Summary
For thirty years, thePlayStationbrand has managed to amass numerous franchises that have made a huge impact on the industry in one way or another. However, when compared to its competitors, Sony is not as consistent with their IPs and is much more likely to fully ignore some of them.
Of course,there are iconic PlayStation franchises that will never stop releasing new entries, likeRatchet & ClankorGod of War, but there are also plenty of others that are most likely never going to return, and it’s a real shame because, in the past, they have captivated thousands of gamers with some fun experiences.
Ape Escapeis a distinctive platforming/adventure franchise that’s centered on the premise of capturing zany, cartoony apes. These games shined because of their hilarious sense of humor, innovative control scheme, and satisfying gameplay, to the point that Pipo Monkeys were considered one of Sony’s primary mascots at one point.
Unfortunately,Ape Escapehas been dormant for over fourteen years, with their last game being a PlayStation Move entry from 2010. The tragic absence of these crazy primates can be chalked up to several different reasons. Sony has evidently shifted their focus onto more mainstream and conventional platforming franchises, likeRatchet & ClankorSly Cooper,and Japan Studio – the Japanese studio responsible forApe Escape– was closed down in 2021, with most of their flagship IPs disappearing alongside them.
When it comes to futuristic racing games, Nintendo hasF-Zero, and Sony hasWipeout. These incredible and speedy racers were a pillar of the PlayStation 1’s catalog and have remained relevant among players for a good number of years. But this sadly changed in 2012,when Psygnosis, the studio that developed them, was closed down.
Ever since this unfortunate closure, the development of newWipeoutentries has slowed down significantly, as its last two released games were a remastered collection and an obscure mobile game. Without Psygnosis, and with Sony seemingly becoming disinterested in unrealistic racing games like these, it’s becoming less and less likely forWipeoutto ever come back.
Longtime PlayStation fans are fond ofMediEvil, a duology of action/adventure games for the PS1 that has a fascinating Tim Burton-esque art style and simple but effective gameplay. On top of that, Sir Daniel Fortesque is a charismatic protagonist who has made multiple appearances in other games, likePlayStation All-Stars Battle RoyaleandAstro’s Playroom.
So it’s shocking that, despite its popularity,MediEvilis only made up of four games, two of which are remakes of the first title. Guerrilla Cambridge, the studio that created this series, was shut down in 2017, while Other Ocean Interactive, developers of the 2019 remake,has not worked with Sony since the release of said game. It’s most likely that the company just doesn’t see the value inMediEvil, and that they believe this is an obscure franchise that is not worth maintaining.
The PlayStation 2 era was the best time for fans of 3D platforming mascots, asRatchet & Clank,Sly Cooper, andJak and Daxtercoexisted simultaneously and delivered fun adventures. However, as its contemporaries moved on to the next generation of consoles,Jak and Daxtergot stuck on the PS2 (except for a few remasters).
This franchise is beloved by PlayStation fans due to its loveable main characters, refreshing gameplay, and bold change in tone, but it’s evident that neither Sony nor the original developer, Naughty Dog, is interested in making any more sequels. Naughty Dog in particular has now moved on to darker and more mature games, likeUnchartedandThe Last of Us. And while Sony could easily hand development over to another studio (like they did withSly Cooper), this still has never materialized.
Fat Princesswas one of the biggest unexpected hits of 2009. Developed by Titan Studios, this was quite a unique multiplayer game in which players had to rescue their respective princess and take her back to their base. But opponents could also feed her pieces of cake, making her heavier and harder to transport. This was an odd premise, to say the least, but it was well received, cementingFat Princessas one of PlayStation’s biggest new franchises.
It eventually got a few sequels, and the titular character was even a playable fighter inPlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale.However,Fat Princesshas been nowhere to be seen since 2015, and many fans are wondering what happened. There are two explanations for this: on one hand, Titan Studios was dissolved and Fun Bits Interactive (developers of some of the sequels) hasn’t been active for years. On the other hand, the concept ofFat Princesscould be deemed as too insensitive to today’s modern sensibilities, so it’s most likely Sony doesn’t want to release a game that could potentially create a big controversy for them.
Released in 2007,Heavenly Swordwas one of the PlayStation 3’s sleeper hits. This is a very solid hack & slash game with impressive graphics that showed off the power of Sony’s HD console, not to mention that it also featured a dynamic combat system and an interesting protagonist named Nariko. It was not a perfect game - with many critics claiming it was too similar toGod of War- but it was a solid first entry in a franchise that was brimming with potential.
However, a follow-up toHeavenly Swordnever ended up happening. The first game was developed by Ninja Theory, and the studio had many plans for a sequel, but they ended up moving on to other projects. It was reported that Guerrilla Cambridge was working on anotherHeavenly Swordsequel, but Sony ended up canceling it because they didn’t deem the IP as a commercially viable product.The worst part of the story is that Ninja Theory was later acquired by Microsoft in 2018, which made it almost impossible for Nariko to ever return.
During the mid-2000s to early 2010s,almost the entire Western gaming market was filled to the brim with military first-person shooters, caused mainly byCall of Duty’s sudden rise in popularity. Sony was no exception, as they began publishing several solid exclusives that belonged to this trendy genre, andKillzonewas one of their most successful ones.
Devised by Guerrilla Games, these were high-quality FPSs with a dark sci-fi twist, solid gunplay, and a prominent online component. Despite these positive characteristics,Killzone 3got quite a mixed reception andKillzone Shadow Fall(which was a launch title for the PlayStation 4) received extremely negative reviews. While this definitely doomed the franchise, Guerrilla Games managed to move on to the popularHorizonfranchise, which is far more unique and refreshing thanKillzone. As a result, it seems that the studio is going to keep focusing on its new IP in the future.
It’s truly unbelievable how the FPS trend of the seventh generation of consoles also affected Insomniac Games, creators of colorful franchises likeSpyro the DragonandRatchet & Clank. From 2006 to 2011, they released theResistancetrilogy for PlayStation 3, a series of sci-fi first-person shooters with an apocalyptic alien invasion plot. As expected from a studio as respected as Insomniac, these were critically acclaimed FPSs with solid gameplay and a relatively popular multiplayer mode, even though they are much more serious and darker than the games they usually develop.
But, after the release ofResistance 3, Insomniac explicitly stated that they were not interested in making games like this anymore.Nowadays, they are busy working on more colorful and creative experiences, likeRatchet & Clank: Rift ApartorMarvel’s Spider-Man, which is much more fitting for them. Sony could easily hire another studio to make newResistancegames, but it’s clear that there’s currently not as much demand for dark first-person shooters in the market anymore.
