What Every First-Party Sony Studio is Working On
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Sonys first-party output has had a relatively spotty track record the last couple of years, but theres no doubting that PlayStations first-party portfolio is its biggest strength. After all, even the aforementioned period of last couple of years has brought us spectacular games likeMarvels Spider-Man 2andAstro Bot. And with Sony having confirmed that it intends to resume normal service in 2025, with major annual AAA single-player releases back on the menu, it looks like theres reason to be optimistic for fans of the PlayStation Studios lineup.And what exactly has that lineup got cooking? Thats the question were here to answer. A number of first-party Sony studios has officially confirmed what theyre working on, others have teased out potential hints and details, while in some cases, leaks have also potentially shed light on what some of these teams could be working on. Either way, theres no shortage of information on what to expect from the future of PlayStation Studios at large, and here, were going to take a look at the lineup one studio after another.Lets kick things off with the big one.NAUGHTY DOGThe complete lack of Naughty Dog on PS5 outside ofThe Last of Usre-releases has been a big source of disappointment for many, but in December, the studio finally announced its next big project. Working on a new IP for the first time in over a decade, Naughty Dog has unveiled the space-faring sci-fi action-adventure gameIntergalactic. The studio has shown off little of the game so far, but has already captured the attention of the masses so far with what little has been revealed.Intergalactichas been in development since 2020, so its possible that we see it in 2026 or 2027 (though the former might be a bit optimistic).Of course, Naughty Dog has previously confirmed that it has multiple AAA single-player titles in development. In all likeliness, the second game isThe Last of Us Part 3, which is presumably further out thanIntergalactic. In all likelihood, thatll be a PS6 title instead of a PS5 release (unless, of course, its cross-gen, though that would depend entirely on when it releases).SIE SANTA MONICA STUDIOGod of War Ragnarokwill be three years old this November, which means questions about Sony Santa Monicas next game are only going to grow louder. WhateverGod of War (2018)director Cory Barlogs next project is, wed wager that thats what the studio is going to come out with next. Leaks and speculation have suggested that Barlog is leading a new IP behind-the-scenes, which has the makings of an exciting announcement, if theres any truth to it.But of course,God of Waris nowhere close to being done yet. We dont know what the future of the series looks like, but we do know the Norse saga is done, which means were probably moving on to a new mythological setting sooner rather than later. But might we perhaps also expect a spinoff starring Atreus as its protagonist? After all, the Norse saga itself does still have plenty of unresolved plot threats left. Hopefully, 2025 will bring some clarity about what the future holds for Sony Santa Monica.INSOMNIAC GAMESWere approaching the four-year anniversary ofMarvels Wolverine,and so far, weve seen nothing of it other than its brief announcement teaser. Leaks have claimed in the past that the game is targeting a 2026 release, and if thats true, this would be the year that we begin seeing more of the game. Given Insomniac Games track record, especially with Marvel titles, theres every reason to be excited aboutMarvels Wolverine.Of course, the studio has other irons in the fire as well.Marvels Spider-Man 3is inevitable, even if it hasnt been officially announced yet, while past leaks have also suggested that the studio has aVenomspinoff in development. Those same leaks also claimed that a newRatchet and Clankgame is also in the pipeline, though wed suspect that one is probably several years off yet.GUERRILLAGuerrilla has fully dived intoHorizonby now, and it seems the franchise occupies the entirety of the studio at this point. Journalist Jason Schreier claimed last year that the third mainlineHorizongame was several years off and unlikely to be the studios next game, but wedoknow that the sequel toForbidden Westis nonetheless in the works. WhatisGuerrillas next game though? Well, thatd beHorizon Online, or whatever it is that the developer ends up calling the co-opHorizontitle that it has had in the works for several years at this point. We wouldnt be surprised if it ended up announced sometime this year, in fact.SUCKER PUNCHWe all know what Sucker Punch is working on. In 2024, the studio announcedGhost of Yotei,the sequel toGhost of Tsushima, starring a new protagonist in a new era and new location of Japanese history.Ghost of Tsushimawas a spectacular game, and arguably the best game to have been developed by Sucker Punch, so its no surprise that expectations from its sequel are high. Whether the studio intends to support