Category: PlayStation

For the first time in franchise history, MLB The Show 23 roster will feature international baseball players competing in the World Baseball Classic. 

Suit up in your nation’s colors with official 2023 World Baseball Classic uniforms in MLB The Show 23, and then build a dream team mixing and matching 100+ players hailing from 20 countries, including Major League Baseball superstars.

Play Video

Diamond Dynasty mode* is your destination for all World Baseball Classic content in MLB The Show 23 on PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 consoles. Beginning with Early Access on March 24, fans can play through the World Baseball Classic Program! Relive the best moments, dominate a themed Conquest map, win Event games, earn bat skins, and unlock Flashback player items from the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Combine these new Flashbacks on your dream team with current MLB All-Stars and Legends from the last 100 years of baseball history, such as Babe Ruth and Ken Griffey Jr.

If this sounds exciting, take a look at the Digital Deluxe Edition of MLB The Show 23**. Each purchase includes one choice pack with World Baseball Classic Diamond player items and a choice pack with World Baseball Classic country uniform items. “Around the World” packs with more 2023 World Baseball Classic player items will be available at launch.

International talent

Look for all-new animations in MLB The Show 23 with the addition of global standouts, including a dynamic duo from Team Japan. Power-hitter Munetaka Murakami will display his signature batting stance and home run celebration, while Roki Sasaki has a custom pitching windup to deliver a blazing 100 mph fastball.

The World Baseball Classic sets up surreal matchups of current MLB teammates and also unites countrymen. In Diamond Dynasty mode, you control the lineup card as you acquire new Flashbacks.

Add MVP outfielders from different international leagues with Mookie Betts (Team USA) and Jung-hoo Lee (Team Korea), and pitch with journeyman Marek Minarik, who helped Team Czech Republic qualify for the first time in the World Baseball Classic. Other new Flashbacks include Team Chinese Taipei star players Chieh-Hsien Chen, Li Lin, and Kungkuan Giljegiljaw.

You will face tough decisions at every position as you build your Diamond Dynasty squad, especially with these World Baseball Classic Flashback player items coming to MLB The Show 23:

First Base: Miguel Cabrera (Team Venezuela), Freddie Freeman (Team Canada), Paul Goldschmidt (Team USA)

Third Base: Nolan Arenado (Team USA), Manny Machado (Team Dominican Republic), Yoan Moncada (Team Cuba)

Outfield: Ronald Acuna Jr. (Team Venezuela), Yusuke Masago (Team China), Kyle Tucker (Team USA), Luis Robert Jr. (Team Cuba)

Starting Pitcher: Yu Darvish (Team Japan), Sandy Alcantara (Team Dominican Republic), Adam Wainwright (Team USA)

…and many more!

MLB The Show 23 launches on PS5 and PS4 March 28.

*In Diamond Dynasty, play with uniforms from the 20 represented countries from the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Play with Roki Sasaki, Munetaka Murakami, Li Lin, Tim Kennelly, Dwight Britton, and Yusuke Masago for the first time in MLB The Show 23. Internet connection required.

 **Get Early Access beginning March 24, 2023 with The Captain Edition or Digital Deluxe Edition. MLB The Show 23 is available March 28, 2023. Visit theshow.com today to pre-order!

Note: World Baseball Classic playable content in Diamond Dynasty will expire on 12/31/2023. Earned items in user inventories and items on the Community Marketplace will not expire.

Two new women’s competitions are ready to kick-off in FIFA 23 just as their real world counterparts are heating up. The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) joins the Barclays Women’s Super League and Division 1 Arkema as the third women’s football league on the eve of the 2023 season, and the UEFA Women’s Champions League brings European nights and four new clubs to the The World’s Game in anticipation for this year’s knockout stages.

Both competitions will be powered by the same dedicated Hypermotion2 driving the Barclays Women’s Super League and Division 1 Arkema in FIFA 23, with authentic match capture and machine learning technology creating authentic animation informed by the movement of real-life women’s players.

The NWSL and UWCL will be available and free for those with FIFA 23 starting on March 15, 2023.

NWSL

The NWSL goes live in FIFA 23 just in time for the start of the new season out on the pitch. New headscans for select players across the competition bring the faces of NWSL to The World’s Game and new celebrations that bring the energy of the league to every goal. Take the pitch at four authentic stadiums with all 12 NWSL teams in a variety of game modes including Classic Kickoff and Co-op Seasons. You can also vie for the title in Tournament Mode with a full home and away season that culminates in an authentic shield and trophy presentation, or go online to challenge others to Friendlies with your favorite club.

UWCL

The world’s most prestigious women’s club competition joins The World’s Game on March 15th—the UEFA Women’s Champions League—just as the real-world knockout stages get underway. Welcome four new iconic clubs joining Chelsea Women, Manchester City Women, Olympique Lyonnais Féminin, and Paris Saint-Germain Féminine in FIFA 23, along with new faces from across these top European teams. Embrace the energy of European nights in a variety of game modes, ranging from Kick-off with each of the eight UWCL clubs and Co-op seasons with friends to Tournament modes that let you lead your team to glory. And experience it all in authentic UWCL environments complete with the anthem as you walk out, branded UWCL broadcast overlays as you play, and the iconic trophy as you crown your club champions of Europe.

