Wolverine, Deus Ex, And King in Yellow References: State of Play Highlights
- Insomniac’s Wolverine game brings visceral combat and surprise cameos to PS5 in Spring 2026.
- Deus Ex gets the remaster treatment with modern visuals, controls, and physics.
- Housemarque’s new cosmic roguelike set on Carcosa references eldritch literature and Returnal’s gameplay loop.
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Snikt Snikt
Sony’s latest PlayStation State of Play showcase beamed a ton of exclusive treats right into players eyeballs on Sept. 24, 2025. Returnal’s studio Housemarque revealed its latest game, and unexpected literary references, with footage of Saros; Aspyr and Eidos-Montréal have collaborated on a Deus Ex remaster, and more.
A total of 19 games got their due in the latest State of Play, with other titles on show including Halloween: The Game, and a Gran Turismo 7 update. A few other titles, that have been showcased elsewhere, were also featured, such as Battlefield 6 and Nioh 3.
Although there was some overlap with other recent video game expos, State of Play still managed to keep a few exclusives up its sleeve. One of the most notable was that Insomniac Games will keep playing in the Marvel superhero world with its take on Wolverine.
“The entire game is built around staying true to the Wolverine experience,” said Marcus Smith, Creative Director at Insomniac Games. “It’s the full package. It’s a level of detail we’ve never been able to do before.”
He’s The Best at What he Does
Logan aka Wolverine has appeared in numerous video games before, but typically beat ‘em ups and always as part of an ensemble. Insomniac’s take on the angry Canadian puts him front and center, in a plot that references his role as an unreliable narrator – Logan has gaps in his memory, which opens up multiple story possibilities as he has to contend with both his violent nature, and desire to do good.
Australian actor Liam McIntyre (Spartacus, The Flash) follows in the footsteps of Hugh Jackman and Wolverine’s first animated appearance as the third Aussie to portray the grizzled hero with knife-knuckles.
“My job is to try and find the essence of who Wolverine is, especially as he applies to our story,” McIntyre said. “People hurt him. People take from him. People betray him. He still fights for people who can’t fight for themselves.”
Wolverine includes fluid, visceral combat, plus appearances from other Marvel characters such as Mystique and Omega Red. Players will find out who and what else features in the game when it launches on PS5 in spring, 2026.
Conspiracy And Cyborgs
Deus Ex is heralded as a forerunner of the immersive sim genre for many reasons, from its open-ended gameplay through to the way players can tailor skills to suit any situation. But, arguably, some aspects (primarily the graphics) are tied to its 2000 release period and could do with a fresh coat of paint.
Aspyr may not be as well-known in remaster circles as Nightdive, but the studio still has a few hits under its belt, including Tomb Raider and Neverwinter Nights. Original developers Eidos-Montréal approached Aspyr to give Deus Ex the remaster treatment, with the result launching on PS5 on Feb. 5, 2026.
“This remaster isn’t just a visual upgrade, but a preservation of Deus Ex’s DNA – carefully modernized without sacrificing the conspiratorial paranoia that made the original game so iconic,” said Matthew Ray, Associate Brand Manager at Aspyr.
“Each location has been overhauled with new lighting, dynamic shadows, particle systems, and upscaled textures. For the first time, you’ll see this dystopian future rendered with rebuilt character models, lip-synced dialogue, and ragdoll physics.”
Ray also revealed that the control scheme has been reworked so it’s a lot friendlier for gamepads, taking inspiration from the modern Deus Ex games so that things like radial menus and streamlined navigation are now incorporated into the original.
Song of my Soul, my Voice is Dead
“Strange is the night where black stars rise, and strange moons circle through the skies, but stranger still is Lost Carcosa.” So starts Robert W. Chambers’ The King in Yellow, an 1895 novella about a play that causes madness. If anyone had “eldritch horror literature reference” on their State of Play bingo card, congratulations.
Housemarque is a Finnish studio that’s been on the go since 1995, but it’s its 2020 game, Returnal, that brought the company to the general gaming public’s attention. Set on a perpetually dying, shape-shifting planet, it followed an astronaut as they sought to figure out what was going on, and why/how they could keep returning from death themselves.
Saros is the studio’s next game, and it’s also set on a constantly changing planet, but this time it’s linked with a dying sun. Players may also notice a similarity between Returnal’s alien beings and the twisted forms on “lost Carcosa,” although Housemarque are promoting Saros as a brand new, standalone IP.
“The events of Saros take place on Carcosa, a shape-shifting, hostile alien planet; one that changes on every death, and offers a wide variety of environments and enemies for you to encounter,” said Creative Director, Gregory Louden.
“In this gameplay first look, we see our protagonist Arjun Devraj (performed by Rahul Kohli) exploring the planet as a total eclipse nears. Along the way he finds Nitya Chandran (performed by Shunori Ramanthan), one of our ensemble cast, and a key character. The stunning environment Arjun explores is that of a lost ancient civilization fueled by the twisted enlightenment of the eclipse.”
Whether the madness of Chambers’ influential text factors into the gameplay remains to be seen, but the abundance of yellow/gold, and pallid-faced beings certainly echo key components of the original Carcosa story. It’ll be another exclusive PS5 title, and launches on March 20, 2026.
Slashers, Racers, And More
Other notable highlights include a first look at Halloween: The Game. Developed by Illfonic, the same studio that brought Jason Vorhees to asymmetrical multiplayer, it puts players in the William Shatner mask of The Shape as they terrorise Haddonfield. However, as it’s also a collaboration with Gun Interactive, there’s a strong chance it won’t be around for long.
Gran Turismo 7 was released in 2022 but it still gets love from developer Polyphony Digital Inc. The game’s creator, Kazunouri Yamauchi, appeared during State of Play to talk about Spec III, a massive update coming in December this year. It’ll feature two new tracks, eight new vehicles, and an improved circuit experience for racing fans.
A few JRPG games were shown during this State of Play, but one of the weirdest RPG-adjacent titles was Let It Die: Inferno, the latest entry into the roguelike survival series. Whereas the previous game tasked players with climbing a tower, Inferno sends gamers into the bowels of Hell.
“Within the Hell Gate, all bets are off,” said Allyson Nicholas, Associate Community Manager for GungHo Online Entertainment. “In order to survive, players must not only fend off grotesque creatures and human enemies in melee-focused combat, but also other players. It’s roguelite survival action in a chaotic, PvEvP environment.”
“Needless to say, no two playing experiences will be the same; stage layouts and item placements shift every descent, so players must use a strategic combination of unique weapons and special abilities to make it out alive.”
Let It Die: Inferno releases on Dec. 3 this year. Like a few other titles shown, it’ll be available on both PS5 and PC.
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