Across the several decades Sony Interactive Entertainment has been around dominating with their PlayStation brand, exclusive titles have always been what drove gamers, regardless to the casual or hardcore market, to the blue team. From the original PlayStation becoming a household names thanks to Final Fantasy VII, the PlayStation 2 blasting past both Microsoft and Nintendo due to not only having a DVD player in a console but the library of games that you could’ve gotten only on PlayStation was something to marvel at. With PlayStation 3 being the lowest selling PlayStation home console and considered a failure, it still pulled up over their biggest rival. How did they do that though? The same way they do now — first party exclusives. And last generation’s PlayStation 4, the console who saw Worldwide Studios (the previous name for PlayStation Studios) fire on all cylinders.
Into the PlayStation 5 we go, full steam ahead, right? Well, wrong. Sony had acquired developers left and right but unfortunately, the trickle of exclusive games we use to know and love is undeniably gone at the moment and Insomniac Games has carried the torch throughout most of the generation so far. So what’s going on? Sony has taken the approach of… announce games within a year or so of launch, instead of announce a game in 2023 and have it launch in 2028.
Today we’re going to be discussing every studio with an unannounced game in development, ranging from the small, unknown teams from Shanghai to the largest, most respected in the industry like Naughty Dog, we’ve got a load to dive into.
Internal Development studios;
- Asobi Studio
- Bend Studio
- Bluepoint Games
- Bungie*
- FireSprite Games
- Guerrilla Games
- Housemarque
- Insomniac Games
- Media Molecule
- Naughty Dog
- Neon Koi**
- Polyphony Digital
- San Diego Studio
- Santa Monica Studio
- Sucker Punch Productions
- Visual Arts
External Development studios;
- Unnamed Indian studio
- Madrid Studio
- Shanghai Studio
- XDEV
- XDEV Japan
* Bungie is part of their own publishing branch at Sony Interactive Entertainment called Bungie Publishing
** Neon Koi is part of PlayStation Studios Mobile, not PlayStation Studios proper.
Please note that several studios like San Diego Studio and Guerrilla Games have External Development branches as well and we will be discussing those on their Internal Development slides. Also, Supporting Development studios like San Mateo Studio, Malaysia Studio, and Nixxes Software, all who do not make their own games and only work on Internal Development studios’ titles, they do not count. Additionally, I will not be discussing studios with titles already announced unless they have a secondary team or more working on different titles, hence why someone like Haven Studios is not on the list above. This article will evolve as more titles are announced and will be updated to reflect that, and once studios like Haven Studios launch their first game, their pages will be added here.
The Internal Development Studios
Asobi Studio
About
- Established — 2012 under Japan Studio, 2020 as a standalone studio
- Location — Tokyo, Japan
- Known for — Astro Bot Rescue Mission, Astro’s Playroom
Formed as a small team within the bustling Japan Studio, the indie, unknown team of Asobi was busy working on The Playroom and later Astro Bot Rescue Mission. After the sheer amount of acclaim that Rescue Mission had achieved, it was almost fate to make another game in that series. Once PS5 launched, that’s exactly what we got in Astro’s Playroom. A free, already included piece of software in every PS5 that really showcases what the console is capable of. From my point of view however, I think the focus is going back to VR.
PlayStation VR2 has had an interesting start. While it is outselling the original PS VR when adjusted for month to month from launch numbers sure, it’s doing quite well. Then you look at the output and suddenly, it’s not looking so hot. This almost seems like to me that Sony will nudge them into making a new showcase for PS VR2 this time to really give people some sort of motive to keep coming back to it and keep the sales flowing. When more first party support hardware, the better they do (RIP PS Vita).
Bend Studio
About
- Established — 1992 as Blank, Berlyn, and Co., 1995 as Eidetic, 2000 as Bend Studio
- Acquired — 2000
- Location — Bend, Oregon
- Known for — the Syphon Filter series, Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Days Gone
Arguably the unluckiest studio amongst the entire arsenal, we arrive to Bend Studio. Once a powerhouse due to their days on Syphon Filter, they’re not in the greatest shape today. Being beaten down as a Naughty Dog support studio not once but twice, having to make 2 Uncharted spinoff games for PlayStation Vita then struggle to put together a new IP for themselves after over a decade of not doing console development, it was not an easy time for this Oregon group. Days Gone launched to a critical middle-ground and a financial blunder, when I mentioned Naughty Dog support team for the second time, after Days Gone’s unfortunate fumble, that’s when it took place.
