Growing up during the PS2 era, you were likely familiar with one of these platformer franchises: Ratchet & Clank, Jak & Daxter, or Sly Cooper. All three are iconic 3D platformers developed during the 2000s.
One from developer Insomniac Games, widely known today for its work on Marvel’s Spider-Man and soon Marvel’s Wolverine. Another from the powerhouses at Naughty Dog, its early beginning with Crash Bandicoot before entangling itself with realistic franchises like Uncharted and The Last of Us.
Lastly, Sucker Punch Productions came out strong during the PS3 era with inFAMOUS and now Ghost of Tsushima for modern PlayStation consoles. While all three are beloved 3D platformers from the era, only Ratchet & Clank has seen love recently with Rift Apart in 2021.
Jak & Daxter and Sly Cooper have both not received a new entry in over ten years. Naughty Dog’s platformer series last entry was in 2009 with The Lost Frontiers for the PS2 and PSP. Meanwhile, Sly Cooper saw a resurgence in 2013 with Thieves in Time, but poor sales prevented any continuation of the franchise.
With fans waiting so long for these platforming icons to return, will we ever see another adventure from them?
Recently, the 3D platformer genre has been making a comeback in the gaming space. While it flooded the market during the sixth console generation, it’s been slowly returning to mainstream audiences.
Indie games have been doing it for years, with A Hat in Time and Frogun as fantastic examples. Furthermore, more indie studios have tackled the genre this year, like Penny’s Big Breakaway and Akimbot.
Most importantly, a forgotten 3D platformer from the PS1 has been announced for a remaster: Croc: Legend of the Gobbos. Seemingly out of nowhere, Argonaut Games have been reopened after closing in 2004 and return with a Croc remaster.
This announcement alone has given many platformer fanatics hope that PlayStation may see it as time for the return of Jak & Daxter and Sly Cooper.
“Crash and Spyro would be better under Sony!”
Meanwhile, Sony’s first party platformers: https://t.co/vctoeHJ8lV
— Lucho Díaz (@LuchoComix) September 1, 2024
Nothing is stopping PlayStation from greenlighting these projects besides money and how well the game will perform after launch. The announcement of shutting down Concord must have PlayStation more wary of what projects the company should be focusing on next.
While the console giants have made a name for themselves in developing triple-A story-driven games, there’s nothing wrong with investing into smaller projects that can spark interest in older franchises.
The recent Emulation releases are a perfect example of this. Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus and Daxter launched on PS4 and PS5 via the PS Classic Catalog, which have been successful.
Whether it’s fans wanting to replay these games after so many years or new players wanting to check them out, the timing for these franchises to return couldn’t be more perfect.
Ultimately, it comes down to PlayStation allocating these IPs to other studios. While Naughty Dog and Sucker Punch Productions could still work on Jak & Daxter and Sly Cooper, respectively, the teams appear to have no desire to return to them.
Sucker Punch left everything on the table in 2005 with Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves, while Naughty Dog tried to return to Jak & Daxter with a potential Jak 4 before transforming it into The Last of Us.
If 3D platformer fans would like to see PlayStation make more games in the genre, vote with your wallet and purchase Astro Bot on the PS5. It’s a full length 3D platformer that has many cameos from other PlayStation IPs including the Sly Cooper and Jak & Daxter.
If the game is able to perform, Sony might consider bringing back other platforming mascots. While Astro Bot’s success wouldn’t 100% bring them back, this would be a great indicator for PlayStation to invest into the genre more.
If the game flops, critically and commercially, this may turn Sony completely off from the genre. Insomniac Games will likely continue to work on Ratchet & Clank whenever the team can, but other PlayStation mascots may never return.
Sony doesn’t even have to greenlight a direct sequel for Jak & Daxter or Sly Cooper. It could be as simple as a collection bundle for PS4/PS5 or as ambitious as remaking one of the games. Make something that can allow fans to vote with their wallets and show PlayStation that there’s still untapped potential with these franchises.
Only time will tell if Jak & Daxter or Sly Cooper will ever make a comeback. If Croc, a franchise that was literally dead after Argonaut dissolved in 2004, can also return. What do you think about these titles potentially making a return? Would you like to see these titles come back? Let us know in the comments what you think!
#Jak #Daxter #Sly #Cooper #Return
