The Last Guardian
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Epic will publish games from Remedy, Playdead and genDESIGN
What do when you're the creator of one of the most profitable games in the world? For Fortnite developer Epic Games, the answer it turns out is to help other studios work on their next projects. Today, the company announced it has signed publishing agreements with Remedy Entertainment, Playdead and genDESIGN. Between those three studios, they've made some of the most highly acclaimed games in the past few years, including The Last Guardian, Inside, Limbo and Control.
Former Last Guardian devs' teaser trailer is so Vane
Friend and Foe Games offered a teaser trailer for one of its two introductory games this week, Vane. The Tokyo Game Show 2014 trailer shows the game's desert-and-ruins environment, following a bird in flight before observing a shadowy sprinting child. The team of five at Friend and Foe Games includes credits on Team Ico's The Last Guardian, Bionic Commando, Battlefield 3 and the Killzone series. Head past the break to check out the trailer. Announced in June, the game's youthful character has an "odd ability" and is stuck in a "strange land." While the trailer doesn't shed any light on Vane's setting other than it being prone to severe lightning strikes, the child does appear to leap off a platform and morph into a bird near the end of the video. Vane is in development for PC with other consoles to follow and does not currently have a release date. [Image: Friend and Foe Games]
Know Your Lore: Khadgar, Archmage of the Kirin Tor
The World of Warcraft is an expansive universe. You're playing the game, you're fighting the bosses, you know the how -- but do you know the why? Each week, Matthew Rossi and Anne Stickney make sure you Know Your Lore by covering the history of the story behind World of Warcraft. What do you do when your life is stripped away? Khadgar is an Archmage of the Kirin Tor -- one of the members of the Council of Six, and a powerful mage in his own right. Ancient and wizened, in his lifetime Khadgar has confronted the shadow of Sargeras, faced the orc legions that poured through the Dark Portal, seen Draenor shattered into a wasteland, and even confronted Deathwing himself and survived. And after all that was said and done, he was the first human to reach out and connect with the enigmatic naaru, bringing A'dal and his forces to Outland. And he's done all of this by age forty-four. Forty-four? Yes. There's much more to Khadgar than his appearance might suggest. Although his body may be ancient and wizened, there is nothing stopping what is still a fairly young and incredibly intelligent mind. But Khadgar may not be where he expected to be when, at age 17, he was asked to apprentice to the most unlikely tutor in the Eastern Kingdoms. His name was Medivh.
What's going on with Karazhan?
It's no secret that I love Karazhan. Making its debut in Burning Crusade, Karazhan was and still is, to me, the perfect raid. The sheer scope of the instance and the variety of bosses within it were more than enough to keep my raid guild at the time happily occupied. But for myself, it wasn't just the raid, it was the story behind it. I spent most of vanilla plaintively wondering when we'd see Medivh's tower open for visitors ... and I wasn't disappointed in the slightest with what we eventually saw inside. On the 5.4.2 PTR, Karazhan is in the middle of what seems to be not a revamp, but a restoration. Mobs aren't changing, neither are bosses. But the cobwebs, the overturned chairs, the randomly placed skeletons of the dead are all being quietly swept away. One has to wonder ... what's up with that? What's going on with the tower of Karazhan, and why the sudden makeover now? Rather than indulge in yet another speculative edition of Know Your Lore, let's just take a quick look at the possibilities.
Ueda: Puppeteer and Knack 'taking priority' over The Last Guardian
In the "nothing has changed" category of news, The Last Guardian is still in development. In fact, it's "under earnest development," Ico and Shadow of the Colossus creator Fumito Ueda told Famitsu. To help explain the game's constant absence from industry events, Ueda noted that SCE Japan Studio has other projects like Puppeteer and Knack that are "taking priority right now." The Last Guardian was first announced at E3 2009 during Sony's keynote, then received a "holiday 2011" release window before it was unceremoniously delayed and Team Ico was shuffled in with SCE Japan Studio. Sony confirmed Ueda's departure from the company in December 2011, though Ueda reaffirmed that The Last Guardian was under his creative supervision as of February, as he remained committed to finishing the game as part of his contract. Sony CEO Jack Tretton said the game was "on hiatus" in June.
The Last Guardian is 'alive,' with no release in sight
There have likely been more articles devoted to the constant reaffirmation of life in The Last Guardian than to detailed description of its contents. The latest round comes from PlayStation's Scott Rohde, Software Product Development Head for Sony Worldwide Studios America. "So, we're not talking about when The Last Guardian is coming out, but it is still a game that there's a lot of love for inside PlayStation walls, because everybody sees how emotionally driven that the entire fan base of PlayStation always responds with when we talk about The Last Guardian," Rohde said in an interview on Tuesday. "That's something that's very important to all of us, but we're not announcing any details on it." The exact status of The Last Guardian has become a mystery, exacerbated by a leadership shakeup and a long, unprompted absence from the public eye. Sony America CEO Jack Tretton was recently quoted as saying the game was on "hiatus," which Sony Worldwide Studios head Shuhei Yoshida countered, saying it was "in active development." Meanwhile, Scott Rohde puts it in simpler terms: "It is alive."
