Between the release of Astro Bot and the seemingly accidental PS5 Pro reveal, you might've missed the details of Sony's planned celebrations for PlayStation's 30th anniversary.
An official PlayStation Blog post, written by Sony Interactive Entertainment vice president of global marketing Isabelle Tomatis, details what else we can expect from such a monumental anniversary for the PlayStation brand.
What immediately caught my eye as a fan of the best racing games is an all-new way to check out Gran Turismo 7, by way of a free trial known as My First Gran Turismo. Launching sometime this holiday, the trial will feature a select number of cars, circuits, and events "that evoke the nostalgia and excitement of the very first GT experience." It'll be available to all PS5 and PS4 players, so it seems there won't be a need for a PS Plus subscription here.
Additionally, a bunch of digital soundtracks of PlayStation titles are making their way to Spotify for the first time. From October to January, we can expect the soundtracks for God of War (2005), God of War 2, God of War: Ghost of Sparta, Twisted Metal, Starhawk, and Unit 13 to hit the music streaming service. They'll also be available through Apple Music and Amazon Music.
Another interesting debut is 'Shapes of Play.' This is a trio of physical goods designed by PlayStation's console hardware team. Shapes of Play: Battle is a competitive board game, while Shapes of Play: Create is a set of magnetic blocks that can be arranged into various shapes. Finally, there's Shapes of Play: Recharge which appears to be an arrangement of soft stress toys in the shapes of PlayStation's iconic face buttons. That last one's my favorite, actually.
Lastly, there's going to be a free online multiplayer weekend happening from September 21-22, allowing players who don't have a PS Plus subscription to hop online at no extra cost. Several online tournaments are going to be held for games including NBA 2K25, MLB The Show 24, Tekken 8, and Guilty Gear Strive. Participating in any of these tournaments will also net you a couple of unique PlayStation 30th anniversary avatar icons.
And if these announcements leave you feeling disappointed, fear not. The blog post confirms that this is just a taste of what we can expect from the PlayStation 30th anniversary celebrations and that more announcements will be made "in the near future." New Ape Escape, then, please?
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