Celebrated Japanese developer Team Ico hasn’t released a game since 2005, when Shadow of the Colossus came out for the PlayStation 2. That’s seven years, and it might take another year or two before it finally ships its next game, The Last Guardian.
The Last Guardian stars a young boy and a giant dog-bird creature that work together to solve puzzles. Fans of Ico and Shadow of the Colossus have anticipated The Last Guardian for years now, with no end of its development in sight.
French website Jeux Video asked Sony Computer Entertainment president Shuhei Yoshida if he could promise that The Last Guardian would ship in 2013. Here is his response (translated by Google):
“No, sorry. I cannot say [it will ship in 2013], because the last time we talked about a date for The Last Guardian, we disappointed many people. I can tell you that the team is working hard on the project, including the engine. It is precisely because the team is working on the technical aspect of the game that we have nothing concrete to show you today. So now I’m waiting for the right time to reintroduce The Last Guardian and speak with confidence of a release date.”
GamesBeat contacted Sony to confirm this information, and we’ll update with its response.
The Last Guardian is something of a mystery. We’ve known about its existence since 2008. Sony Computer Entertainment started releasing details and trailers for it in 2009, but Team Ico and Sony have not said much since then. What’s concerning is that the team is still working on developing the game’s engine.
It’s been a bumpy development cycle for The Last Guardian. In late 2011, lead designer Fumito Ueda left Sony. The Last Guardian, like Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, are products of the auteur’s mind. Ueda is still reportedly working on the game in a contractual capacity.
If The Last Guardian does not ship before the end of 2013, it’s likely that Sony would have already released the PlayStation 4.