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New third-party and indie games appear in PlayStation 4's launch lineup

Sony has added six more titles to the PlayStation 4's starting lineup of games at the last minute.
Sony has added six more titles to the PlayStation 4's starting lineup of games at the last minute.Sony

A week after Sony unveiled the official starting lineup of games for the PlayStation 4, the Japanese gaming giant has revealed that its initial starting lineup wasn't so official after all.

With the launch of the PS4 barely a week away (it hits the shelves in the U.S. on Nov. 15, otherwise known as next Friday), Sony has added another six titles to the console's slate of games that will be available the moment gamers take the new system home and plug it into their TVs, bringing the new total to 23 games.

The new list is below, with each game's platform availability specified:

  • Angry Birds Star Wars – Available on all major consoles and mobile operating systems
  • Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag – Launching with the PS4 and Xbox One; currently available on PC, PS3, Wii U, and Xbox 360
  • Battlefield 4 – Launching with the PS4 and Xbox One; currently available on PC, PS3, and Xbox 360
  • Blacklight Retribution – Currently available on the PC, launching with the PS4
  • Call of Duty: Ghosts – Launching with the PS4 and Xbox One, currently available on PC, PS3, Wii U, and Xbox 360
  • Contrast – Launching on PS4, PS3, Xbox 360, and PC
  • DC Universe Online – Currently available on PS3 and PC, launching with the PS4
  • FIFA 14 – Currently available on Android, iOS, Nintendo 3DS, PS2 (yes, really), PS3, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation Vita, Wii, PC, and Xbox 360. Launching with the PS4 and Xbox One
  • Flower – Currently available for the PS3. Launching with the PS4.
  • Injustice: Gods Among Us Ultimate Edition – Currently available for Android, iOS, PC, and all major consoles in non-"Ultimate" edition. Launching in new Ultimate form with the PS4.
  • Just Dance 2014 – Currently available for PS3, Wii, Wii U, and Xbox 360; launching with the PS4 and Xbox One
  • Killzone: Shadow Fall – Exclusive to the PS4
  • Knack – Exclusive to the PS4
  • Lego Marvel Super Heroes – Currently available on PC, Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation Vita, and all major consoles. Launching with the PS4 and Xbox One.
  • Madden NFL 25 – Currently available on Android, iOS, PS3, and Xbox One. Launching with the PS4 and Xbox One.
  • NBA 2K14 – Currently available on Xbox 360, PS3, and PC. Launching with the PS4 and Xbox One.
  • Need For Speed: Rivals – Currently available on Xbox 360, PS3, and PC. Launching with the PS4 and Xbox One.
  • Resogun – Exclusive to the PS4
  • Skylanders Swap Force – Currently available for Nintendo 3DS, PS3, Wii, Wii U, and Xbox 360. Launching with the PS4 and Xbox One.
  • Sound Shapes – Currently available on the PS3 and PlayStation Vita. Launching with the PS4.
  • Super Motherload – Launching with the PS4. Will also appear on the PS3 and PC.
  • Trine 2: The Complete Story – Currently available on PC, Mac, Linux, PS3, Xbox 360 and the Wii U. Launching with the PS4.
  • Warframe – Currently available on PC. Launching with the PS4.

As the list shows, the PS4 isn't exactly launching with a bevy of compelling exclusive games. Many game critics have therefore noted that the PS4's inventory looks pretty weak compared to exclusive Xbox One launch titles like "Ryse: The Son of Rome" and "Dead Rising 3."

But at this point in the industry's history, seasoned gamers understand that purchasing a next-gen console is "an investment in the future of a machine moreso than it tends to be an investment in the present," as Kotaku editor Stephen Totilo put it in his review of Nintendo's Wii U. 

In other words, you buy a console for the games that don't exist yet. And considering that gamers are still scooping up new PS4s as fast as retailers make new pre-order units available, Sony doesn't really need to worry about the starting lineup hurting the console's early sales.

Yannick LeJacq is a contributing writer for NBC News who has also covered technology and games for Kill Screen, The Wall Street Journal and The Atlantic. You can follow him on Twitter at @YannickLeJacq and reach him by email at: Yannick.LeJacq@nbcuni.com.