UPDATE: Sony has announced that it will be postponing the PlayStation 5 event, which was originally scheduled to air on Thursday, June 4th. In light of the Black Lives Matter movement and protests occurring in America and parts of the globe, Sony has chosen to have the focus on the current worldwide circumstances. It's sad, but the right call to make in these times. pic.twitter.com/ZAY8StN0EU— PlayStation (@PlayStation) June 1, 2020 ORIGINAL STORY: Sony has confirmed that the PlayStation 5 event (that I'm sure we've all been waiting for) will take place on June 4th. The event advertised by PlayStation promises the "Future of Gaming" and will reportedly offer our first look at PS5 games over an hour-long presentation. The official PlayStation account took to social media to break the exciting news, as this is the first time we'll see an event from PlayStation dedicated to the PS5 and future titles. READ MORE: Cyberpunk 2077 Enters the Final Stages of Development PlayStation details the event in a new blog post from Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan, who states, "There are few things as exciting as the launch of a new console. While this road to launch has been a bit…different, we are as thrilled as ever to bring you with us on this journey to redefine the future of videogames. We’ve shared technical specifications and shown you the new DualSense wireless controller. But what is a launch without games?" Ryan goes on to confirm that this event will be our first look at games coming to PS5 this holiday, aligning with the launch of the console. Join us Thursday, June 4 at 1:00pm Pacific time for a look at the future of gaming on PlayStation 5: https://t.co/Yr8fafcOVd #PS5 pic.twitter.com/F0yBbDmOtC— PlayStation (@PlayStation) May 29, 2020 Sony concludes by stating that the event will run for an hour and showcase games from developers, small and large, across the globe. "This digital showcase will run for a bit more than an hour and, for the first time, we will all be together virtually experiencing the excitement together. A lack of physical events has given us an amazing opportunity to think differently and bring you on this journey with us, and hopefully, closer than ever before. This is part of our series of PS5 updates and, rest assured, after next week’s showcase, we will still have much to share with you." Tune into the PlayStation 5 event on June 4th at 1PM PDT / 10PM CAT.

I recently planted myself down on the couch to play One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows, a video game based on the wildly popular web manga and anime series of the same name. The experience was ultimately shallow and frustrating, but it also highlighted some of the biggest problems facing anime-based video games today. With so many anime released annually, the most popular ones often rise to the top, enough to get game adaptations, though the degrees of success always varies. So what is it that most anime-based games simply lack when compared to the heavy-hitters in the gaming industry? I believe it boils down to a few glaring issues... Rewind the clock back to E3 2018. Microsoft set the stage for the unveiling of Jump Force, a fighting game that merged several popular universes of shounen anime such as Dragon Ball, One Piece, Naruto, and Bleach, among others. The reception to its announcement was met with thunderous applause. This was surely going to be the anime game equivalent of Super Smash Bros., or so we thought. To say that the game was panned upon release would be a massive understatement. Without any of the polish, flare, or huge appeal of the Smash Bros. franchise, this ambitious anime crossover brawler faded into obscurity without so much as a whimper. It still maintains regular updates, but the hype train that rallied behind this project left the station and crashed into the abyss. [Jump Force] was surely going to be the anime game equivalent of Super Smash Bros., or so we thought. I think the most disappointing thing about Jump Force's failure was its potential. Judging by how many people actually anticipated it to be this messiah of anime fighters, it was clear that the problem wasn't the popularity or mainstream reach. After all, last decade saw anime boom in the Western market with shows like Sword Art Online, Attack on Titan and My Hero Academia hitting dizzying heights of mainstream success in a niche anime market. So why does it feel like anime-based video games, especially ones with this much anticipation leading up to it, simply lack the punch of its counterparts in the gaming world? The realization eventually hit me. For as much as we can say anime is quickly becoming a massive industry in and of itself, it's still quite premature in its ability to reach broad appeal. What anime-based video games have been relegated to are small-scale projects developed by several lesser known Japanese studios who don't always necessarily have the budget or marketing prowess to push and guarantee critical and commercial success. They're for the fans, and that's where it usually stops, whereas other video game properties tend to have noticeably larger demographics. Most anime are sadly products of their time in a constantly changing and evolving industry... The other issue is the time