Flash forward a few years and now the studio is back to their usual form, currently chipping away at a new IP while Sony had ported Days Gone to PC and now wants to make a new movie about the game over at PlayStation Productions. What could that IP be per say? Well, this is a personal prediction type of article with additional support from job listings at least asserting basic knowledge like the genre but for Bend, there’s nothing. Not a single ounce of information anywhere about what they’re going to be doing. So, I’m going to spitball and obviously say a third person story driven title, potentially another game connecting to Syphon Filter like Days Gone had connections too, and a post-apocalyptic world in a different form.
Bluepoint Games
About
- Established — 2006
- Acquired — 2021
- Location — Austin, Texas
- Known for — Shadow of the Colossus’ remake and Demon’s Souls’ remake
Remasters, remakes, and ports are what Bluepoint is known for. From remastering the Metal Gear Collection, God of War Collection, Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection and more to the astonishing remakes of both Shadow of the Colossus and Demon’s Souls that blew gamers away with their visual leaps compared to their PS2 and PS3 originals respectively, they’ve proven to be exceptional.
Now, fresh off the nearly 3 year old release of Demon’s Souls (not so fresh when put into perspective), a new IP is what is rumored to be up their sleeve, alongside another remake or a cult classic which is to yet be revealed. Given their graphical prowess displayed by their remakes, we can hope whatever their original idea is… is well, at least pretty to look at. They have only released a singular game that was not a remaster, remake, or port which was over a decade ago so it’s hard telling how it can turn out.
Bungie
About
- Established — 1991 as Bungie Software Products Corporation, 2000 as Bungie Studios, 2007 as Bungie
- Acquired — 2022
- Location — Bellevue, Washington
- Known for — the Marathon series, the Halo series, the Destiny series
While the strangest studio on this list not for the fact that they’re Bungie, but the fact they’re owned by Sony Interactive Entertainment but not part of PlayStation Studios. They exist in the secondary publisher at the PlayStation giant known as Bungie Publishing. Regardless to their status, they’re an integral part of the ecosystem. This multiplatform developer has some incredible games throughout the past few decades from the iconic Halo or the spiritual successor that has had a rough and rocky road — Destiny.
With the studio working hard on Marathon, what is their other games going to be? Yes, I said games, Bungie stated a while back that multiple games were in development at their various studios so I’m going to place the most safest bet and say Destiny 3 but as for that other title, I’m going to have to swing towards a new IP. Their bread and butter is space shooters, I can see a future where that new IP is anything but.
Bungie is also overseeing the multilayer sector of PlayStation Studios as I will also discuss down the line with Naughty Dog. Point being, they’re going to assure that the quality of a sector not well pursued in recent times by PlayStation can be enhanced and tightened down to be made the best possible.
FireSprite Games
About
- Established — 2012
- Acquired — 2021
- Location — Liverpool, UK and Manchester, UK
- Known for — Horizon: Call of the Mountain
Formed by ex-Liverpool Studio staff after the closure of the once prolific studio, FireSprite Games slowly built their way up to be the next Insomniac Games in my eyes. With several, and I mean SEVERAL games in development across PS5 and PS VR2, the Horizon: Call of the Mountain developer is just getting started.
The UK studio is poised to be taking the mantle for the new Twisted Metal game, alongside starting a slew of new IPs and continuing their work on the upcoming PC title Star Citizen (as they are obligated to do so given this was signed pre-Sony acquisition). The team is experienced in both single player and multiplayer titles so seeing a multiplayer new IP from the lot could be in the future.
Fun fact — FireSprite Games is the first studio in PlayStation Studios to acquire another developer. In 2021, they acquired Fabrik Games.
Guerrilla Games
About
- Established — 2000 as Lost Boy Games, 2003 as Guerrilla Games
- Acquired — 2005
- Location — Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Known for — the Killzone series, the Horizon series
Futuristic shooters to robotic dinosaurs, Guerrilla Games has become a franchise making machine. The Killzone series brought this once unknown studio to fame while Horizon reinvented the wheel for this Amsterdam based team. Not to mention their DECIMA engine powers titles like Until Dawn, Horizon: Forbidden West, Death Stranding, and many more, their upcoming titles will be on the backbone of a engine that is top notch.
With multiple, and I mean MULTIPLE new games across both internal and external teams working on Horizon from mainline to VR to MMO to multiplayer, they’ve really drifted fully away from Killzone for good it seems. Netflix also has a Horizon TV show in the works, further expanding the IP beyond just games and comics.
