PS5 State of Play rumoured for next week with Black Flag remake reveal

Next week could be an important one for both Sony and Nintendo, with a chance that we’ll also get a first look at the long-rumoured The Witcher 3 DLC.

Fan satisfaction with their console maker of choice is greatly influenced by the frequency and quality of their online preview showcases. After a string of disappointing ones, Sony’s first 2026 event in February went down well and Microsoft’s Developer_Direct in January was also warmly received.

Nintendo, though, has managed to have six Direct style showcases so far this year and yet not one of them has been the big first party blowout that fans are dying for. That may not happen now until June, but the highly reliable NateTheHate claims that the rumoured new Star Fox game will ‘100%’ be revealed this month, but only via social media and the Nintendo Today app.

No one seems to know when the first proper Nintendo Direct of 2026 will be, but NateTheHate does claim to know of two pending State of Play events, one of which is set to happen next week, on Thursday, April 16.

Next week’s State of Play will apparently be third party ‘focused’, with Sony relying on its traditional not-E3 event in late May/early June to talk about its first party line-up.

Interestingly, a second untested source, called Alir, posted essentially the same information just before NateTheHate, which adds further credence to the date. Neither has made any prediction about what will be at next week’s event, but Alir claims that the God Of War spin-off and Marvel’s Wolverine will be amongst the game featured during the summer State of Play.

It is possible to make some reasonable guesses as to what will be featured next week, as a separate rumour suggests that Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag Resynced will be announced on April 16. It’s highly unlikely Ubisoft will do its own separate reveal on the same day, so there’s a very good chance it will be featured in the State of Play.

After years of leaks, the remake was confirmed last month in a very peculiar fashion, with a single screenshot in an unrelated blog, where it’s not even clear whether Ubisoft meant to publish it or not.

The other prediction for next week’s State of Play is more of a guess, but it seems to line-up with rumours of new story DLC for The Witcher 3, which will lead into the upcoming The Witcher 4.

Although it’s very unusual for significant DLC to be released so long after the game originally launched the existence of the new expansion has been leaked several times, by multiple different sources.

Publisher CD Projekt also recently made an oblique reference to an ‘unannounced gaming project’ that will release in the ‘coming quarters’, so if it’s not unveiled at this month’s State of Play it’s almost certain to feature at one of the other not-E3 events in June.

Other less reliable rumours suggest that Microsoft’s focus this summer will be on remake Halo: Campaign Evolved, which it’s claimed will launch in late July.

There’s also been recent rumours that Luigi’s Mansion 4 is nearing an annoucement, with new amiibo planned for the series – as well new Zelda amiibo which are supposedly meant as tie-ins for the rumoured Ocarina Of Time remake.

Those last few rumours are to be taken with an (un)healthy pinch of salt but at this point it would be surprising if Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag Resynced was not unveiled this month, with The Witcher 3 DLC also seeming very likely.

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