Hello everyone! Finally! After so many years of hard work, we have our release date: Stray will be publicly available on July 19, 2022! And as you may have seen during today’s State of Play, we’re excited to confirm Stray will also be available to PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium members* at that time.

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This really means everything to our small but oh-so-dedicated team, and we can’t wait to see people explore this world that we put so much heart and passion into making.

The vision for this game – initially named “HK Project” – started seven years ago by Koola and Viv, the co-founders of BlueTwelve Studio. It really is amazing to see that it is now an actual full-fledged game and will be experienced and hopefully enjoyed by so many players all across the world very soon. We have developed and learned so much along the way. Of all the unexpected challenges and discoveries we found, creating an interactive cat was definitely the most tricky one!

Trying to control a cat – whether it’s in real life or when making a video game – is definitely not a walk in the park! From the very beginning, we knew that the controls and animations of our star character needed to be absolutely spot-on in order to properly convey this exhilarating feeling of skills and movement. So Miko, our cat animator, took the challenge to heart and spent considerable time looking for images and video references. The good and somewhat surprising thing we found is this: It really seems that the whole internet was basically invented for the sole purpose of hosting loads of cute cat pictures and videos! So we ended up having a lot of very good material to work with for references.

Also about 80% of the people from the team are cat owners (or are being owned by a cat depending on how you look at it) and we even have two cats in the studio working with us almost everyday! They are called Oscar and Jun and – even if they are not the most productive employees to be honest – they definitely add a lot of cheerful liveliness to the studio.

Seeing them interact with objects around the office (even som

Hello everyone!

I know how long you have been waiting for this, so it gives me great pleasure to announce the release of our latest trailer “Dominance.”

In previous interviews and updates, we didn’t delve too deep into details about the game system, but hopefully with this preview, you all were able to get a better picture of what actual gameplay will entail—namely, high-octane battles featuring our protagonist Clive Rosfield wielding a full arsenal of attacks unique to the game’s many Eikons (summons). Not to mention epic clashes between the Eikons themselves that put you right in the action.

The team, under direction of Hiroshi Takai, has entered the final leg of development and is focusing on polish as they continue their march toward master up and launch. I, for one, would like to personally thank them for all the hard work they’ve put into the project.

With the power of the PlayStation 5 behind us, we’re looking to take you on a seamless, story-driven, white-knuckle ride that will rival even the most thrilling roller-coaster. So buckle up, the wait is almost over!

– Yoshida Naoki
Final Fantasy XVI Producer

First, allow me to apologize for making everyone wait so long for new information on Final Fantasy XVI…but the good news is it’s finally here!

In our latest trailer, we’ve introduced several new Eikons, as well as provided a more detailed peek at our action-packed battle system and the freedom it gives players. As for development progress, I’m happy to announce that the game is fully playable from start to finish; though, from optimization to brush-up, there is still a mountain of challenges to tackle as we head into our final push.

Until then, please stay tuned. We’ll do our best to not keep you waiting too long before our next update!

– Hiroshi Takai
Final Fantasy XVI Director

Introduction of the Dominants of Titan and Garuda

We here on the Final Fantasy XVI team hope you enjoyed the trailer and we wanted to give our fans a little bit more information about the Dominants of Titan and Garuda that you just saw.

Permanent Economic Adviser Hugo Kupka’s meteoric rise to prominence was sudden, if not unexpected. Once a nameless foot soldier in the Republican Army, his awakening as Dominant of the Eikon Titan thrust him to the forefront of Dhalmekian politics. It was here he used his newfound position as the most powerful man in the republic to exert influence over both the nation’s armies and its policy making—amassing a personal fortune in the process. Yet while it is said that a man who has everything wants for nothing, Benedikta Harman will teach him money and power are far from all the world has to offer.

The rollout of the all-new PlayStation Plus is well underway, with Asia’s launch last week and Japan launching starting today! Additional markets will launch this month, and we can’t wait for fans to enjoy the new service.

