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Recently, Sony CFO Hiroki Totoki complained about the company’s alleged lack of original IPs. Luckily, we’re here to remind Sony of a few games they may have forgotten.
In a recent conversation with Financial timesTotoki claimed that Sony is not working on new IPs, saying: “Whether it’s games, movies or anime, we don’t have that much IP that we’ve nurtured from the beginning,”. This is despite the fact that there are a number of IPs that haven’t seen the light of day for years, if not decades.
The comment appears to have been prompted by the recent commercial failure of Treatya hero shooter that was intended to be a brand new IP for Sony, complete with a diverse character roster and multimedia projects like YouTube vignettes to expand the game’s world.
However Treaty It didn’t even take two weeks and buyers are offered a full refund.
5. Wild arms
You’ll notice a trend in this list: there are a lot of anime games. In recent years, Sony has refocused on appealing to a ‘global’ audience and prioritizing photorealism. Despite proudly claiming that they are still “a real Japanese company” after moving to California, Sony has abandoned many of the Japanese franchises that made them great.
Wild arms is a long-running franchise that combines fantasy and the aesthetic of the Wild West in a way that no one has successfully matched. Not only that, but the series has been all but forgotten by Sony, with the last game in the franchise coming out in 2007 for the PSP.
With its wide cast of characters and gunplay, it would have been a good candidate for a hero shooter in our opinion. If only they remembered it existed.
4. Monkey Escape
We know Sony is addicted to photorealism, but maybe some fun is what the company needs. Astro’s playroom is one of Sony’s only exclusives, so it’s clear they’re willing to release some crazy mascot games.
The franchise is also solidified in the collective consciousness of gamers, known for its wacky premise and its iconic monkeys wearing sirens on their heads. You’d be hard-pressed to find a game over 18 that wouldn’t recognize it Monkey escape by sight.
It is to Sony’s credit that one Monkey Escape 4 is rumors are in the making; However, the last game in the franchise was in 2010, meaning the series will have been on a hiatus for at least 15 years by the time it comes out… IF it comes out.
3. Jak and Daxter
Speaking of crazy characters, remember when Naughty Dog made fun games? Apart from a few repackaged “collections”, Jak and Daxter Haven’t had a new game since 2009.
The original Jak and Daxter was an iconic release on the PlayStation 2, but faded away when Naughty Dog dropped it after releasing a trilogy of games.
While Monkey escape And Jak and Daxter received more games than Shadow of the Colossusthis next title definitely deserved more than two games.
2. Gravitational storm
Mysterious, ephemeral, clearly ‘Japanese’, Gravity rush represents everything Xbox is not and Kat had the potential to not only become another successful IP, but she wouldn’t look out of place as a mascot for the PlayStation as a whole.
Unfortunately, Kat’s last match was in 2017 and in 2020, Team Gravity disbanded, leaving the future of Gravity rush insecure. It’s clear that Kat is a beloved character, like Gravity rush is mentioned almost every time Sony’s oft-forgotten IP addresses are mentioned.
It’s worth mentioning that a movie based on the game may be coming out. So Kat is not completely forgotten yet.
1. Dark cloud
Last but not least, yes Dark cloud. Developed by Level-5, the Dark cloud series combined JRPG mechanics with a unique system in which the player helped rebuild cities sealed off by the Fairy King to protect them from the Dark Genie.
It’s unapologetically campy anime aesthetic, but we still think it might be what Sony needs. It’s clear that their recent approach to character design isn’t attracting the audience the way they want.
But Level-5 is working on a new Layton game, and Sony seems uninterested in it Dark cloud; so this is another original IP that Sony has seemingly forgotten about.