Tuesday, April 30 marks the third birthday of Housemarque’s fabulous PS5 roguelike, Returnal. Ahead of the big day, the Finnish studio has gotten us scratching our heads after it posted a cryptic teaser on Twitter suggesting some kind of announcement is due to mark the big day – before you get excited though, we don’t think it’s going to be Returnal 2.
The post in question shows a person’s face, broken up like shattered glass. It certainly looks like Returnal’s Selene – the protagonist of one of the best roguelike games to grace the PS5 (and later PC). One eagle-eyed fan has already seemingly found the reference snapshot Housemarque used, convincing us further that the PS5 exclusive is in for a big announcement.
What we’re not so convinced about, however, is this pertaining to a potential Returnal 2. In a June 2022 interview with VGC, senior narrative designer Eevi Korhonen said that, while Housemarque “had to leave so much on the cutting room floor,” Returnal’s off-cuts would be integrated into its “new IP story.” Though plans may have changed since then, it currently looks like the studio is going to bring something else to the fore before we return to Returnal.
But what does this mean for the teaser? Well, while Returnal 2 is likely off the cards, there could be leftover elements that are ripe for a new DLC of some description.
Additionally, with all of the console exclusives going multi-platform this year so far, Returnal would be the perfect way for Sony to dip its own toes into the Xbox waters – interim CEO Hiroki Totoki did say back in February that having first-party titles on “PS5, PCs and other platforms” is important to growing the company’s operating margins. Housemarque is owned by Sony, so would qualify based on this criteria.
Regardless of how the teaser materializes – you can check out the original tweet here – it’s an exciting time for Returnal fans. Having landed with an exceptional Metacritic score of 86 back in 2021, it quickly became a poster child for the PS5’s capabilities – to this day it remains one of the best utilizers of the DualSense’s haptics. Come on, Housemarque, bring us back to Atropos.
For more on the best PS5 games that you won’t find anywhere else (at least not yet), check out how Stellar Blade is rewarding players for their thirstiness in-game. If you’re looking for sensational bargains on PlayStation’s finest, check out the current sale that’s knocked NieR Automata down by a whopping 60%. Before you go, don’t forget to drop us a follow on Google News so you’ll never miss a beat again.