What are PlayStation Studios working on - A look at their studios
PlayStation Studios are known for creating some of the best character focused titles in the industry, from the Uncharted series, to the more recent Spider-Man, their games can be massive and cover a wide range of topics.
Over the past few years though, they have picked up a smaller batch of studios, for what purpose we don’t know, but expanding the pool of talent is always a good thing. With what we know some studios are working on, we thought it would be a good time to take a snapshot of everything we know, as well as a healthy dose of wild speculation, to see that the state of play is over at PlayStation Studios, so here we go.
Bend Studio
Series known to them: Syphon Filter series, Days Gone
2019 was the last time we heard from Bend Studio and their open world zombie, I mean Freaker filled game Days Gone, since then the studio has been quiet in pushing their own titles forward. We have heard that they have been assisting other PlayStation Studios with getting their work done, but they have also been working on a new IP, that is making use of the open-world systems that the studio created for Days Gone.
The only downside is Creative Director John Garvin and Days Gone game director Jeff Ross both left the studio in 2020, so who is leading this new game is unknown.
Bluepoint Games
Series known to them: Demon’s Souls Remake, Shadow of the Colossus
Given that the team are newly acquired by PlayStation and they shipped the Demon’s Souls remake alongside the launch of the PlayStation 5, there isn’t a lot of detail about their next project. Bluepoint President Marco Thrush has confirmed that their next title will be an original game, not a remake or a remaster of another title, but that is all we know.
Firesprite
Series known to them: The Persistence, The Playroom
The most recent game developer that PlayStation Studios have bought, Firesprite is not going to be a name many folks are familiar with, however if you have a PlayStation VR headset, then you might know them. Their last title, The Persistence released back in 2020 for all consoles and PC, so it has been a few years since they released a game of their own.
They are the largest studio that PlayStation Studios owns in England, with over 200 staff and the last reported titles being developed there were a dark, narrative blockbuster adventure and a ‘game-changing’ multiplayer shooter, but it is unknown if they are still in development, post the purchase.
Just hours before this was due to go live, PlayStation confirmed one of the new games Firesprite is working on, is Horizon Cal of the Mountain, a VR title for the PlayStation VR 2. No word though if it is either of the titles I mentioned above.
Guerrilla Games
Series known to them: Killzone series, Horizon series
Guerrilla Games is a name that is right up there alongside other PlayStation Studios powerhouses like Naughty Dog, purely based on Horizon Zero Dawn and the expectations for Horizon Forbidden West are even higher. The studio apparently runs two teams, so with one team close to shipping Forbidden West this February, what the other team might be working on is the big question.
There is a chance we might get a PlayStation 5 entry in the Killzone series, Shadow Fall released back in 2013 at the launch of the PlayStation 4 and the series has been quiet on home consoles since. Of course, many thought another Killzone would come after that, instead we got Horizon, so there is really no telling what the studio will create next, but can’t wait to find out.
Housemarque
Series known to them: Super Stardust series, Matterfall, Returnal
It is very unlikely that we will see anything from developer Housemarque anytime soon, given that they only shipped their most recent title, Returnal last year. The studio is not massive, with the last reported headcount not exceeding 100 staff, so if a small group started to prototype a new game, or a sequel to Returnal last year, it will still be a few years before we see anything.
The studio was also working on Stormdivers, a battle royale title takes the chaotic nature of the studios other titles, but adds in the 3rd person perspective and of course, battle royale. The game has been on hold since 2020, when the studio pivoted to focus on Returnal, so it is possible that we see more on this one, but as the studio was bought by PlayStation Studios, they might have been asked to drop it entirely.
Insomniac Games
Series known to them: Spyro the Dragon series, Ratchet & Clank series, Resistance series, Spider-Man
Insomniac Games is one studio that we know a fair amount on, thanks to the fact that we know what they are working on, first is Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and then after that releases, Marvel’s Wolverine. The studio of course just shipped Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart last year and the Mile Morales standalone expansion back at the PlayStation 5 launch.
The studio is massive, reportedly having over 400 staff and if you split them into three teams, to account for the known titles, the Rift Apart team is the only one we know nothing about right now. Of course, the world for Wolverine could be background right now, and will only get dedicated development, once Spider-Man 2 ships, but for now, that is just speculation. In any event, it is unlikely that we will see anything from them in 2022, unless Spider-Man 2 is really far along.
London Studio
Series known to them: Singstar series, Blood & Truth
It has been a few years since Blood & Truth, the PlayStation VR title released, 3 years now and given that we know PlayStation are developing a next gen VR system, it is highly likely that the studio behind some of their biggest VR hits, is working on something within the space.
Of course, we can’t overlook Singstar and yes, the series has faded in recent years, given how long people have been stuck inside for on their own, karoke has made a resurgence. Of course the studios history also includes titles like The Getaway, which was an inspiration for Blood & Truth, so there is a chance they might be working on something inspired by that. While not a large studio, they do have a solid group of talented developers, so it is likely that we learn more about their next project this year.
Media Molecule
Series known to them: Little Big Planet series, Tearaway series, Dreams
Best know as the developer that lets you mess around creating content inside their games, Media Molecule released Dreams back at the start of 2020 and while the system is incredibly powerful, like honestly amazingly so, it wasn’t a massive seller.
The studio is known for working with a small number of people, their last reported number was around 50, and given the lengthy development period that Dreams went through, it is possible we might not hear about anything new from them this year. While they may or may not be creating a new game, we know that they are still supporting Dreams, adding in VR support a few months post its first release, a PlayStation 5 enhanced version is not out of the picture either.
