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Sony aired a State of Play event in June, meaning we may not be getting one for a little while. Still, there's sure to be more of them by the end of the year, and thankfully we do know there will be a bespoke presentation for an upcoming PS5 exclusive at some point this month.
Since the series of shows began in 2019, Sony has used the State of Play presentations to reveal big-hitting games and details such as the initial reveal of Saros, debut gameplay footage for Death Stranding 2, and more. So, it's always worth tuning in to the State of Play live streams if you want to be alerted to any big announcements for new PS5 games.
Following the release of the PS5 Pro console, all eyes have turned back to the next State of Play - a new console will need new games to play on it, after all, even if it is a mid-gen refresh machine. Here's what we know.
When is the next Sony State of Play?(Image credit: Kojima Productions)There's no info on when to expect the next Sony State of Play, and considering we just had one on June 4, we could be waiting a while. There was a Ghost of Yotei-focused gameplay showcase to enjoy earlier in July, which showed off gameplay and the open world design for the first time.
What was revealed at the last Sony State of Play?(Image credit: IO Interactive)The last Sony State of Play event aired June 4, 2025. We covered the State of Play event live, where we saw 007 First Light for the first time. elsewhere, Baby Steps got a release date, and Nioh 3 was announced. Here's everything that was shown:
- Lumines Arise, PS5, PSVR 2
- Pragmata, 2026
- Romeo is a Dead Man, 2026
- Silent Hill f, , September 25, 2025
- Bloodstained: The Scarlet Engagement, 2026
- Digimon Story Time Stranger, October 3 2025
- Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, September 30, 2025
- Baby Steps, September 8, 2025
- Hirogami, September 3, 2025
- Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots, September 5 2025
- Ninja Gaiden Ragebound, July 31 2025
- Cairn, November 5, 2025 (demo available today)
- Mortal Kombat Legacy Kollection, 2025
- Project Defiant fight stick
- Metal Gear Solid Delta, August 28 2025
- Nioh 3, early 2026 (demo available today)
- Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow, PSVR 2
- Tides of Tomorrow, Feb 24, 2026
- Astro Bot free DLC later this month + the Astro Bot DualSense returning
- Sea and Remnants, 2026
- Sword of the Sea, August 19
- 007 First Light, 2026
- Ghost of Yotei, gameplay demonstration coming in July
- Marvel Tokon Fighting Souls, coming to PS5 and PC in 2026
We just had a State of Play event focusing on 007 First Light, Sword and the Sea, as well as a bunch of other announcements. That means we'll be waiting a while for the next one, though I'd expect to see more on Marathon, Ghost of Yōtei, and perhaps even Saros, the next game from Returnal developer Housemarque that's due in 2026. We'll have to wait and see.
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- OpenAI figures claim ChatGPT now has 500 million users globally
- Younger workers use it more, but the youngest aren't the biggest users
- OpenAI wants to democratize artificial intelligence and support workers
OpenAI has released new research claiming its AI tools technology is providing major productivity benefits - whilst also recognizing it could majorly disrupt some areas negatively.
This year, ChatGPT has been used by 28% of US adults for work purposes, up from 8% in 2023, suggesting more and more are getting to grips with its productivity and efficiency benefits.
Among its most popular use cases are learning and upskilling (20%), writing and communication (18%), programming, data science and maths (7%), creative ideation, business analytics and even translation.
ChatGPT looks to boost productivityInterestingly, while we usually see younger generations adopting emerging technologies more quickly, OpenAI revealed that more 25-34-year-old use ChatGPT (32%) compared with 18-24-year-olds (24%), suggesting that generative AI could be more beneficial to slightly more senior positions than entry-level roles.
Lawyers, customer support agents, consultants, government workers and teachers have all reported considerable time savings when using AI.
OpenAI's 'Unlocking Economic Opportunity' paper also claimed AI helps to lower the barrier to entry for entrepreneurship and small businesses, with Y Combinator's 2025 cohort growing at around 10% weekly due to the growing number of AI-first startups.
However, even OpenAI acknowledges AI can bring disruption despite its significant productivity promises.
Claiming it now supports more than 2.5 billion messages per day from 500 million users globally, the company noted it has a responsibility to guide the change – not halt it – by democratizing access, supporting workers and building inclusive systems.
"We’re off to a strong start, creating freely available intelligence being used by more than 500 million people around the world, including 3 million developers," the company wrote.
"OpenAI looks forward to working with policymakers, workers, educators and the public to better understand how AI is changing the economy and ensure that the economic gains that AI brings result in widespread growth and expanded opportunity."
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- Russia is considering banning WhatsApp
- The Meta-owned app is the most popular messaging service in the country
- Max, a domestic messaging app integrated with government services, will be installed on every new device from September 2025
People in Russia may soon need to find a replacement for WhatsApp, the most popular messaging app across the country.
Talking to Reuters on Friday, July 18, 2025, the Deputy Head of the Russian parliament's Information Technology Committee, Anton Gorelkin, said that "it's time for WhatsApp to prepare to leave the Russian market," adding that Meta has been designated as an extremist organization in Russia.
On Tuesday, July 22, Russia passed a law to punish online searches for so-called 'extremist' content, while adding new penalties to those using VPN services.
How likely is WhatsApp to leave Russia?(Image credit: Getty Images)Russian authorities haven't shared any details on how or when the WhatsApp ban will be enforced.
That said, Meta, the provider behind WhatsApp, has already been designated as an extremist organization, with two of its other services (Facebook and Instagram) being banned since 2022.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, however, also reiterated the fact that WhatsApp "has certain duties under laws of the Russian Federation" that must be fulfilled – Interfax reported.
Two more government sources have then confirmed to Meduza, a Russian Independent media outlet, that "there’s a 99-percent chance" the WhatsApp block will happen.
The looming WhatsApp ban comes as the Kremlin is developing its own messaging app with government services integrated. From September 2025, Max is set to be installed on every device sold in Russia, the Independent reported.
Can a VPN help?A virtual private network (VPN) encrypts users' internet connections while spoofing their real IP address. The latter skill is generally used to bypass this type of internet geo-blocking – something Russian authorities have been trying to prevent for a long time.
From ever-sophisticated VPN blocking tactics, which make many VPN services stop working, the Kremlin even criminalized the spread of information about ways to circumvent internet restrictions in March 2024, forcing the likes of Apple to remove some of the best VPN apps from its official App Store.
Now, a new law further complicates things for VPN users. Starting from July 22, there are new penalties for people searching for and accessing "knowingly extremist materials," including when they do that while connected to a VPN.
Furthermore, lawmakers have reportedly also adopted a provision that makes using a VPN to access extremist content – something that WhatsApp may be set to become – "a crime as an aggravating factor."
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