relatively accessible,” reveals Guzzo. “That way, fans of the franchise can use the Chapter as an entry point to Dead by Daylight and have a fun experience off the bat. We do aim to keep the skill ceiling high, so players who connect with the character can build their skill and find exciting ways to develop it even further.”

Dead by Daylight: Castlevania launches August 27. The Chapter includes a new Killer, Dracula – The Dark Lord, and new Survivor Trevor Belmont.