Today, we are pleased to share the monthly games that will be included in June for PlayStation Plus. From June 7 to July 4, PlayStation Plus members can add God of War (2018), Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker, and Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl to their game library. When the all-new PlayStation Plus launches in your region, these titles will be available as monthly games to all PlayStation Plus members including those on the PlayStation Plus Essential plan (which includes the same benefits PlayStation Plus members get today).

Let’s take a closer look at the titles.

God of War | PS4

Living as a man outside the shadow of the gods, Kratos must adapt to unfamiliar lands, unexpected threats, and a second chance at being a father. Together with his son Atreus, the pair will venture into the brutal Norse wilds and fight to fulfill a deeply personal quest. This staggering reimagining of God of War combines all the hallmarks of the iconic series – epic boss fights, fluid combat, and breathtaking scale – and fuses them with a powerful and moving narrative that re-establishes Kratos’ world. 

Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker | PS4

The Naruto franchise goes 4 vs. 4, featuring team-based gameplay with 8 ninjas fighting simultaneously. Players cooperate as a team of four to compete against other teams online. Graphically, Shinobi Striker is also built from the ground up in a completely new graphic style. Lead your team and fight online to see who the best ninjas are.

Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl | PS4/PS5

Brawl it out as your favorite Nickelodeon characters in bombastic platform battles. With a power-packed cast of heroes from the Nickelodeon universe, face-off with all-stars from SpongeBob Squarepants, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Loud House, Danny Phantom, Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, The Wild Thornberrys, Hey Arnold!, Rugrats, and more to determine ultimate animation dominance. With unique move sets and attacks inspired by their personalities, each character has an individual style of play enabling endless action for Nickelodeon’s legion of fans. 

Last chance to download May’s PlayStation Plus games

Be sure to add the following titles to your game library by Monday June 6: FIFA 22, Tribes of Midgard, Curse of the Dead Gods.

Stay tuned

My name is Takaomi Kaneko from Arc System Works. In the past, I worked on the River City series and Double Dragon 4 as a producer, illustrator, etc. When PlayStation asked me to reflect on the series as it marks its 35^th anniversary this year, I decided to  interweave stories I personally heard from the game’s creator and then director (1988) Yoshihisa Kishimoto as well as WayForward’s Tomm Hulett.

The origins of the original’s co-op mechanics

In the 1980s, the video game business’s strategy was focused in the arcade sector, chiefly sales of arcade cabinets.

In this way, the number of players for any given game would be determined before development would commence, so the game would fit the cabinet type that needed to be sold. As such, Technos Japan’s in-house sales team – which was very powerful at the time – made a strong proposal to the development team that it should consider creating a game for a two-player cabinet. The result was the first Double Dragon.

At a later date and in similar fashion, the team proposed a title that’d use a three-player cabinet, resulting in 1990’s Double Dragon 3. For the first time, the series’ story was altered to include a third brother for the third title.

Balancing the game around two players

As the game was designed for arcades, there was no plan to balance its gameplay. To encourage players to team up with friends, Double Dragon was designed to be extremely difficult to complete for a solo player, requiring considerable skill. This encouraged cooperative play to make the challenge surmountable – and therefore add more coins to the machine.

Cooperative play continues to thrive today, be it local or online, letting players complete challenges by inviting friends to team up to overcome difficulty spikes.

The Gardens Between launches on PS5 this June 16! We’ve spent months specially crafting The Gardens Between for PS5 and it brings sharper details, verdant HDR colors, and bespoke sensations exclusively for the PS5 DualSense wireless controller.

To be honest we thought that after four years developing the game things would settle down. We thought we’d take it easy. But it’s been a huge journey and the reception has been beyond our wildest dreams. We were nominated for more than 30 awards including several Game of the Year awards, and it took us around the world!

Being the perfectionists that we are, every new platform has taken a little more time than we thought. We first started tweaking and improving the game for PS5 in early 2021, but we enjoyed the process so much that we just kept making it better at every turn. In this blog post I’ll detail what’s changed and why the PlayStation 5 is now the best platform to play The Gardens Between.