the game with post-launch content the way it didTsushimaremains to be seen. The fans, of course, would absolutely love to see more of that, especially if it meant something similar toGhost of Tsushima: Legends.BLUEPOINT GAMESUntil not that long ago, we would have been willing to bet anything that the studio behind the excellent Shadow of the Colossus and Demons Souls remakes will be revealing its game sometime this year. Alas, Sonys poor decision-making has cost the company again. Reports have revealed that the game Bluepoint had been working on for years was a God of War live service title of all means, and that that project has now been cancelled. What the studio will work on next is anyones guess, but clearly, we wont be learning much about it anytime soon.SIE BEND STUDIOLike Bluepoint, Sony Bend also saw its project recently cancelled. The studio has endured several years of bad luck with its projects now, and after four years of having a new live service open world IP in development, it has now had that project shelved. On one hand, were glad to see Sony rethinking its misguided live service push. On the other, however, we cant help but lament the absolute waste of time that these last few years have been for several first-party PlayStation studios. What will Bend work on next? We have no earthly idea, thanks to the fact that the last few years of work by the studio are going into the dumpster, with a new project set to start from scratch at some point in the future.HAVEN STUDIOSHaven StudiosFairgame$was announced a couple of years ago now, but this games future is looking more than a little shaky in spite of how little we have seen of it. The multiplayer first-person shooter was announced as part of Sonys big push into the live service space, but that push has largely failed over the last couple of years, and hit its lowest point yet in 2024 with the absolute failure ofConcord. Of course, what happened toConcorddoesnt necessarily have to happen toFairgame$,but the game wasnt inspiring much confidence to begin with, and now, in a post-Concordworld, its chances of succeeding are looking even slimmer. Hopefully, when we see it next (with actual gameplay this time), itll leave a much stronger impression.FIRESPRITEFiresprites rumouredTwisted Metalrevival was supposedly the studios main project until not that long ago, but it ended up being one of several live service cancellations as part of PlayStations widespread layoffs in early 2024. So what does the studio have in the works now? Well, official details continue to be scarce (after all, Twisted Metalwasnt officially known either), but as per leaks, the studio is working on a sequel toUntil Dawn. The horror title received a remake in 2023 and is also receiving a movie adaptation soon, so clearly, Sony intends to keep expanding on the IP.HOUSEMARQUEHousemarque hit an entirely new level withReturnalin 2021, which means there are more eyes on studio and what it has cooking up next than ever before. Little is known about Housemarques mystery project, other than the fact that it is another new IP, and that it is going to be another AAA production likeReturnalwas. Hopefully, the developer will be ready to share more details soon, especially withReturnalnow close to four years old.MEDIA MOLECULEMedia Molecule swung for the fences withDreams, and even though the game wasnt nearly as successful as it should have been, the studio continues to be one of PlayStations biggest assets. A couple of years ago, the developer announced that it had a new project in the works, with support forDreamshaving been brought to an end, and last year, it was confirmed that that new project was going to be yet another new IP. Theres little else that we know about it, but given how experimental Media Molecule loves to be, were excited to see what shape it takes. Presumably, however, itll be some time before we get any concrete details.POLYPHONY DIGITALGran Turismo 7is three years old now, so the only question to be asked here is- how long until the nextGran Turismogame? Post-launch support forGT7is continuing with impressive momentum, and it doesnt look like Polyphony Digital is going to slow it down anytime soon. That would suggest that the nextGTis still years away- though then again, Polyphony Digital has traditionally followed a pattern of twoGran Turismoreleases per console. That might suggest that the studio could maybe release a cross-genGT8for PS5 and PS6 in a handful of years- though thats all purely speculative at this point.TEAM ASOBIThe delightfulAstro Botisnot even a year old yet, which means its probably too soon to start talking about Team Asobis next game right now. Will it beAstro Bot 2? Will it be a new IP? Whatever it is, we hope the studio can put it out as swiftly and efficiently as it didAstro Bot, which was put together in the space of three years by a team of less than hundred people and turned out to be one of the best and most prominent releases of its year.
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