Say it with me, folks: “Where the hell is The Last Guardian!?”
Last week, our own Jonathan Leack wrote an article about the things Sony needs to address during their Gamescom presentation. He hit on the PS Vita, the small PlayStation 4 library and the need for attention on backwards compatibility.
In that bit about backwards compatibility, Jonathan briefly mentioned The Last Guardian. This game, from the folks behind Shadow of the Colossus and Ico, has become a notorious piece of highly desirable vaporware. Jonathan gave it a passing mention, but I want something much bigger from Sony when it comes to this title.
Wait, it’s been how long?
The Last Guardian has been in development for the PlayStation 3 since 2007. It was initially introduced back in 2009 at E3. Since then, we’ve seen a few passing quotes, a trailer or two and, well, nothing else.
Sony insists that Fumito Ueda and Team ICO are still art at work on the game, though Ueda has since left Sony and is now working on the title on a contract basis. Ueda’s even said that they’ll re-introduce The Last Guardian to the world when the time is right.
With all do respect, Sony, the time has been right for the last three years. We’ve had three separate E3 presentations without any information about The Last Guardian. The most reporters have gleaned from the games making company comes from questions asked during side interviews. And these questions typically lead to soft confirmations that, indeed, the game is still being worked on.
We don’t even know if this game still exists anymore, despite what Sony’s been saying, and it’s been more than four years since its announcement. Heck, it’s been nearly seven years since development began on it.
Bring on the news!
Gamescom would be a perfect place to announce the current state of The Last Guardian. Rumors suggested that it’s been turned into a PlayStation 4 title. If that’s the case, properly announce it at this show.
Show us a new trailer, come on stage and tell us that it’s being worked on, explain why things got derailed as much as they did. The thing about Team Ico is that fans understand what they’re capable of. Making Shadow of the Colossus gives the studio wiggle room to take longer on making a game.
And, Sony, if The Last Guardian is to be cancelled, let us know at Gamescom, too. I’m so very tired of watching this game sway in limbo. It’s looked beautiful since its unveiling, but seeing the project swing between death and life for four years has sucked.
In all likelihood, Sony will remain completely silent on The Last Guardian at Gamescom. They’ll mention it in an interview when asked directly if it’s coming, but they won’t bring anything on stage. I wish they would, but they won’t.
Please, make me eat my words.