Naughty Dog
Series known to them: Crash Bandicoot series, Jak and Daxter, Uncharted series, The Last of Us series
2020 saw a pandemic hit and also a game about surviving in a post-pandemic world, The Last of Us Part 2 may have not pleased everyone, it was the last big game from the leading studio from PlayStation. Since then the only project we know anything about is the upcoming PlayStation 5 collection Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves, which is enhancing Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End and Uncharted: The Lost Legacy for the new box.
The studio has multiple teams, one team was working on The Last of Us Part 2 and while enhancing a game can take time, it is unlikely that it is taking a full team. As the Uncharted series, at least as we know it, is done for now, whatever the studio is working on is likely to be all new, or they could venture back into the past and create a new Jak and Daxter entry. While they are the creators of Crash Bandicoot, the licence for that is now owned by Activision Blizzard, so don’t expect anything from them around the spinning marsupial.
Pixelopus
Series known to them: Entwined, Concrete Genie
This is perhaps the best unknown studio that PlayStation have, as it was created back in 2014 and they have released two titles, the most recent being 2019’s Concrete Genie. While the studio is small, less than 20 reported staff work there, Concrete Genie was a brilliant game, filled with a lot of charm.
Given their small size, whatever game they are working on next could release this year, as Concrete Genie was announced two years before it was released and this marks year three since their last game. We do know that a project they are working on is tied to an upcoming Sony Pictures Animation project, but there is no detail on what it might be, so it could be a while before we see anything from that, whatever it is.
Polyphony Digital
Series known to them: Gran Turismo series
Gran Turismo 7 is releasing this March, there really isn’t much else to say here as the studio works on one game at a time, dedicating all their effort to creating the best experience that they can for the players. While Gran Turismo 7 is hitting PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 this march, whatever their game after that is, could not release until PlayStation 6, they really do take their time.
The studio has, in the past, created some more cartoon based games, specifically Motor Toon Grand Prix and while that one was very different to their current line up, they did release Tourist Trophy back in 2006, which was a realistic motorbike racing title. Should they be working on something else, don’t expect to hear anything from them on it for quite some time.
San Diego Studio
Series known to them: MLB The Show series, Modnation Racers series
This is an odd one, we know that there will be a new MLB The Show game released this year, the series has been yearly since 2006 and while it was PlayStation exclusive for many years, the game released on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S last year, with it launching day one into Xbox Game Pass as well. There was also speculation that a Switch version of the game was coming, but that never materialised last year, who knows, maybe America’s national pastime will hit all consoles this year.
While the studio is known for their baseball series, they have also dabbled in some NBA games back in the early 2000’s and in the early 2010’s developed ModNation Racers, which also got a spin-off in LittleBigPlanet Karting. The studio has also been known to create some smaller bite-sized games like Drawn to Death and Guns Up!, which means we have no idea if they will do anything with those again, leaving their next title to likely be a real surprise.
Santa Monica Studio
Series known to them: God of War series
Santa Monica Studio might have a bland name, the games they create are nothing like it, there really shouldn’t be a gamer around that doesn’t know of the God of War series by this point. We do know that 2022 will see the release of God of War Ragnarok, the next adventure for Kratos, though a specific date is not yet known, at least at the time of writing this.
The flipside to the studio is that for years, they also helped other companies get their games out there, some Twisted Metal here, a little PixelJunk there and a little Journey to round things out. While they haven’t done that in sometime, with the studio close to wrapping on their latest inhouse title, that could change and with over 200 people working there, there is no telling how many are dedicated to seeing the end of Asgard come to be. I wouldn’t put money down that something else from the studio would release this year, except maybe a PlayStation 5 enhanced version of 2018’s God of War, oh and let’s not forget the PC release next week for that game as well.
Sucker Punch Productions
Series known to them: Sly Cooper series, Infamous series, Ghost of Tsushima
Their most recent release, Ghost of Tsushima released back in 2020 and then got a PlayStation 5 edition, along with an expansion in 2021, so the team might be back at the drawing board for their next game. Given that development on this one was six years, PlayStation Studios may be hoping for a smaller production timeline on whatever is next, but given that Ghost of Tsushima has sold over 8million copies and had two of the developers made permanent ambassadors to the actual island of Tsushima, they might have some leeway.
After spending so much time in the past, the studio could move towards a new version of Infamous, getting to mess around with new powers and such and while Infamous: Second Son didn’t land as well as the first two games in the series, it sold well enough to get some standalone DLC. Regardless of whatever they are working on now, don’t expect anything this year.
Team Asobi
Series known to them: Astro Bot series
I say series for Astro Bot, but technically the little guy has had one game and one tech experience, though it was one of the most packed ‘tech demos’ I have ever seen. While the studio renamed itself last year, they were known as a division of Japan Studio for a longtime and while they didn’t work on any of their big projects, they likely helped.
Sadly we don’t know what they are working on, now that they are their own studio, but given the confidence PlayStation have in the team (pun intended), a new Astro Bot game is likely and this one is more than likely going to be a grand adventure. Astro Bot Rescue Mission was incredible well received, but as a VR only title, it was limited in its availability, a new game without the VR could be on the cards, of course like London Studio, they could also be developing something new for the next PlayStation VR headset.
So there you go, a run down of all the current PlayStation Studios members, including what we know and suspect they are working on. Do you think we are right on our predictions, or are we missing something else? Be sure to let us know
