When Astro Bot released in September, many players loved the nod to the history of Sony and PlayStation classics throughout the game. From tributes to more recent franchises like Horizon and Uncharted to older series like Ape Escape, the game fed into nostalgia in a big way. This has led to questions about whether PlayStation could dip into its backlog of classic franchises for new games in the future.
In a new interview with Famitsu, PlayStation Co-CEO Herman Hulst was asked about past PlayStation series and the possibility of bringing them back. According to Hulst, it’s not something that’s out of the question for the company.
“The numerous IP holdings we hold are important assets for PlayStation, and as part of our efforts to strengthen our portfolio, we are continuously looking at opportunities to leverage past IPs, as well as developing new franchises,” Hulst said via auto translation.
Hulst added that the company’s goal is to release games made by the best developers whether they are a part of PlayStation Studios or not. He tipped the hat to external studios for the “many successes so far”.
The idea of reviving past franchises has picked up steam across the games industry over the years. Currently, fellow Japanese company Sega is in the middle of a massive revival of classic games like Golden Axe, Crazy Taxi, Jet Set Radio, Streets of Rage, and more.
Whether PlayStation decides to bring back classic titles down the line obviously remains to be seen. Still, it has to be nice for longtime fans of the studio to see that the door isn’t closed if the right opportunity comes along.
What classic PlayStation franchises do you hope to see get a revival in the future? Let us know down below and join the discussion in the official GPlayr forums.
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