they need to develop these adaptations. Anime is a constantly shifting market that sees new shows rise to popularity every few months, but it's seldom we see a show actually have lasting power and impact in the anime industry unless guaranteed continuing seasons. So when it comes to a game like One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows (a game which released this year), most of the anime community - its core demographic - had already moved on from a show that debuted in 2016 (and not to mention a critically failed second season). Most anime are sadly products of their time in a constantly changing and evolving industry, and it's extremely rare that we see shows like My Hero Academia manage to maintain a flow of new seasons while staying on top of the popularity charts. Even then, My Hero Academia's two game adaptations have also failed to capture the attention of even the show's biggest fans. On the flip side of the coin, Bandai Namco has somehow found a winning formula with Dragon Ball Z, which chugs out one game after the next, almost guaranteeing moderately successful sales each time. It shouldn't come as a surprise either, because Dragon Ball is arguably the most well-known shounen anime of all time, meaning the market is not only far greater in the gaming scene, but it essentially prints money for Bandai Namco - which allows them to keep pushing new Dragon Ball games, even if the quality of said games aren't always up to par with the higher tiers of the AAA gaming clubs. Bandai Namco has somehow found a winning formula with Dragon Ball Z... Lastly, it's also simply a matter of playing it safe. Take One Piece's continuing game series, Pirate Warriors, and Naruto's Ultimate Ninja Storm series. We've seen at least four mainline games in each series, yet none of them have been easily distinguishable from one another. Instead, they only provide the barebones amount of innovation while simply repeating a formula that doesn't - or can't - seem to change without alienating its already comfy-sized player base. Thus, these video games remain contained in a bubble, catering only to the fans that are interested. It was a spark of absolute genius and luck, then, that Arc System Works even managed to make Dragon Ball FighterZ a powerhouse AAA fighter that could compete with the likes of Tekken and Mortal Kombat. Anime-based video games are plentiful over in Japan, but it's incredibly rare to see them licensed for an international market. If the appeal isn't there to begin with, then there just isn't a reason to try and localize those titles if it means risking profits. Hence, we only ever hear of the popular anime-based games breaking into international markets - because there's already established fan bases, which all seemingly have expiration dates. It's messy affairs which means anime-based games are rushed out before the window of relevancy closes, and hardly ever get the big budgeting or time needed to make something truly memorable and worthwhile. As long as anime juggles its seasonal content with only the few elite shows breaking into popularity, the love and attention game developers need to make a great adaptation is tragically shot down before it can even get a fighting chance. The kings of the market like Dragon Ball Z may still dominate, but unless a success story arrives that matches its gargantuan appeal, you won't find much innovation in this small pocket of the gaming industry that has no time to get on its feet before being pushed back into the dirt constantly.

It never ceases to amaze, this fickle thing called fate. A small action might turn out to be a world-changing event, or an action bore from impulse might escalate into disaster. Thankfully, in one particular case, a couple of gifted youngsters created a product, never knowing it will years later shape and define an entire industry. We cast our attention to 1984 where high school students Jason Rubin and Andy Gavin gave in to curiosity while doodling with Lisp and C++. These two teamed up, establishing JAM Software (Jason and Andy's Magic Software) creating software for the Apple II and a skiing game for their second title. In a freak accident during the development of the skiing game, Gavin accidentally copied bootleg games over the only copy of their game. This lead Rubin to create a new title over the course of a weekend titled Ski Crazed. The game was eventually bought and published by Baudville for $250. After this, the duo programmers created another title, this time a graphic adventure game called Dream Zone. It released in 1988 and was ported over to the Atari ST, Amiga, and PC. To break away from Baudville, Rubin and Gavin renamed JAM Software to Naughty Dog in 1989. Electronic Arts picked up Rings of Power, another Naughty Dog title, and published it for the Sega Genesis in 1991. Rings of Power marks the world's introduction to Nijay Pande, who by present-day standards, needs no introduction. Rubin and Gavin went on to create an interactive multiplayer title called Way of the Warrior, which they presented to Mark Cerny of Universal Interactive Studios. Cerny was impressed by their work and signed Naughty Dog for three additional titles at the studio. Motivated by there new deal, Gavin and Rubin worked tirelessly