The Last Guardian is 'on hiatus'
The Last Guardian is "on hiatus," Sony CEO Jack Tretton told Game Trailers. "We got so many projects out there from so many great teams, projects never ultimately go away," Tretton said. "So The Last Guardian is certainly not going away, but it's on hiatus right now." Last we heard, The Last Guardian designer Fumito Ueda said the game was still in development, but Sony controlled any actual launch plans. The Last Guardian has been on (and off) our radar since E3 2009, when it was announced for PS3, coming from the team behind Ico and Shadow of the Colossus.
The Last Guardian still under Ueda's 'creative supervision,' still no release window
The Last Guardian is now the modern interpretation of the classic Monty Python sketch, popping up every so often to scream, "I'm not dead yet!" The latest moment comes from former Sony employee and The Last Guardian designer Fumito Ueda, who stated in a post today that the project is still alive."While it's been a long time coming, The Last Guardian remains under my creative supervision and is still in development by an incredibly talented team," said Ueda. "I should also mention that details regarding The Last Guardian's release is solely decided by Sony Computer Entertainment, not myself. Please keep an eye out for their official announcement."Sony Worldwide Studios boss Shuhei Yoshida noted last August "the team is still working on [The Last Guardian] very hard." Ueda's timing is curious given the general expectation that Sony will announce the PS4 next week. With any luck, we won't still be talking about The Last Guardian by the time the PS5 rolls around.
Sony unveils huge TGS lineup, The Last Guardian still MIA
Sony announced its Tokyo Game Show lineup today, and it is massive. There are 47 games in total listed on Sony's new TGS portal, with the near-certainty of more being unveiled during the exhibition. One of those games, however, isn't (as yet) Team Ico's The Last Guardian. That isn't surprising given its absence from recent exhibitions, and Sony Worldwide Studios boss Shuhei Yoshida recently insisted the game is still in development.PlayStation Vita highlights include Assassin's Creed III: Liberation, LittleBigPlanet, Phantasy Star Online 2, Silent Hill: Book of Memories, PlayStation: All Stars Battle Royale, and Soul Sacrifice, the dark fantasy game being directed by Mega Man co-creator Keija Inafune.The PlayStation 3 area is stacked with noteworthy games too, including Capcom's TGS goodies, All Stars Battle Royale, Dead or Alive 5, Yakuza 5, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, Dust 514, Assassin's Creed III, and DC Universe fighter Injustice: Gods Among Us.The show itself begins in three weeks, running through September 20-23.
The Last Guardian is still coming, still on PlayStation 3
"The team is still working on it very hard," Sony Worldwide Studios boss Shuhei Yoshida said in response to questions regarding the status of the long-in-development PS3 exclusive, The Last Guardian.Speaking with Eurogamer, Yoshida explained that there are certain "technical issues" that developer Team Ico has been pushing through since last we've heard of it. "That's the period of time when the game, looking from the outside, doesn't seem to be making much progress." In February, Yoshida made similar promises about The Last Guardian but admitted progress on the title was "slow."The Last Guardian has failed to appear at any major industry trade show in years, including last year's Tokyo Game Show, E3 in June, and this week's Gamescom.Trouble started to boil over in December 2011, when Team Ico mastermind Fumito Ueda announced he was leaving his position and would complete work on The Last Guardian with Sony on a contractual basis. Recently, Sony abandoned the trademark for The Last Guardian, but can still recover it by filing a petition by January 2013.Yoshida says that Sony Japan Studio – one of the teams helping with the project's completion – had to completely re-do work to bring the game to a playable state. "...it turned out the technical issues are much harder to solve. So the engineering team had to go back and re-do some of the work they had done," he said.Despite its numerous delays, The Last Guardian has not shifted into a new console generation. "The game is developed on PS3," Yoshida confirmed. Let's hope it doesn't launch as late as some of the PlayStation 2's latest software, which continues to arrive six years after the PlayStation 3's release.%Gallery-102416%
Sony abandons The Last Guardian trademark, can get it back
Sony has abandoned the trademark for The Last Guardian, a game first teased by Team Ico in 2008 that has since been notoriously absent during subsequent conventions, productions and shows. The last we heard of The Last Guardian was when it didn't make an appearance at E3 this year. During the show, SCEA's Scott Rhode told us, "It just wasn't appropriate for us to give an update. That's just how it worked out."The trademark was abandoned "because no Statement of Use or Extension Request [was] timely filed after Notice of Allowance was issued," the USPTO TARR report states. Sony may have unintentionally let the trademark lapse, and has two months to file a petition to retrieve the application, according to its notice of abandonment.The Last Guardian trademark was issued in January 2010, meaning Sony has until January 2013 to prove "use in commerce" and retain the mark, according to sleuth superannuation. "Use in commerce" would mean a completed, marketable game, which doesn't exist, as far as we know. Sony can of course register The Last Guardian in a new trademark if this one lapses.Regardless of whether Sony intentionally abandoned the trademark, accidentally letting it lapse would seem to indicate a lack of focus on The Last Guardian, substantiated by the lack of content shown to the public.
