A new rumour claims that Sony is accepting pitches from external studios to work on its franchises, including dormant ones like Sly Cooper and Killzone. While the PlayStation 5 generation has been widely derided for its lack of console exclusives, the PlayStation 6 stands to be defined by a heavy reliance on nostalgia—at least if the latest rumours are to be believed.
Earlier this year, it was claimed that Sony is looking into reviving several neglected franchises from its back catalogue, with Ape Escape, inFamous, and WipEout being namedropped. Over the weekend, one reputable insider went as far as to suggest that something Ape Escape related is on the docket, and now at least two more PlayStation franchises are allegedly being considered for revivals.
External studios to pitch new entries
This newest rumour, which picked up steam on Sunday, claims that Sony has 'opened its doors' to licensing agreements and game pitches. Essentially, this means external studios would be allowed to pitch and develop new entries for PlayStation franchises. The rumour lists three examples implied to at least be in the discussion: Ape Escape, Sly Cooper, and Killzone. As a reminder, it has been about 13 years since either Sly Cooper (aka Sly Raccoon) or Killzone saw a new game.
The previous Ape Escape rumour did mention that Sony studio Team Asobi, who created Astro Bot, are not making the game, despite being the obvious choices. So the idea that Sony are farming out development of it and other older franchises to external developers does fit the story. What's more, this 'first wave' of revivals is supposedly aiming for the PlayStation 6's launch window. While Sony has not said anything of real substance about the next console, the prevailing theory is that the PlayStation 6 will launch either next year or in 2028.
Insider credibility and industry context
All this is according to thisiserfan on ResetEra, who accurately shared details about God Of War: Sons Of Sparta eight months before it was properly revealed. They also claim to have contributed to MP1st's recent report on a Killzone remaster or remake, which is said to be a joint production between series developer Guerrilla Games and People Can Fly, co-developer on Gears Of War: E-Day.
Coincidentally, multiple sources claimed last week that Naughty Dog's next game after Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet will be a new Uncharted, which has been dormant since 2017. So, there does appear to be some movement towards bringing back older franchises. If these rumours are accurate, it all points to Sony being keenly aware of its thin output in recent years—a result of multiple live service projects being scrapped and increasing development times—and aiming to curry favour with its audience by falling back on nostalgia.
Potential strategy and release considerations
Allowing outside studios to make games based on less mainstream franchises could also be a smart way to fill out Sony's release schedule while its internal studios focus on the big exclusives, like Guerrilla's Horizon 3 and Insomniac's next Spider-Man game. Sony's already tried this with Sons Of Sparta, and it's a strategy that's so far worked out for Konami's Silent Hill series. Not to mention it would score Sony some easy brownie points with fans amid the backlash towards its plans to abandon physical games after 2027.
It's difficult to imagine any sort of retro revival being a PlayStation 6 exclusive, though. The console's expected to be incredibly expensive, and a new Sly Cooper or Killzone is hardly going to have the mass appeal needed to push launch sales. As such, it wouldn't be surprising for these to be cross-gen releases for the PlayStation 5, where they stand a better chance of selling.