on an action-platform game. This title would force players to constantly be looking at the character's rear, hence the project was jokingly titled "Sonic's Ass Game." Naughty Dog expanded their team, all the while creating a development tool called Game Oriented Object Lisp, to create characters and gameplay. Cartoonist Charles and Joe Pearson were recruited to assume character creation duties for the game. After more than a year, all the changes and grown Naughty Dog has gone through, culminated in the creation of the titular character we know as Crash Bandicoot. Showing off the game to Sony Computer Entertainment, it was immediately signed and published by the company. Crash Bandicoot's first public appearance was at E3. Needless to say, the game went on to become one of the highest-selling titles for the PlayStation console, clocking over 6.8 million copies sold. Naughty Dog created two more Crash titles and a spin-off Crash Team Racing game. Afterward, the studio wanted to create games for Sony instead of Universal Interactive, but Universal held the rights to the Crash Bandicoot series. Sony bought Naughty Dog in 2001. The studio shifted gears and created the Jak & Daxter series while operating under Sony's banner. The series was met with similar praise and success to the Crash Bandicoot series. Somewhere between the development of Jak 3 and Jak X: Combat Racing, Rubin and Gavin were slowly grooming Evan Wells and Stephen White to become the new co-presidents of Naughty Dog. Starting in 2007, Naughty Dog began work on the Uncharted series. This marks the studio's first foray into the more realistic worlds and characters of games. The Uncharted series - praised for its narrative, polish, and rich features - went on to sell millions of copies worldwide. Given the success of their new direction, the studio began work on a brand new title. In 2011, Naughty Dog unveiled The Last of Us, a "post-apocalyptic third-person action-adventure" title following the struggles of Ellie and her protector Joel. The ravaged United States setting, complete with infected humans akin to Cordyceps unilateralis set the stage for the game. The Last of Us received universal acclaim upon release and is regarded by many as one of the best games ever released. Between 2013 and 2014, Naughty Dog endured a lot of changes. November 2013 saw Corrine Yu, principal engine architect at 343 Industries, join the studio, while December of that same year saw Naughty Dog win the Studio of the Year award at the Spike's VGX award show for their work on The Last of Us. In March 2014, Uncharted lead writer Amy Henning departed the studio, with Justin Richmond (Uncharted 3 director) and Nate Wells (The Last of Us lead artist) leaving the studio soon after. Balestra announced his retirement in 2017 with Evan Wells remaining as the sole president of the company. In March 2018, creative director Neil Druckmann was promoted to Vice President of Naughty Dog. The new Vice President proved to be a strong move for Naughty Dog as he went on to be nominated and won several awards in numerous categories in the industry. That wraps up the exciting history of the world-renowned Naughty Dog development studio. A duo of aspiring developers set in motion a string of excellent games, leading up to one of the most anticipated games of this generation: The Last of Us Part II. In just a few days, fans of the series will finally be able to dive into the post-apocalyptic world once more to discover the fate of their favorite characters. The Last of Us Part II is set to release on June 19th, 2020 for PS4.

The Last of Us Part II is just a few weeks away from release, and fans are eagerly anticipating Naughty Dog's next outing. While the title has been confirmed as a PlayStation 4 exclusive, it seems like players will still be able to play the sequel on the PlayStation 5 when it launches later this year. This was confirmed in a recent interview with Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan, who provided the good news. READ MORE: NetherRealm is Working on a New Game That Isn't Mortal Kombat or Injustice Ryan stated in an interview with CNET that The Last of Us Part II will be compatible with the PS5. The topic shifted to the upcoming PS5 event - which is scheduled to air this Thursday, June 4th - before talking about The Last of Us Part II, and how he sees it as the "defining game for this generation." He later confirmed that not only will the game end the PS4 on a high note, but also the PS4 version will be playable on PS5 systems without a hitch. This falls in line with Sony's plans for the PS5 having "forward compatibility", meaning a select amount of PS4 games will be playable on PS5, upscaled and improved. It saves fans from purchasing the same game twice too. Unfortunately, Ryan didn't mention if The Last of Us Part II will receive a remastered version of the game specifically for PS5 (much like its predecessor on the PS4), so we'll have to wait a little while longer to confirm if that is the case. It's also not clear if the first game will also be ported over to the PS5, but I imagine a bundle with both games tied together on the PS5 would be something that fans will certainly appreciate. The Last of Us Part II releases on June 19th, 2020 for PS4.