If The Game Awards 2024 proved anything, it was that gamers are in store for a golden age of classic IP revivals in the coming years. Naturally, the reveal of several new games in long-dormant franchises coming down the pike prompted many developers and publishers to examine the prospect of reviving classic IP, including Sony. PlayStation CEO Herman Hulst recently commented in an interview with Famitsu that the company is “continually exploring” opportunities to revive older IP, possibly pointing to Sony Interactive Entertainment planning some new titles in languishing franchises. New rumors related to that idea have only added fuel to the speculative fire, but fans should keep their anticipation in check.
Reliable industry insider Andy Robinson recently shared on VGC: The Video Game Podcast that Sony currently has “at least a couple” projects currently in development that will see the studio revive older IP, but it’s important to note that this is simply the latest rumor in a long line of leaks suggesting similar initiatives. To coincide with the launch of the Twisted Metal live-action adaptation, Sony was reportedly planning a revival of that classic car combat franchise (a staple of the PS1’s early lineup), but those plans never came to fruition. Sony may be reviving IP, but it might not be ones that fans have in mind.
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Astro Bot’s Success Seems to Prime Many Classic PlayStation IPs for a Series Revival
It’s no surprise that Sony is supposedly looking to the past as it charts the company’s future, given Astro Bot‘s success and Game of the Year win. Astro Bot harkened back to the golden age of 3D platformers during the 5th and 6th console generations, reminding players that a good, self-contained solo experience can deliver plenty of bang for their buck. Similarly, Astro Bot is also a love letter to the history and legacy of the PlayStation brand, featuring plenty of noteworthy first and third-party cameos from across the hardware’s history.
But while Astro Bot‘s success makes a strong case for Sony to consider reviving dormant IP, it’s in no way a guarantee that the company will do so. It might be misleading to conflate Astro Bot‘s universal acclaim and loving nostalgia for the PlayStation’s past with a genuine push from Sony to revive dormant franchises that made an appearance in its award-winning platformer. So while a new Ape Escape game would be a welcome surprise from Sony, an Ape Escape-themed level in Astro Bot doesn’t necessarily make that reality any more likely now than it was before Astro Bot’s release.
Which Franchises Are Likely and Unlikely For PlayStation to Revive
The love that fans have for older, dormant franchises in Sony’s large catalog of IP is understandable, as these are the games that helped form the foundation of the PlayStation brand and carry the hardware from generation to generation. But that same success has paved the way for those same games’ developers to have moved on to bigger (and, in most cases, better) things. So while Sony could very well be looking to revive dormant IP, some franchises are off the table given what players know about their developers’ current projects.
Naughty Dog likely won’t be delivering a Jak and Daxter revival anytime soon, as the company is hard at work on the recently revealed Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. Similarly, any hopes for a Killzone or Resistance revival would hinge upon Guerrilla Games or Insomniac Games being available to helm the project, respectively, but the Horizon and Marvel games each studio is working on take precedence. In terms of which franchises are more likely for a revival, the following may have a better shot:
- Ape Escape
- Twisted Metal
- The Legend of Dragoon
- Fat Princess
- Everybody’s Golf
Of course, this isn’t an exhaustive list of every first-party Sony franchise, but rather the IPs that haven’t seen a major release in several console generations and whose studios aren’t currently hard at work on other titles.