Hello folks, I’m Ryan Bousfield, founder and director of Wolf & Wood Interactive, and I’m here today to announce that our upcoming game, The Last Worker will be launching on PlayStation 5 and on PS VR2 on March 30!

For people who may not be familiar with the game, let me give you a quick run-down. The Last Worker is a first-person narrative adventure we are creating with Jörg Tittel (writer, director) and Wired Productions (publisher) that balances light work simulation tasks with stealth gameplay and a deliciously dark and satirical story, performed by a star-studded cast (featuring the likes of Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, Jason Isaacs, Clare-Hope Ashitey, David Hewlet, Zelda Williams, and Tommie Earl Jenkins).

You are Kurt, the very last human worker for Jüngle – the most profitable company in the world. Kurt is responsible for “delivering dreams” along with his co-bot assistant SKEW,  navigating a huge distribution centre (larger than the sunken island of Manhattan) on a gravity defying pod, and then using your “Jünglegun” to retrieve, analyse and then tag products appropriately before dispatching or destroying them.  Kurt is pretty happy with his lot, all things considered – that is until a contact from a shadowy organisation disrupts his day to day work and offers him the chance to peek below the surface of Jüngle and the dark secrets that built an empire…

The Last Worker will be playable in both traditional “flat mode” and PS VR2 compatible, with both versions of the game built independently to make the most of the strengths of each version of the game, and of course make the most of the unique features that PlayStation 5 and PS VR2 hardware brings to the table.

Hybrid game and Saves

The Last Worker will be available as a PS5 and PSVR2 title, but you won’t need to pay for an upgrade, when you buy the game you receive both versions – and the save files and progress carry over between them. This means if you spend the morning fully immersed in the PS VR2 world of JFC-1, but want to quickly get a shift in later without putting on your headset, you can simply play on your TV.

4K HDR PS VR2 visuals

The Last Worker features a gorgeous stylised world, that blends custom shading and art from concepts drawn by comic artist legend Mick Mcmahon (known for his work on 2000 AD characters such as Judge Dredd and Sláine) that have been lovingly adapted by our team hand drawing each and every pen stroke in 3D! This has led to a vibrant, colourful world that is brought to life in spectacular fashion with the PS VR2’s two 2000×2040 OLED screens.

3D audio

Wolf & Wood have previously released PS VR titles, and understand the importance of audio in crafting a believable immersive world, this is no different for The Last Worker, with crisp 3D audio implementation allowing every explosion, piece of dialogue from the cast or track from the OST (Which was created by Olver Kraus, known for his collaborations with Adele, Sia, Florence and the Machine, and others) to come through crystal clear regardless of your position.

Adaptive triggers and haptic feedback

As Kurt’s story progresses, so does the selection of tools available to him, from using the Jünglegun as a makeshift hacking tool to a powerful EMP gun – each tool you’ll use to complete your day job (or perform espionage) includes unique feedback through use of the adaptive triggers and powerful haptic feedback – whether you’re labeling a package or flinging rats into the face of a pursuing security bot.

PS VR2 headset feedback

One of the PS VR2 features we’re most excited is the feedback on the headset itself – and for The Last Worker we’ve ensured that they are responsive to the action on screen as you soar around JFC-1 to put you right in the hotseat of Kurt’s Jünglepod. The impactful chaos of flying debris, gigantic robots, and explosions are all simulated for the player with optional headset haptics.

We can’t wait for you to experience all this and more – no matter how you choose to play The Last Worker, you’ll become immersed in exploring the dark underbelly of Jüngle and the important story shared by Kurt. Until then, keep your eyes peeled on the Wired Productions and The Last Worker social accounts for more information, and we’ll look forward to your induction day on March 30.

Here at PlayStation Productions, we strive to introduce our notable gaming IP to new audiences and we recognize that adapting video games from their interactive medium to another is no simple task. In the case of The Last of Us show on HBO, this meant retelling a story beloved by fans of the game in a faithful yet compelling way for TV. Thankfully the show’s top-tier creators were up to the exciting challenge, combining decades of shared experience making video games and TV shows.

We’ve been overwhelmed by the positive reception so far and as we near the finale in the next few weeks, I’m delighted to introduce the latest chapter in Sony’s Creator to Creator series for the Last of Us. This two-part series features the creators and cast reflecting on their time working on the games and show. The participants include:

• Neil Druckmann, Executive Producer / Co-President at Naughty Dog
• Craig Mazin, Executive Producer
• Pedro Pascal (Joel)
• Bella Ramsey (Ellie)
• myself, Asad Qizilbash, Head of PlayStation Productions at SIE

This first roundtable features the creators talking about tackling the challenge and opportunity of bringing The Last of Us to HBO. Neil Druckmann discusses the new creative experience of directing a TV episode. Bella talks about their performance of Ellie being an organic blend of themself and the iconic character. Pedro reflects on trudging through snow while on-set fans blast freezing air to simulate a blizzard. Craig talks about the benefit of having detail-oriented fans on the production crew, and how nervousness around getting the adaptation right translated to care and consideration.