A quick recap

The Gardens Between is a surreal puzzle adventure that follows best friends, Arina and Frendt, as they fall into a mysterious world of beautiful garden islands. They wake up in a vibrant dreamlike world that represents their significant memories from an adventurous friendship since becoming next door neighbors. You control and manipulate time itself to help Arina and Frendt solve puzzles and unlock the secrets of the gardens. Together you explore their blossoming friendship through their memories, all culminating in a climactic ending that I won’t spoil for you. 

It’s a very unique game. The story is told without words or text. Instead the story is conveyed ambiently through the abstract and surreal environment, the characters’ emotive reactions and their growing friendship. Observation is key to understanding the story. It results in a welcoming, peaceful experience with no time pressure, fail states, or complex user-interface to learn.

The game has been described as “the simplest deep game possible”, and a “masterpiece of minimalist storytelling” – descriptions we’re very proud of.

Ok, let’s dig into what’s new!

DualSense wireless controllers 

The DualSense wireless controllers on PlayStation 5 are just fantastic. The new high fidelity haptics give a precise tactile sense, which inspired us to entirely rebuild the haptic moments in order to fully take advantage of the new technology. These new bespoke haptics are exclusive to the PlayStation 5 DualSense controller!

The haptics we’ve added are designed around the experiences of Arina and Frendt in the gardens. We asked ourselves “what sensations would they feel as they navigate the lush gardens?” The deep rumble of thunder. The ephemeral wisp of light floating into the lantern. The crunch of placing the lantern onto a stone surface.

We also support the responsive triggers of the DualSense controller. Push on any obstacle blocking your forward motion through time and you will feel time pushing back.

Graphical leap

Thanks to the power of PS5, The Gardens Between looks and feels better than ever before. The upgrade to HDR (on capable screens), combined with a true 4k resolution at 60 frames per second, and temporal anti-aliasing (shipping first on PlayStation 5) the game is both crisp and fluid. We then unleashed the full texture resolution where it was lacking, enhanced line rendering, increased shadow precision, and perhaps spent an unreasonable amount of time adjusting the water reflection shaders 🤓. It looks sublime!

This week, virtual photographers across Twitter and Instagram braved the Forbidden West to photograph the menacing machines encountered during Aloy’s newest adventure. Let’s dive in:

@ChowellCw gets dangerously close to a Stalker doing what they do best

@UYScuti10 witnesses the silhouette of a Tallneck bathed in sunset

@TheNanoWarrior is caught in this Watcher’s sights

@ArtofVP says “… It’s right behind me, isn’t it?”

@coalabr14 captures the burning rage of a rampaging Slitherfang

@i-am-the-z combines hunter and hunted to create this stunning composition

@MdeavorVP catches a Clawstrider in the midst of a chilling cry

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: Horizon Forbidden West: NPCs

SUBMIT BY: Wednesday 9 AM PT on June 1

Let’s hear it for the supporting cast of Guerrilla’s latest! Whether it’s a sneaky candid or a posed portrait, capture your favorite NPC’s good side for a chance to be included in next week’s Share of the Week lineup.

Greetings to all the fans and supporters of Final Fantasy XI Online (FFXI)!

Earlier this week, the game celebrated its 20^th year anniversary, and we couldn’t be prouder or more honored by the support of all the fans and countless memories that we’ve built together during this time! To be able to say that we’ve continued to provide service for players around the world since May 16, 2002 is a remarkable achievement for us and we’ve been so happy to celebrate this moment with you all.

Continuing with the celebrations, a few of us from the FFXI development team shared our thoughts on the past 20 years.

Akihiko Matsui: I’m Akihiko Matsui, a “second generation” FFXI producer. I was part of what you might call the early team, and while working on the international version of Legend of Mana and thinking about our next project, Sakaguchi-san told me to do my research because we would be making an online game next. I joined the FFXI team in the beginning as a battle planner. 

Yoji Fujito: I’m the current director of FFXI. I have been supporting what can be referred to as “lifestyle” content, the best-known of which may be the mog gardens and chocobo raising, as well as system-related aspects such as the chat or storage systems. Originally, I joined as a planner for the development of Einhänder and Parasite Eve II at the SQUARE Osaka development department (currently the Osaka office). After that, I answered the call for developing FFXI, and have been involved in the development ever since. 