Sony's Rohde explains The Last Guardian's E3 absence: 'It just wasn't appropriate for us to give an update'
Sony's E3 2012 press conference was full of surprises. For one, Quantic Dream's new game was unveiled – Beyond – Two Souls. Just like that!More surprising, however, was a game that didn't make an appearance: The Last Guardian. Since being teased in a January 2008 Sony Japan job listing with a single image, the Team Ico-developed game has only been shown by Sony a handful of times. Moreover, the only news we've heard recently on the long in-development project has been worrisome – the game's creative lead, Fumito Ueda, ended his employment at Sony and began working on the game as a contractor. And then in February, Sony revealed that the company's Santa Monica studio was assisting in the development process.SCEA senior VP of product development and worldwide studios, Scott Rohde, assured me in an interview this week that the game's absence from Sony's presser isn't something gamers should be concerned with. "It just wasn't appropriate for us to give an update. That's just how it worked out," Rohde said. Rather than seeing it as a potential sign that the four-plus year project is stagnating, Rohde said that it's absence was a question of time limitations during the press conference and Sony's approach to internal development. "Almost more than any game that Worldwide Studios develops, it's all about the emotion and the experience that's crafted in what that team can deliver. And there's a vision that must be upheld. And until it can be upheld, it's not gonna ship," he said.
Sony Santa Monica (and more) helping with The Last Guardian
Sony Senior VP Shuhei Yoshida has confirmed to Wired that Sony Santa Monica team members are contributing to The Last Guardian -- along with a few more. "Well, you know, it's not just Santa Monica," he says. "We have great tech people in Worldwide Studios. We have a central tech group in the U.S. and the U.K. so we are giving them whatever help they need. Technically, we have the best engineers in the U.S. and Europe, so these teams are helping them, giving advice."Progress on The Last Guardian may be slow right now, but Yoshida assures us the game is still coming. The departure of Fumito Ueda was exaggerated, he says, as the famed designer is still going to finish The Last Guardian on contract with Sony."At one point the progress was great, so we talked about the timing of the launch in the past. But now it's making progress, but still not to the level -- it's playable, but not to the point that we can talk about the timing of launch." But now, "the progress is slow," he says, and "sometimes the team has to go back and review things."The Last Guardian is still planned for 2012, but there seems to be little certainty over that time frame. "There's a vision that we want to realize but it's very very tough and technical issue that the team is tackling and some plans have to be made to evaluate and go through the process," Yoshida says.
Yoshida: The Last Guardian still happening, but progress 'slow'
We've had assurances of The Last Guardian's continued existence, but in the absence of empirical proof we could always use one more. 1UP received a rather authoritative one from Sony Worldwide Studios head Shuhei Yoshida at DICE, who said he's "been seeing it."Yoshida reports that, after leaving Sony and becoming a contractor, producer Fumito Ueda continues working on the game as normal. His departure was "an arrangement so he could focus on the creative side," Yoshida said. "But his work and his presence on that team never changed, so it was just more a contractual rearrangement, and that was taken [by many] as 'he left.'"Ueda is still in the office, "probably one of the people who works the longest hours," Yoshida said. Progress is still taking place on The Last Guardian, "but slow progress."
Former Halo 4 producer working on artsy iPad adventure 'The Last Sleeper'
A recently posted Kickstarter campaign for an iPad adventure game titled The Last Sleeper is just chock-full of surprises. For instance, this game we've never heard of looks absolutely gorgeous: It's a lovingly illustrated sci-fi game which "relies on the seamless integration of sound, image, and touch." We were pretty sure that same logic applies to all smartphone-based games -- but hey, who are we to judge when the pictures look this pretty? Another surprise comes from the development team's roster, a list which includes Gears of War 3 composer Steve Jablonsky, Lord of the Rings sound designer Ethan Van Der Ryn and, perhaps most surprising, Halo 4 producer and designer Kendall Davis. Together, they form Black Gold Studio. The team appears in the resume of freelance artist Rasmus Berggreen, whose curriculum vitae seems to suggest that the title will be published by Bungie Aerospace. Of course, given that the team is seeking funds from Kickstarter, it's possible that said partnership is over or still in the works. Check out the game's Kickstarter page for a full list of its esteemed creators, as well as some background info on its heady plot.
