Amid all the uncertainty surrounding the industry at the moment, Sony has stepped forward to make one thing clear: PlayStation 5 will not be delayed into 2021. That thus-far-unspecified late 2020 release date is coming ever closer.
Now, 2020 has been a heck of a year so far. The pandemic has caused a paradigm shift in the way we work, not to mention the very way we live our lives. The rules change on a day by day basis as lockdowns ease around the world, and the gaming industry certain hasn’t escaped unscathed.
Like so many others, development studios are working from home, leaving deadlines and release dates in a bit of state of flux. When it comes to much-anticipated launches, gamers are left wondering whether companies are actually going to be able to deliver or not.
In the gaming industry, there are no bigger releases on the horizon than those of the two next-gen systems, PS5 and Xbox Series X. Both have been targeting vague holiday launches, but given the state of things, there have been fears that they may slip into a Q1 2021 zone. As of just now, this doesn’t seem to be the case. Indeed, Sony are hammering home the fact that we will see PS5 hit stores by the end of this turbulent 2020.
As GamesIndustry.biz reports, Eric Lempel, Sony Interactive Entertainment SVP/head of global marketing, reaffirmed the company’s commitment to getting their new console into consumers’ hands before 2021.
“We will launch this year –that will happen—and… we will absolutely make sure that we will bring all of the magic and all of the excitement of launches that we have had in the past,” he stated, acknowledging the challenging situation that Sony and everyone in the industry faces, but confident that the team are up to the hefty task.
Let’s hope they are. There’s a tremendous amount riding on this launch, and with Microsoft similarly gearing up for a launch this coming November, there’s quite the battle brewing.
How will the systems fare when it come to their launch line-ups? Day one exclusives may be thin on the ground, and money struggles may prevent gamers from jumping straight on board with the way things are just now, but some fans will be able to see out 2020 with a new console by their side, and that’s a comfort.