Guerrilla has established an External Development branch too as I’ve stated previously with internal and external teams doing Horizon, this is what Horizon: Call of the Mountain came to be out of before PlayStation Studios’ acquisition. We will see Horizon become the largest modern PlayStation IP most likely.
Housemarque
About
- Established — 1995
- Acquired — 2021
- Location — Helsinki, Finland
- Known for — Matterfall, Nex Machina, Returnal
The once indie twin stick shooter that brought the arcade style to console has now evolved into something a little more. This includes a move from top down to third person 3D, something that is roughly a first for the studio.
While smaller, twin stick shooters from a secondary team could definitely come to fruition, the main team likely is on doing a sequel to the 2021 blockbuster Returnal. That’s where they hit their stride, and that’s where it’ll most likely continue to shine.
Insomniac Games
About
- Established — 1994 as Xtreme Software, 1995 as Insomniac Games
- Acquired — 2019
- Location — Burbank, California and Durham, North Carolina
- Known for — the Ratchet & Clank series, the Resistance series, Sunset Overdrive, Stormland, the Marvel’s Spider-Man series
Fresh off the heels of the critically acclaimed Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 landing a 91 on Metacritic in less than 2 years from Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart’s launch and less than 3 years from Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales launch, this is the most efficient studio that Sony honestly possess. Plus their VR teams that have been in the way background while the big teams play at the forefront will definitely have something to show in the near future.
We’re going to be seeing Marvel’s Wolverine next year (a little inside exclusive scoop on that) alongside another Ratchet & Clank, a collection of new IPs, and a return to a previous IP are all incoming within the next 5 years. This studio is unstoppable, all without crunch too. The next couple of years are going to see the I in Sony Interactive Entertainment become Sony Insomniac Entertainment.
Media Molecule
About
- Established — 2006
- Acquired — 2010
- Location — Guildford, UK
- Known for — the LittleBigPlanet series, Dreams
If you told me to place a bet on a studio I believe Sony would close, it’s Media Molecule. While the creators of LittleBigPlanet have been down a harsh path with giving the IP up so another can work on it, creating a failed PS Vita title, and seeing their hardest created, most ambitious, true love letter to their fans crumble beneath them, it’s a miracle they’re still surviving while studios like Japan Studio and PixelOpus saw the chopping block.
Next on the line, it’s a little unclear. Sumo Digital runs the LittleBigPlanet IP for Sony now while Tearaway and Dreams are too small of an IP to continue. So that brings us back to the drawing board, something fresh, something new, and something arguably Media Molecule’s last chance at finding success, if that game can even launch.
Naughty Dog
About
- Established — 1984 as Jam Software, 1989 as Naughty Dog
- Acquired — 2001
- Location — Santa Monica, California
- Known for — the Crash Bandicoot series, the Jak & Daxter series, the Uncharted series, the Last of Us series
Ah, Naughty Dog. The studio PlayStation Studios is known best for. From critical masterpieces such as Uncharted 2: Among Thieves to The Last of Us, the cult classic IPs such as Crash Bandicoot and Jak & Daxter, this studio does not lose. That is, until recently.
Bungie stepped in across all of PlayStation Studios’ various teams making multiplayer games to assess their quality and worth, alongside to give guidance. The Last of Us Factions has been hit extremely, brutally hard to the point most believe it’s canceled. Naughty Dog has not been know for their multiplayer titles, this could be detrimental to said team. Meanwhile for the single player side there’s a duo of new games; a new IP and The Last of Us Part III, the game to likely end the franchise for good. The studio is also hands on for HBO’s The Last of Us season 2 and the rumored sequel, Max’s The Last of Us spinoff.
What we do know is that Naughty Dog will be dipping into their catalog again with The Last of Us Part II Remastered, coming in 2024 for PS5 featuring new enhancements like shadow quality and resolution alongside a brand new rogue-like mode No Return and cut levels making an appearance. It’ll land on January 19th.
Alongside their ambitions of multiplayer and their masterclass single player experiences, the ICE Team at Naughty Dog create the incredible Naughty Dog Game Engine, something we’ve yet to truly see thrive on PS5 as of yet. Whatever worlds are crafted on said engine shall push the boundaries of play harder than we could ever know.
