For Now, Sony’s Holiday Lineup Isn’t Looking So Hot

As we all know by now, the hotly anticipated PlayStation 4 exclusive, The Order: 1886, won’t release until 2015.

Last I heard from a relatively reputable source, the new Uncharted won’t be ready until summer of next year.

So, this begs the question: What will Sony hang its hat on for the upcoming holiday season? Driveclub? That hardly seems like it’ll be a significant driver of PlayStation 4 sales and as for the Vita, that thing appears to be dead in the water.  Don’t get me wrong; I own one and I think it’s a fantastic piece of hardware, but we’re not seeing anywhere near enough support from developers.

A holiday season is critical and without either The Order or Uncharted, what will prompt consumers to buy the PS4?

Okay, we’re not seeing much for the Xbox One, either, but…

Look, here’s the deal: Exclusive software pushes system sales. It’s certainly true that big-name third-party games give all hardware a boost; franchises like Assassin’s Creed, Call of Duty, and Grand Theft Auto are always capable of amping up hardware sales. However, the exclusives, the games that can only be played on one system, are the ones that cast the spotlight on said system.

When it comes to the PlayStation brand, gamers are expecting something special, and that goes double when the holiday season comes around. It’s just so critical for all game companies and this year, what do we see but a bunch of third-party multiplatform titles on tap for the September-November rush? The Xbox One doesn’t have much on the horizon in terms of exclusives, either, but at least they’ve got that inherent domestic advantage here in the US.

Maybe a new God of War will be the savior…?

Perhaps this will be announced at E3 in June, and this will be Sony’s ace in the hole for the end of the year. It can’t really be an updated version of Gran Turismo 6 and while I’d love to see The Dark Sorcerer this year, that really won’t happen. If a new entry in an established PlayStation-exclusive franchise was set for the fourth quarter, that would invariably help PS4 sales during the most important time of the year.

However, bear in mind that in the eyes of many, Sony Santa Monica has a little something to prove, as Ascension wasn’t quite as amazing as previous entries. Many say the developers should’ve waited to kick off the new generation with a new GoW.

Wait, wait…I got it…The Last Guardian!

Maybe this will be the surprise of the show. We all know it’s coming to the PS4 after all this time; Sony just has to make it official. And what better place to do it than at E3, when many conscientious consumers are constructing their holiday wish lists in their heads? The Last Guardian is rapidly acquiring the nasty moniker, “vaporware” (if it hasn’t acquired it already), and Sony really needs to come forward with some information.

PlayStation fans have great memories. They remember full well how amazing games like ICO and Shadow of the Colossus were. To have such a promising project on tap for the PS4 in 2014 would be absolutely huge.

But I repeat: Without The Order: 1886 or Uncharted 4, I can’t help but think that Sony’s holiday lineup appears a little sparse. Well, for now, anyway.