Masaru Taniguchi: My name is Masaru Taniguchi and I’m in charge of battle content. I have been involved in the development of FFXI since the Wings of the Goddess expansion. Before FFXI was released, I was in the QA department and worked on debugging the game.

Iori Watanabe: Hello, I’m Iori Watanabe. I joined the team as a tester during the beta version and got the opportunity to become involved as a planner from the second half of the Wings of the Goddess expansion pack. I oversee system modifications to enhance convenience with respect to fishing, mounts, and storage slips beyond Abyssea. Recently, I worked on storage expansion-related designs.

Yasushi Yamazaki: My name is Yasushi Yamazaki. As far as introductions, it would probably be easiest to understand my role if I say that I am in charge of Trusts, Ambuscade Chapter 1, and more recently, A.M.A.N. Trove. I was originally an FFXI player, but when I saw Producer Matsui’s passionate message to recruit development team staff, I applied for the position and joined the team.

Takashi Hisagi: I joined

We’re thrilled to announce our latest DLC for Jurassic World Evolution 2. Developed in close partnership with Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment, Jurassic World Evolution 2: Dominion Biosyn Expansion is inspired by Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment’s Jurassic World Dominion so you can bring all-new thrills, excitement and chaos to the ground-breaking management simulation game. The Expansion features an immersive campaign, new prehistoric species (including highly requested feathered dinosaurs), an original Chaos Theory scenario, innovative gameplay mechanics, and more.

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First up is Campaign mode. Immerse yourself in a thrilling new story expanding on Jurassic World Dominion. You’ll work alongside iconic characters from the franchise including Claire Dearing (voiced by Bryce Dallas Howard), Dr. Alan Grant (voiced by Sam Neill), Dr. Ellie Sattler (voiced by Laura Dern) and Lewis Dodgson (voiced by Campbell Scott). You will construct Biosyn Genetics new research compound, sending scientists to retrieve amber-encased DNA, synthesise and incubate stunning new species, and observe their diverse behaviours.

Develop the Biosyn Genetics Research Compound through multiple stages of construction and use a range of film-inspired buildings to build out the facility; dig deep into amber mines and unearth rare genomes to create all-new prehistoric species; instruct scientists to synthesise and incubate awe-inspiring dinosaurs such as new feathered species; and release them into your parks. In addition, there’s a faster way to move staff around your facility with the Hyper Loop transport network.

Next, is the thrilling new Chaos Theory scenario. Now, in Jurassic World Evolution 2: Dominion Biosyn Expansion, you can play through a gripping new scenario inspired by the epic events of Jurassic World Dominion. Build your very own facility to house dinosaurs in a diverse Sierra Nevada environment featuring majestic pine forests, snowy hills and sweeping plains. Use dinosaur-wrangling mechanics to corral herds of animals quickly without needing to tranquilise and transport them and ensure their safety with new security measures. When rustlers try stealing your dinosaurs, fend them off by blasting high-powered floodlights and speeding to intercept their vehicles. However you choose to manage the scenario, in the expansion’s new Chaos Theory mode, you’ll see how events unfold when you take control.

The Dominion Biosyn Expansion wouldn’t be complete without four spectacular new prehistoric species. These include eagerly anticipat

It’s been more than two months since our last State of Play – who’s ready for a new one? Tune in live next Thursday, June 2 for nearly 30 minutes of announcements and updates from the world of PlayStation.

We’ll have some exciting reveals from our third-party partners, plus a sneak peek at several games in development for PlayStation VR2. Watch over at Twitch or on YouTube starting 3pm Pacific / 6pm Eastern / 12:00am CET.

See you next week!

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Please note that this broadcast may include copyrighted content (e.g. licensed music) that PlayStation does not control. We welcome and celebrate our amazing co-streamers and creators, but licensing agreements outside our control could interfere with co-streams or VOD archives of this broadcast. If you’re planning to save this broadcast as a VOD to create recap videos, or to repost clips or segments from the show, we advise omitting any copyrighted music.