Astro Bot has certainly captured our attention as one of the year’s standout games, and it couldn’t come at a better time. This gem serves as a poignant reminder of the fantastic pool of intellectual property PlayStation holds but often leaves dormant. The winds of change might be upon us, though.
In Astro Bot, which snagged the prestigious Game of the Year award at The Game Awards, we saw nods to a treasure trove of beloved PlayStation titles. It’s a bit disheartening that some, like Spyro and Crash, are now under Xbox’s wing, and others like Okami belong to third parties—but hey, Okami is getting a sequel, so that’s a win! Yet, fans can’t help but yearn for a revival of other classics such as Ape Escape, Gravity Rush, and Bloodborne.
While there’s currently no official confirmation about these games making a comeback, and some seem like a long shot, there’s a glimmer of hope. PlayStation’s chief, Hermen Hulst, has hinted at a renewed interest in these older titles.
During a conversation with Famitsu, translated by VGC, Hulst remarked, “Our diverse IPs are a critical asset for PlayStation. In our bid to bolster our catalog, we’re constantly exploring opportunities to revitalize past IPs alongside creating new franchises. Our aspiration is to deliver games crafted by the world’s finest creators, both within and beyond PlayStation. We’ve seen significant success by collaborating with external studios.”
Fingers crossed that Ape Escape doesn’t get transformed into a gacha game where we collect different apes—though I must confess, that idea has its quirky appeal. With Sony placing a heavy bet on live-service games, despite some hiccups, who knows what surprises are in store? A Bloodborne remaster, though, would certainly hit the spot, wouldn’t it, Sony? Here’s hoping!