Thanks to The Last of Us crew taking the time to share their incredible creative journey. Please enjoy, and thanks for watching. Stay tuned for part two coming in the near future.

Play Video

New episodes of The Last of Us premiere on HBO Sundays at 6pm PT. Those who want to experience Joel and Ellie’s journey can play The Last of Us Part I, available on PS5 now and coming to PC March 28. 

We at Obsidian are excited to announce a version of The Outer Worlds upgraded for PlayStation 5 – The Outer Worlds: Spacer’s Choice Edition. Let’s dive into some of the exciting changes we are making to this Board-approved RPG and how we approached this task.

Play Video

The Outer Worlds was received incredibly well from fans all over the world and won multiple awards, so having the opportunity to improve on something we know people love has been a real pleasure. 

If you aren’t too familiar with the game, here’s a brief summary: 

Lost in transit while on a colonist ship bound for the edge of the galaxy, you awake decades after your planned date only to find yourself in the midst of a deep conspiracy threatening to destroy the colony. Explore the various planets and locations of Halcyon, including the mysterious Gorgon Asteroid and the delightful distillery on Eridanos. As you encounter various factions, all vying for power, the decisions you make determine how the narrative unfolds.

The newest generation of consoles came out just a year after the game’s original release. So for us it made sense to freshen up the base game, bundle available content, take advantage of the PlayStation 5’s latest hardware capabilities and the DualSense Controller trigger feedback to help make sure it would live on and stay relevant for many more years to come. Hence, The Outer Worlds: Spacer’s Choice Edition.

Here’s how the teams did it.

Going beyond visual enhancements

Sure, improving the visuals is part of the deal. We were able to update to 4K, 60FPS graphics, enhance volumetric lighting, improve particle systems, and enhance the environments with increased asset density. We also raised the bar in several additional ways: we made the combat and companion AIs smarter, improved the open-world sensation through better depth of field and by reworking existing vistas, updated varying weather conditions, and we reworked character models and animations. Don’t worry, we didn’t dare touch the core of what made The Outer Worlds great. There’s no point in reinventing the wheel, but fresh tires are always a plus.

That being said, a completely new and exciting feature set is the DualSense wireless controller adaptive triggers and haptics. When employing ranged weapons, players will appreciate different trigger effects depending on the type. For a weapon like the flamethrower, the player will sense linear pressure. When firing an automatic weapon, trigger kickback will generate a pulse-like effect for each round fired. And for single-shot weapons such as a sniper or a shotgun, the trigger pressure effect will mimic the sensation of squeezing a trigger until the pin fires and the resistance lessens. Pretty neat, right? The game won’t just look better, it’ll also feel sharper.

Enhancing a legacy

If the improvements we have already described were not enough to justify this new edition, we thought this Spacer’s Choice Edition would make even more sense if it included the base game’s DLCs: Peril on Gorgon and Murder on Eridanos. So we did just that. Now the experience is even richer! On a side note: we know that several spacers out there enjoyed the fact that this was an approachable experience, not too short but not too long either. Rest assured, both DLCs do not extend the main story line. They exist on the side, offering a fresh narrative arc to enjoy if and when you feel like it once you’ve reached the appropriate level. Oh, and we increased the level cap to 99, to give players even more ways to build their character from the seven branches of the skill tree.

If you already own The Outer Worlds base game and its associated DLC, Peril on Gorgon and Murder on Eridanos, for PlayStation 4, you will be able to upgrade to The Outer Worlds: Spacer’s Choice Edition on PlayStation 5 for a reduced price.*

The Outer Worlds: Spacer’s Choice Edition is out March 7.

*Based on Private Division’s suggested retail price for The Outer Worlds: Spacer’s Choice Edition. Actual price may differ. Limit of one upgrade per account. See platform store for details and terms.

Email us at PSPodcast@sony.com!

Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, RSS, or download here

Happy PS VR2 launch week! This week is bursting with news on PS VR2 launch titles, plus the team’s favorite reveals and updates from the latest State of Play.

Stuff We Talked About

• PS VR2
• Destiny 2: Lightfall
• Horizon Call of the Mountain
• Kayak VR
• Resident Evil 4
• Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League
• Theatrhythm Final Bar Line
• Dead Space
• The Chant

The Cast

View and download image

Sid Shuman –  – Senior Director of Content Communications, SIE

View and download image

Kristen Zitani – Senior Content Communications Specialist, SIE

View and download image

Brett Elston – Manager, Content Communications, SIE

Thanks to Cory Schmitz for our beautiful logo and 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.]