Recently, Sony CFO Hiroki Totoki lamented the company’s alleged lack of original IPs. Thankfully we’re here to help remind Sony about a few games they might have forgotten about.
In a recent conversation with Financial Times, Totoki claimed that Sony isn’t working on new IPs saying: “Whether it’s for games, films or anime, we don’t have that much IP that we fostered from the beginning,”. This is despite having a stable of IPs that haven’t seen the light of day for years, if not decades.
The comment seems to have been prompted by the recent commercial failure of Concord, a hero shooter that was meant to be a brand new IP for Sony, complete with a diverse character roster and multimedia projects like YouTube vignettes to help expand the game’s world.
However Concord failed to even last two weeks and buyers are being offered full refunds.
5. Wild Arms
You’ll notice a trend in this list, there’s a lot of anime games. In recent years Sony has refocused themselves on appealing to a “global” audience and prioritizing photorealism. Despite proudly claiming they’re still “very much a Japanese company” after moving to California, Sony has been sleeping on a lot of the Japanese franchises that made them great.
Wild Arms is a long running franchise, combining fantasy and wild west aesthetics in a way that no one has successfully emulated. Not only that, but the series has been virtually 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. Ape 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 that they’re willing to put out some silly mascot games.
The franchise is also solidified in the collective consciousness of gamers, known for its wacky premise, and its iconic apes wearing sirens on their heads. You’d be hardpressed to find a game over the age of 18 who wouldn’t recognize Ape Escape on sight.
To Sony’s credit, an Ape Escape 4 is rumored to be in the works; however the last game in the franchise was in 2010, meaning it’ll have been at least a 15 year break for the series by the time it comes out… IF it comes out.
3. Jak and Daxter
Speaking of silly characters, remember when Naughty Dog made fun games? Outside of some 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 as Naughty Dog dropped it after releasing a trilogy of games.
While Ape Escape and Jak and Daxter have received more games than Shadow of the Colossus, this next title definitely deserved more than two games.
2. Gravity Rush
Mysterious, ephemeral, distinctly “Japanese”, Gravity Rush represents everything Xbox isn’t and Kat had the potential to not only be a new successful IP, but she wouldn’t have been out of place as a mascot for the PlayStation as a whole.
Unfortunately, Kat’s last game was in 2017 and in 2020 Team Gravity was dissolved, leaving the future of Gravity Rush uncertain. It’s clear Kat’s a beloved character, as Gravity Rush is mentioned nearly every time Sony’s oft-forgotten IPs are mentioned.
It is worth mentioning that a movie based on the game may be coming out. So Kat isn’t entirely forgotten yet.
1. Dark Cloud
Last but not least is Dark Cloud. Developed by Level-5, the Dark Cloud series blended JRPG mechanics with a unique system in which the player helped to rebuild towns that had been sealed away by the Fairy King to protect them from the Dark Genie.
It’s unapologetically campy anime aesthetic, but we still think that might be what Sony needs. Clearly their recent approach to character design isn’t attracting audiences like they want.
But Level-5 is busy with a new Layton game, and Sony seems disinterested in Dark Cloud; so this is yet another original IP Sony has seemingly forgotten about.
