Opinion: The Last Guardian To Skip PS3, Now Likely A PS4 Title

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKp4Fc-N8tY

Team Ico haven’t released a game for seven years. Think about that – they might not be the biggest studio but they’ve effectively skipped an entire console generation thus far; Shadow of the Colossus was a long time ago, and the Japanese developers have had little to show apart from a few trailers and some screenshots, at least publicly.

Sure, the leak a few years ago was unkind, the game was clearly not ready to be demoed, and their hand was probably forced into making that E3 reveal – but that was (way back) then, and this is now, and the game we should have all played and finished eons ago still shows no sign of ever reaching a release date.

Yoshida claims that “technical difficulties” prevented an update this week in Los Angeles, and that’s probably true. The team, without lead Fumito Ueda the game’s development rumbles on, but at what pace, and in what direction? And for which console?

[drop2]As the PlayStation 3 approaches its twilight years, the likes of Naughty Dog (and a handful of third parties) can still push the aged technology way beyond what we previously imagined.

But is Team Ico’s third title just too big of an ask for the machine with now limited RAM and resources, and should it be saved for the next PlayStation?

“The team is back in Tokyo working hard,” said Yoshida in an interview recently, but tellingly he avoided directly confirming whether the game would be actually ever released on PS3.

“When we have confidence in saying that,” he said, “we will talk about it. But today, we are working through some engineering effort.”

Nobody really knows what’s going on at Sony with regards to PS4, but it’s coming, that much is definite. It’ll have a big spec upgrade, and hopefully that’ll allow what’s left of the studio to finally get this thing out there. Hopefully they’ve been working on test kits for a while, and that way at least they can aim for the launch window.

We’ll probably never really know why Ueda left Team Ico, but I’m willing to assume it was because Sony were wanting to rush the game out to the shelves. But it’s not ready, it hasn’t ever been ready, and constant delays and confusion over whether it had even been cancelled aren’t suggesting a smooth development at all.

The Last Guardian was meant to be a landmark title for the PS3 – its visionary style and studio track record presumably enough to get hype levels rising. But they’ve dipped, for me at least, and personally the game is now something of an oddity rather than a must have due to so much time passing. If I’m being totally honest – I’m not banking on it being quite so brilliant any more.

I don’t mind the console switch, if that’s what needs to happen, but time’s a real killer.

37 Comments

  1. They’ve barely convinced me it’s still a thing.

    Oooo this new font looks sexy in the comment box. Hello there font ;)

  2. They should leave it to next gen, imagine it as a launch title…

  3. I wouldn’t be surprised if they have given up with trying to code it for the PS3 and are instead currently waiting for a PS4 dev kit as to be honest, i don’t think the PS3 can handle what they are trying to do with the Last Guardian. It would be a good idea to release it when the PS4 launches as it help to sell the console. That said, i’ve yet to pick up a Team Ico game.(please don’t murder me). Although i wish they would just come out and say that the PS3 can’t handle it and they are waiting for a PS4 dev kit before they try to finish it. In fact, i wonder which game is more likely to get released this gen, Half Life 3 or TLG?

    • I don’t think anyone internally at Sony is ‘waiting’ for a PS4 dev kit. They’ll have had them for a year.

      • Have they? I was not aware of that. Then i guess they are probably busy testing to see what the PS4 is capable of before focusing on completing the TLG.

      • I would have thought Sony’s favoured studio’s (the ones that produce the best games) would have had them for longer.
        ND team 1 will be working on next gen by now.

      • It could be that they only had the dev kits ready a year ago and are currently waiting for feedback from the developers in order to avoid a repeat of the PS3 due to it being too hard to code for at the begining of it’s cycle.

  4. It really is a shame it’s taking so long but i’m still prepared to wait until they’ve made it the best game that they can, even if it means waiting for ps4… *sigh*..

  5. If it does come out, it is likely to be below the huhge expectations placed on it, and will certainly not break any sales records, as the team ico collection showed, critical success, commercial doldrums. I expect the delays and loss of its leader may ge as a result of sony trying to push it into the realms of the mainstream, move and 3d support most likely. Its like having a pushy record label telling a leftfield punk bank to include at least 2 songs with a full orchestra and autotuned vocals, and one with a rap duet by snizzle bozzle and doggy doo…

  6. No matter when, no matter the platform – enjoy it for what it is. Hopefully it’ll end up affecting us the way Ico and Shadow of the Colossus did. If not, we deal with it then. People are being truly negative about a game that’s not even launched. They could still be working pure magic (behind closed doors) and we’ll find out when they’re ready.

  7. Just logged into remark on the fancy new UI..me likey LOTS! (i’m assuming Nofi’s work, but haven’t read anything yet) smart!

  8. This site is getting really bad for making stuff up. It’s become a tabloid, first the game streaming now this. If I want to read rumours and people’s word being twisted I’ll read Eurogamer. Can’t you just stick to the facts, I used to trust this site now I’m losing faith.

    • Theres a difference between speculation based on a suspicious lack of information, and speculation treated as fact backed up with fake photos, clever editing, and complete fabrication.

    • I don’t know what other examples you are citing, but in this case the article (unless stealth edited before I read it) is clearly titled “Opinion” . That’s a pretty open admission that what will be contained in the articles body is likely speculative.

      • Nope, ‘opinion’ was there from the start.

        :/

      • Sorry chief, wasn’t meant to read as an accusation, I just like to shut stuff out before it gets thrown back – if you follow.

      • Oh, I know. =)

      • ‘now likely a ps4 title’ poor wording, possibly a PS4 title, could it be. Would of been better. ‘I don’t mind the console switch, if that’s what needs to happen, but time’s a real killer” again there is no proof it has, ‘I wouldn’t mind’ again would make it opinion. You may have written Opinion but to me it doesn’t read like one.

        As for the streaming at one point Tuff was pretending to be ITK. Which he obviously wasn’t.

      • I would learn the difference between of and have before criticising how someone has constructed a sentence. ” I don’t mind.., if that’s what needs to happen” suggests that he doesn’t know but wouldn’t mind if it has.

    • I would have thought “Opinion” gives the game away that this isn’t a news article.

    • Also, blame MCV for a lot of the streaming stuff.

    • Firstly re streaming:
      News stories frequently have a source link at the bottom, TSA wasn’t the source of the streaming stories.

      Well respected publications, MCV & Games Industry who frequently have enormous inside knowledge were the source of the streaming stories. TSA reported on those, but also offered up opinion pieces on what that might mean.

      Secondly this is titled ‘Opinion’

  9. “The team, without lead Fumito Ueda …”

    He’s still there, just in a contracting capacity.

  10. I’ve still got faith in this title and am looking forward to it more than anything else, and that despite the alarmingly long development time and the fuss with Ueda leaving Team ICO. And I think you might be right about it now being a PS4-title, it’s making more and more sense actually. The Last Guardian would be an excellent game to have in PS4’s launch line-up, something that is fresh and different from all the shooters and action-titles gamers are bound to grow tired of sometime soon.

    When it comes to it though, the most important thing is that they finish this project staying true to their original vision for the game, without taking any shortcuts. When it comes, and on which platform, isn’t all that important to me.

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