Sony may finally be digging through the PlayStation attic.
According to a new report from a trusted Sony leaker, PlayStation is looking at ways to revive several classic franchises that have spent years collecting dust. Ape Escape, Killzone and Sly Cooper are reportedly among the games being considered.
Yes, apparently Sony remembered it owns more franchises than Horizon, God of War and The Last of Us.
The reported plan could involve outside developers pitching new games based on dormant PlayStation properties. Sony would potentially license the franchises, publish the resulting games and bring several forgotten names back for a new generation.
Better late than never, we suppose.
Sony Could Revive Several Classic PlayStation Games
The report suggests this isn’t about bringing back one random franchise. Instead, Sony may be exploring a larger revival campaign involving several properties from the PS2 and PS3 generations.
Three names have specifically surfaced:
- Ape Escape
- Killzone
- Sly Cooper
Other franchises could reportedly be involved as well.
For longtime PlayStation players, those three names alone should get some attention. Each franchise once represented a very different side of Sony’s first-party lineup.
Ape Escape offered colorful platforming and became closely associated with PlayStation’s early years. Sly Cooper delivered stylish stealth-platforming adventures, while Killzone gave PlayStation its own major science-fiction shooter series.
Then Sony largely left all three behind.
These Franchises Have Been Gone for Years
Calling these franchises “dormant” almost feels generous at this point.
The last mainline Ape Escape game arrived in 2005. A PlayStation Move spin-off followed in 2010, but fans have now spent more than two decades waiting for a proper new entry.
Killzone hasn’t received a new game since Killzone Shadow Fall launched alongside the PS4 in 2013.
Sly Cooper is in a similar situation. Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time was released in 2013, meaning another entire console generation came and went without Sony doing much with the franchise.
PlayStation has an impressive catalogue of recognizable IP. Using some of it occasionally would certainly be a bold strategy.
Don’t Expect the Original Studios to Return
If these games really are coming back, players shouldn’t automatically expect their original developers to handle them.
Sucker Punch has moved on from Sly Cooper and built its modern reputation around the Ghost series. Guerrilla Games has spent years focusing heavily on Horizon rather than Killzone.
Japan Studio, which played an important role in PlayStation’s Japanese catalogue, is also no longer operating in its original form after Sony reorganized its development operations around Team Asobi.
That makes outside developers an obvious option.
Sony could effectively open its catalogue to studios interested in bringing these franchises back, while PlayStation retains publishing and licensing control.
That approach could also allow Sony to revive older properties without forcing its biggest internal studios away from their current projects.
PlayStation 6 Could Be the Starting Point
Perhaps the most interesting part of the report concerns timing.
The initiative is reportedly being viewed as a multi-game effort, with its first wave potentially arriving around the PlayStation 6 launch window.
That would make plenty of sense.
New consoles need games, and recognizable franchises can help sell new hardware. Sony also has decades of PlayStation history available instead of relying entirely on another remaster of something that wasn’t particularly old to begin with.
Imagine that: launching a new console with new games from franchises people have been asking to see again.
Revolutionary stuff.
Sony Already Has a Busy First-Party Future
PlayStation isn’t exactly sitting around without games.
Several major first-party releases are already planned for early 2027, including God of War Laufey in February. The game will notably move away from Kratos as its main protagonist.
Until Dawn 2 is also expected in February, bringing that series back more than a decade after the original game.
Adding revived franchises such as Killzone, Sly Cooper and Ape Escape to Sony’s future lineup could make PlayStation’s catalogue much more varied.
And variety is something PlayStation could certainly use.
Not every game needs to become another massive cinematic third-person adventure with a serious protagonist staring dramatically into the distance.
Sometimes people just want to catch monkeys with a net.
Could Killzone Finally Make a Comeback?
Of the three franchises mentioned, Killzone could be especially interesting.
Sony has been without a major first-party military or science-fiction FPS franchise for years. Meanwhile, Killzone already has an established universe, recognizable visual identity and plenty of nostalgia behind it.
A modern Killzone wouldn’t necessarily need to copy what Guerrilla Games did more than a decade ago. Giving the franchise to another experienced shooter developer could allow Sony to reinvent it while retaining the Helghast, setting and identity that made the series recognizable.
The same applies to Sly Cooper and Ape Escape.
A revival doesn’t need to pretend it’s still 2005. It simply needs to understand why people loved these games in the first place.
Sony Has Plenty More Sitting in the Vault
The bigger question is whether Sony intends to go beyond these three franchises.
PlayStation’s history contains plenty of series that have disappeared or received very little attention over the years. If Sony really is inviting outside studios to pitch revival projects, the company suddenly has an enormous catalogue to work with.
That could become particularly valuable during the PlayStation 6 generation.
Sony doesn’t need every revived franchise to become a gigantic blockbuster selling tens of millions of copies. Smaller and mid-sized games could fill gaps between PlayStation’s enormous AAA releases while giving players more variety.
It could also restore some of the personality that defined earlier PlayStation generations.
Now Sony Just Has to Actually Do It
For now, none of these reported revival projects should be treated as officially confirmed games.
Pitches can be rejected. Projects can disappear during development. Plans can change long before anything reaches the public.
Still, the idea of Sony actively looking at its older franchises is encouraging.
PlayStation spent decades building a catalogue filled with memorable characters and games. Ape Escape, Killzone and Sly Cooper didn’t suddenly become worthless because Sony stopped making them.
If the report proves accurate, the PlayStation 6 generation could bring back a few names that fans thought Sony had permanently forgotten.
Now comes the difficult part.
Sony has to resist cancelling them, remastering The Last of Us again instead, or somehow turning Ape Escape into a live-service game.
Please don’t give them ideas.