Neon Koi
About
- Established — 2020 as Savage Game Studios, 2023 as Neon Koi
- Acquired — 2022
- Location — Helsinki, Finland and Berlin, Germany
Just like Bungie, Neon Koi is not technically part of PlayStation Studios. Bungie is under Bungie Publishing while Neon Koi is part of PlayStation Studios Mobile. However, they are an integral part of Sony Interactive Entertainment’s mobile hopes. Savage Game Studios went under a massive rebrand following several key executives from the studio leave alongside PlayStation Mobile’s head leaving all throughout the past year.
The studio is currently working on a few projects, all confirmed to be in Unreal Engine 5.
Polyphony Digital
About
- Established — 1994 as Polys Entertainment under Japan Studio, 1998 as Polyphony Digital as a standalone studio
- Location — Tokyo, Japan
- Known for — the Gran Turismo series
Polyphony’s brillant simulation racing series Gran Turismo has seen its 7th major installment just last year. Bringing with it PS VR2 support down the line that has captured the hearts of the entire racing and VR communities showcasing what the power of PS5 can do to make real, AAA games playable across both flat and virtual worlds.
Multiple job listings throughout the years have appeared that suggest that Gran Turismo might not be the final frontier for the studio. An RPG was mentioned in several listings hinting that we could see the Japanese giant, after decades, leave the singular genre for something more interesting. Gran Turismo 8 is without question also in development.
San Diego Studio
About
- Established — 1995 as 989 Studios and 1997 as Red Zone Interactive, both merged in 2001 as San Diego Studio
- Location — San Diego, California
- Known for — the MLB: The Show series
Once a studio that had several games in development at once now turned into an MLB only home. There was many bumpy roads that lead to Sony eventually barring the studio from exploring into other projects.
There could be some hope though. They’ve hired back in 2021 for an action-RPG, alongside a new External Development branch that was last killed off around mid-2016. A mobile team, not under Savage Game Studios or PlayStation Studios Mobile was also formed here for whatever reason. Could we see MLB: The Show mobile next?
Santa Monica Studio
About
- Established — 1999
- Location — Los Angeles, California
- Known for — the God of War series
The studio behind the Spartan has been around for over 2 decades now. Throughout that time, only a singular release happened outside of the God of War IP and that finally seems to be changing. While they’ll be expanding to another franchise, Kratos is sticking around for good.
Corey Barlog, director of 2018’s God of War stepped down from the sequel subtitled Ragnarok to work on his own new IP at Santa Monica Studio. While Darkside, another new IP was canceled early last generation for PS4, the likelihood of this being dropped is not a reality. Furthermore, we have the God of War franchise. Yeah, it’s not anywhere near done. Apparently the word on the street is we’re going to be seeing a spinoff with Loki in the next title akin to Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales where it’s an in-between game to tide us over until the next major installment, hopefully in Egypt.
Sucker Punch Productions
About
- Established — 1997
- Acquired — 2011
- Location — Bellevue, Washington
- Known for — the Sly Cooper series, the inFamous series, Ghost of Tsushima
Giving up the Sly Cooper IP to have Sanzaru Games working on it to move onto inFamous and eventually Ghost of Tsushima, Sucker Punch Productions has leveled up to be considered one of the best of the best.
Given a movie is now in production at PlayStation Productions, it’s a no brainer that the successful and critically acclaimed PS4 title will get a sequel for PS5. Outside of that, we’re unlikely to visit Sly or the world of meta humans. We will see a new era of PlayStation where Sucker Punch will issue it in — previous new IP will become franchises because they do not have a choice given their newfound stature.
Visual Arts
About
- Established — 2007
- Location — San Diego, California
- Known for — The Last of Us Part I
Ah, the saddest tale for a studio. Visual Arts has been around since 2007 and has been the largest, most advanced motion capture studio in the entire industry that EA, Square Enix, Xbox Game Studios, and more have had assist on their various titles. Without stating the obvious, alright I will, they also do the motion capture for nearly every single PlayStation Studios games bar a select few. One day they wanted to do an Uncharted remake for the PS5, it was denied by Sony and instead they were given The Last of Us to remake for PS5 to go alongside the upcoming HBO show they had planned for, plus it was not such a risk since there ain’t that much to do compared to Uncharted. Well the team was axed nearly 85% into The Last of Us Part I development and the torch was given back to Naughty Dog to finish the last remaining bit.
It’s not over yet though. There’s a new team formed, and this time, I can bet money on this being a new entry in the Uncharted franchise. It’s not uncommon for other PlayStation Studios teams to work on another’s IP, Bend has done Uncharted before meanwhile Guerrilla Cambridge (RIP to this studio) has done Killzone before. I wholeheartedly believe it will center around Nathan’s daughter in this upcoming game.
