Sony's September 2026 PlayStation State of Play concluded without anticipated appearances from Naughty Dog's Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet and a host of other first-party PlayStation titles. The showcase was marked by the absence of expected updates on games such as God of War: Laufey, Horizon Hunters Gathering, Fairgame, and Bungie's Marathon.
The ongoing wait for news from various PlayStation Studios continues. Media Molecule, the developer behind Dreams, has not released a new game in six years, while Sony Bend, the studio that developed Days Gone, last shipped a title seven years ago.
Leading up to the event, anticipation was high for Naughty Dog's Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, especially after the studio confirmed the completion of its performance capture phase. However, this update now appears to have signaled a lack of further news for the showcase. Naughty Dog's most recent original game release was The Last of Us 2 in 2020, with subsequent work focusing on remakes and a scrapped multiplayer spin-off.
With less than six months until its projected release, God of War: Laufey was a strong candidate for an appearance, although Sony did dedicate significant time to the game in July. The absence of Sony's multiplayer Horizon spin-off aligns with recent reports suggesting dissatisfaction with feedback from its public playtest, leading to a potential shift from a live-service model to a co-operative experience with a story mode.
Fairgame, a live-service heist game developed by Haven Studios, founded by Assassin's Creed co-creator Jade Raymond, has not been shown publicly in years. Raymond departed the company, and the game's creative director followed suit months later. Raymond's last shipped title was EA's Star Wars: Battlefront 2 in 2017.
Bungie's Marathon also remains a question mark. With Destiny 2 development winding down after a decade and significant layoffs at Bungie, the future of the studio's projects is unclear, raising doubts about Marathon's continued support amidst persistent calls for Destiny 3.
Despite these omissions, the approaching release of Grand Theft Auto 6, widely considered the biggest game of the current console generation, looms large. Sony is expected to leverage this release with marketing that highlights the PlayStation 5's performance. While this State of Play did not showcase Sony's first-party output effectively, the impending launch of GTA 6 may present a more opportune moment for major announcements.