Last Guardian removed from GameStop's release schedule, but not canceled [update]
According to several GameStop customers and employees, The Last Guardian has been removed from GameStop's computer system and possibly canceled. Clerks at several stores confirmed that the game was no longer listed among titles that were coming soon and several customers of the store have received calls telling them that the game had been canceled. Blogger Darren Hupke even recorded the message. A search of the retailer's web site also shows no trace of the game. For the moment we're without official confirmation, so we've got our fingers crossed that this is just a clerical error. Of course, with the recent departure of Fumito Ueda, we can't say this would come as a complete surprise (despite Ueda being "committed to completing" the game). We've reached out to Sony and will let you know what we hear. Update: You still can't pre-order The Last Guardian at Gamestop, but SCEA's Senior Director of Corporate Communications, Patrick Seybold, says reports of the game's cancellation are "not true." So, why has it disappeared from a major retailer? Update 2: This just in from GameStop: "The Last Guardian has not been cancelled by Sony as we incorrectly stated in an automated call to reservation customers. Because the game did not have a specific release date, GameStop made the decision to remove the game from our system. The Last Guardian will be reinstated for pre-order when a firm launch date is known."
Sony confirms Ueda's departure; The Last Guardian to be completed on contract
The real news, of course, is that Sony is publicly promising The Last Guardian will be finished ... at some point. The respected creative force behind the project, Fumito Ueda, is "committed to completing" his third major game with Sony on a contract basis. Sony confirmed his departure with Gamasutra, concluding a swirl of rumors from last month. The Last Guardian has yet to receive a solid release date after being bumped out of holiday 2011. "I sincerely apologize to all the customers who have been waiting for 'The Last Guardian' for so long, but I beg for your patience," Ueda said in April. "I will also announce the new release timing at a later time." The game's other notable departure, Executive Producer Yoshifusa Hayama, has joined social gaming studio Bossa Studios. Ueda hasn't provided a clear indication of his post-Guardian future yet, giving us enough time to envision dream team-ups with Grasshopper Manufacture's Suda 51, or Shinji Mikami at the Zenimax-owned Tango. Who's going to say no to Mr. Shadow of the Colossus?
Last Guardian executive producer resigns, joins Bossa Studios
The employment status of The Last Guardian designer Fumito Ueda is still in question, but we have received official word that another producer on the title has departed from Sony. Executive producer Yoshifusa Hayama has left Sony to join UK social game developer Bossa Studios as creative director. Hayama was a VP at Sony Computer Entertainment from 2007 until his departure (according to his LinkedIn profile), credited on a variety of PS3, PSP and Vita projects including LocoRoco 2, The Eye of Judgment, and even the Torne DVR project. He previously worked at Sega's AM2 division, Square Enix, EA, and then Sumo Digital -- which helps explain his connection to the UK game industry. "The future of gaming is definitely online and thanks to recent developments with Flash 11, there is no reason why a social game can no longer be as visually stunning and as compelling as the big console titles," Hayama said in the announcement of his appointment (after the break). He added that Bossa plans to bring games with "3D elements" to Facebook and other social networks.
Rumor: The Last Guardian lead Fumito Ueda quits Sony, working as freelancer to complete game
Apparently, The Last Guardian creative lead and Team Ico head Fumito Ueda has quit Sony and is working on Team Ico's latest project as a freelancer. Eurogamer is reporting as much, saying that Ueda's departure from the team has accentuated the ever-growing delay of the project's launch. The Last Guardian was pushed out of a "holiday 2011" release window earlier this year, and the development team were said to be moving offices this past summer, getting up close and personal with SCE's main HQ. Requests to Sony for comment have gone unreturned as of publishing. Update: A Sony rep told Joystiq, "Sony doesn't comment on rumors or speculation."
ICO and Shadow of the Colossus has reversible boxart, Last Guardian not at TGS
The North American box art for the ICO and Shadow of the Colossus Collection is ... not super great. We're no graphic designers or anything, but we do prefer our game cases to be a tad less hideous than that. Fortunately, the flipside of that cover plays host to a much more appealing vision: A stylish representation of the Japanese and European cover for ICO, and a slightly modified version of the European version of Shadow of the Colossus -- neither of which are obstructed by gaudy frames or signage. We hope the inclusion of this good-looking cover is enough to fill you with goodwill towards Team ICO, because this next part certainly won't: PlayStation Blog has revealed that The Last Guardian won't appear at the Tokyo Game Show. The blog explains, "we can assure you that Ueda-san and the rest of the development team are hard at work to bring his lofty vision to life and deliver the very best gaming experience possible." We just hope they can do so before the heat death of the universe.