The External Development Studios
The Indian Studio
About
- Established — 2023
- Location — India
- Known for — PlayStation India Hero Project program
The PlayStation India Hero Project, similar to the PlayStation China Hero Project, is an incubation program for the Indian market where they’ll help fund, develop, and sometimes even publish titles.
The submissions for new titles have ended, with a slew of games to be announced roughly around February-April 2024 as confirmed by Sony Interactive Entertainment Japan Asia. Alongside that information confirmed, it was also said that 78% of developers aim to develop exclusively for PlayStation while the other 22% aims at games releasing on PlayStation + PC or just mobile under the PlayStation Studios Mobile publisher.
The “adventure” genre is the largest set of games applied for in the program, followed by first and third person shooters which will definitely be interesting since what kind of shooter titles could come from India!
Madrid Studio
About
- Established — 2015
- Location — Madrid, Spain
- Known for — the PlayStation Talents program
Based in Spain, Madrid Studio leads the PlayStation Talents program. Another incubation program where Sony will fund, develop, and sometime publish the various slew of content from this little European branch. Clid the Snail, the awesome VR horror title Do Not Open, to Inner Ashes, there’s always skemthing coming out of Spain, roughly more than Shanghai Studio, India, XDEV, and XDEV Japan combined most times.
Seeing the release of over 90 titles since 2015, their next is Corbid! A Colorful Adventure, releasing this year on PS4, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch with another 10 titles due out by next summer.
Shanghai Studio
About
- Established — 2017
- Location — Shanghai, China
- Known for — the PlayStation China Hero Project program
Formed in the previous generation, the PlayStation China Hero Project program is an incubation studio where any Chinese developer can apply to get assistance for funding, development, and sometimes even publishing. Games like FIST: Forged In Shadow Torch and In Nightmare are already released but there’s a load still incoming.
With the gorgeous Final Fantasy inspired title Lost Soul Aside to the fast-paced, action-packed shooter Convallaria and to the Nier inspired action-RPG AI-Limit, the amount of games on the docket is insane. Not to mention every 2 years they’ll announce an extension for their lineup, there’s plenty to play!
XDEV
About
- Established — 2000 as XDEV Europe, 2020 as XDEV
- Location — Liverpool, UK
- Known for — Until Dawn, Detroit: Become Human, Sackboy: A Big Adventure, Returnal
The XDEV studio previously known as XDEV Europe is currently the largest provider of large scale games on an External Development scale. Notably several games from Quantic Dream like Heavy Rain and Beyond Two Souls to Housemarque games like Returnal and Super Stardust VR, this is a publishing arm that’ll help fund, develop, and publish games in exchange for exclusivity.
Currently, their upcoming slate is looking rather empty. Concord, Firewalk Studios’ title was previously an XDEV game just like Returnal was until the studio was acquired by Sony Interactive Entertainment. A slew of unannounced games are incoming from partners like Sumo Digital and others. The XDEV teams hardly slow down, releasing at least a single game every 2 years at minimum to keep a flow and good relationship with partners alive so we should be hearing soon from them.
XDEV Japan
About
- Established — 1993 as Japan Studio External Developer under Japan Studio, 2020 as XDEV Japan as a standalone studio
- Location — Tokyo, Japan
- Known for — the PaRappa the Rapper series, Demon’s Souls, Bloodborne
The most iconic, beloved, and cherished titles that came out of the former Japan Studio likely came from Japan Studio External Development, today known as XDEV Japan, a Japanese spinoff of the XDEV studio. From Bloodborne, PaRappa the Rapper, and Demon’s Souls to Soul Sacrifice, Patapon, Wild Arms, and Arc the Lad, all of them came from other studios that filtered into this singular External Development branch.
Now, they’re heading up Stellar Blade and Rise of the Ronin, taking up the mantle for Japan’s needs for publishing. There’s a few more in the chamber too, like Kojima Productions’ Death Stranding 2. The future is looking bright in the east.
Being a PlayStation fan is an exciting time, many studios as you can see on this list all have unannounced titles. From AAAs to VR to indies to even some acquisitions, we have loads to come in the future and it’s a brillant time to watch from the sidelines before all is shown. Thank you for taking the time to read this, I appreciate it as always.
Check out some of my other work here;
The Future of PlayStation Part II.
The Xbox and Activision Blizzard merger.
The games that made my childhood.
Apple’s gaming struggles could be huge for Sony.
You can follow me on X here — @LumberjackRy
