Sony released a new “Play Has No Limits” ad for the PlayStation 5 on Tuesday to mark four years since its 2020 launch. No one would have thought twice about it, except that fans spotted a seemingly innocent but potentially telling split-second reference to a December date. Could Sony have an eleventh-hour PlayStation showcase planned to coincide with its 30th anniversary?
The discovery was shared on Reddit and points to the 0:47 mark in the below YouTube video. A train station schedule appears with the numbers 03 12 20:24 as the inbound column turns into PlayStation symbols. Some fans wonder if it’s meant to hint at a potential December 3, 2024 event. Perhaps one last State of Play or bigger livestream event pointing to what’s ahead for the PS5?
It’s a reach, but there are a couple of things that make it feel within the realm of possibility. First, commenters have noted that there is precedent for Sony holding December events. Once upon a time during the PS4 generation, it hosted fan-oriented PlayStation Experience events. And while those were retired many years ago at this point, Sony did hold a special December State of Play in 2019 to mark the 25th anniversary of PlayStation. It included announcements for Resident Evil 3 remake, Kingdom Hearts 3 DLC, and a Ghost of Tsushima tease. This December, meanwhile, marks the 30th anniversary.
It’s also felt like a a weird year for PS5 announcements overall. Sony’s standard 2024 summer showcase was downgraded to a State of Play, and despite plenty of exclusives hitting the console this year, players still don’t have a ton of insight into what’s shaping up for 2025. A December showcase would be a perfect time to tease more of Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Yotei, Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding 2, and potentially a release date for Insomniac’s Wolverine. The company recently promised at least one big new first-party single-player exclusive every year.
There’s another big event happening next month as well: Geoff Keighley’s Game Awards. Scheduled for December 12, we could very well see a big reveal from Sony at that show, which continues to draw bigger and bigger crowds each year. Or, maybe the company wants to set the stage with its own State of Play at the beginning of the month before using Keighley’s show for a second, deeper dive into something already revealed.
Or maybe a couple of still frames from a random PlayStation ad aren’t actually meant to signal anything. Either way, we’ll find out soon enough.