While Microsoft has been on a tear with all of its recent acquisitions and new studios, Sony studio news has remained relatively quiet for the past few months. Obviously, Microsoft and Xbox are making big plays of extending the console’s first-party offering, but PlayStation seems to be playing its cards close to the chest. Several of the huge, upcoming games for the PS5 are sequels of franchises that either started brand new or saw new life on the PS4. God of War, Horizon, Ratchet & Clank, all three of which have a sequel planned for 2021. However, it seems Sony has recently opened a new triple-A game studio in San Diego working on “existing franchises” for PlayStation.
In terms of what “franchise” this new studio could be working on for PS5, there are a few clear examples that come to mind. According to the LinkedIn post where this news was based on, the studio is focusing on a “AAA Action/Adventure” project, or is at least setting up a development team with that professional background. PlayStation has quite a few franchises in its backlog, some that fit that description almost exactly, and many others that aren’t quite the same. Alongside additional hints like “proprietary engine technology,” it’s clear that whatever Sony’s San Diego team is working on is both well-established, and hasn’t exactly been gone from the spotlight that long.
Obviously, the biggest “AAA Action/Adventure” example that comes to mind for PlayStation is Uncharted. Since the PS3 solidified the series as one of PlayStation’s best exclusive properties, Uncharted makes the most sense in terms of what’s being hinted, as well as where the series is currently. If fans had to name one defining example of a “AAA Action/Adventure” game that defined PlayStation at the moment, it’d have to be Uncharted. Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection, as well as Uncharted 4, are some of the best games released on PS4 last generation. Unlike The Last of Us, which has a pretty clear connection to characters, Uncharted is very adaptable.
Plus, considering where Naughty Dog left the Uncharted series at the end of Uncharted 4, the possibilities of continuation are endless. Uncharted 4 wrapped up Nathan Drake’s story neatly, even though it to some extent shoe-horned Nathan’s brother Sam into the series. The very foundation of the franchise is malleable, as Uncharted has the capability of transcending Nathan Drake, despite his character founding the series’ success. Uncharted is the type of series capable of playing host to multiple sagas, regardless of the protagonist. So long as the characters and story are compelling enough, there’s plenty of room for Uncharted to expand beyond Naughty Dog.
The other biggest example for a big action-adventure IP under PlayStation’s banner would be Infamous. The superhero-infused franchise does certainly feel like it’s been gone a long time, but Infamous Second Son was a launch window exclusive for the PS4 in 2014. Paired with Infamous First Light, the franchise held a lot of momentum at the beginning of PlayStation’s last console generation. Granted, Sucker Punch has seemingly moved on from Infamous in favor of new work like Ghost of Tsushima, but that doesn’t rule out Sucker Punch passing on the IP to the new Sony studio. Infamous is open-ended enough where another studio could pick up the IP and go from there.
Even though Sucker Punch predates Insomniac Games’ efforts, Infamous could certainly see new life in the wake of Spider-Man‘s massive popularity. With Marvel’s Spider-Man being the highest-selling PlayStation exclusive on PS4, it’s clear superhero games have made a huge comeback. Even if Infamous doesn’t necessarily have a central or iconic character to bolster its popularity, Infamous certainly has brand recognition and prior successes to help a new entry. Ideas for superpowers end up being pretty limitless for Infamous, which is another reason why another studio could reasonably develop a new entry in the franchise without compromising the franchise.
Granted, there are plenty of other franchises that could also fit the description of “AAA Action/Adventure” game, but those are the two most likely to return. It is worth noting that PlayStation does have quite a few dormant action-adventure franchises in its exclusive backlog that could be in development, but it’s not likely. Examples like Sly Cooper or Jak and Daxter come to mind as other potential action-adventure franchises that maybe could be in development, but are comparatively impossible. Both of those games are arguably platformers compared to action-adventure anyway, so neither would make sense based on the LinkedIn source’s description.
That being said, both Uncharted and Infamous are viable choices for whatever game is potentially in development at the new San Diego studio. Most fans and pundits would posit the Uncharted franchise as the most likely candidate, especially considering the timing. Sony has recently wrapped filming of the Uncharted film starring Tom Holland, which means the film could be on the way in the next few years. Plus, many fans loved the Lost Legacy spin-off from Uncharted 4, and how there’s still plenty of potential in spin-offs or new entries in the franchise. Uncharted is one of PlayStation’s defining IPs, so it wouldn’t be too surprising to see it return relatively soon.
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