Khayl's Top 5 PS5, PS4 Games of 2023 | Push Square

In unsurprising news, publisher Square Enix has announced a bold new vision for the company in 2024, again promising to chase whatever the hottest speculative technology on the market happens to be. President Takashi Kiryu rang in the new year with a bold directive, confirming the firm will be «aggressive in applying AI and other cutting-edge technologies to both our content development and our publishing functions».

Fans of Guerilla's ever-growing Horizon franchise might be pleased to learn that that long-rumoured MMORPG spinoff, «Project Skyline», seems to still be in active development. They might be less thrilled to discover there's nothing to suggest it's coming to PS5 outside of being a Horizon game, expected to launch on PC and mobile in 2025 at the earliest.

France's antitrust regulator, Autorité de la Concurrence, has handed Japanese tech giant Sony a fine of 13.5 million Euros ($14.8 million) after finding it used its dominant position to corner the market, specifically in the realm of third-party PS4 controller manufacture.

The decisions made by outgoing Activision CEO Bobby Kotick actively made Call of Duty games worse. That's according to Christina Pollock a programmer who previously worked on the series. Pollock, along with many other former colleagues, made their feelings regarding the controversial exec known on social media once it was confirmed he had definitely left the building.

Pigeon Simulator Survival (not to be confused with the unrelated Pigeon Simulator) is looking like the hottest new bird sim to hit the market. Avian enthusiasts on PS5 can spread their wings and soar, taking revenge on unsuspecting, terrestrial-bound mortals.

Eagerly anticipated ghost-hunting game Phasmophobia was a hit on Steam, and the wait for it to come to PlayStation has been torturous, plagued by repeated delays and at least one fire. Developer Kinetic Games posted a development roadmap, which still doesn't give us a date but does promise that the console release, when it does arrive, will benefit from gameplay reworks and performance upgrades.

In an age of successful movies based on video game characters like Mario, Sonic, and Nathan Drake, it was perhaps inevitable that we would get a Minecraft movie starring Jack Black as unassuming player-insert Steve. The actor confirmed the casting on Instagram in a suitably silly style; the film is targeting a 2025 release.

Lies of P is one of 2023's most pleasant surprises. It's a twisted take on the classic tale of Pinnochio, incorporating elements made famous by FromSoftware's Dark Souls series. Korean newcomer Neowiz Games knocked it out of the park with its debut, delivering some competent competition and the closest thing to a Bloodborne successor we've seen to date.

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is one of the biggest games of the year, and we were big fans, even if it didn't stray enough from the established Insomniac formula for our taste. Still, it seems we weren't the only ones surprised to find that, despite being nominated in seven separate categories, Sony's latest PlayStation exclusive didn't bag a single statue at The Game Awards.

Remedy Entertainment's Alan Wake 2 received widespread acclaim from fans and critics when it launched on 27th October, continuing the tale of the tortured, titular writer. The sequel to the cult-classic Alan Wake, buoyed by more than a decade of hype and developed by a Remedy with the momentum of a well-received Control behind it, you'd expect the game to sell like gangbusters, wouldn't you?

Update — Publisher Mytona has posted an update on The Day Before situation, pledging to work with Steam to open up refunds to any players who choose to do so.

Fortnite's Festival is already set to corner the rhythm market by install base alone, introducing a Rock Band-like experience into Epic's ongoing everything game. In addition to LEGO Fortnite and Rocket Racing, it's clear that Epic's plans for total digital domination are close to coming to fruition.