Native name | JAPANスタジオ |
---|---|
Company type | Division |
Industry | Video games |
Founded | 16 November 1993 |
Defunct | 1 April 2021 |
Fate | Merged into Team Asobi and other studios |
Successor | Team Asobi |
Headquarters | , Japan |
Products | |
Parent | Sony Interactive Entertainment |
Japan Studio was a Japanese video game developer based in Tokyo. A first-party studio for Sony Interactive Entertainment (formerly Sony Computer Entertainment), it was best known for the Ape Escape , LocoRoco , Patapon , Gravity Rush , and Knack series, the Team Ico games, Bloodborne , The Legend of Dragoon , and Astro's Playroom . In April 2021, Japan Studio was reorganized and merged with Team Asobi and other SIE studios.
Japan Studio was founded in Tokyo on 16 November 1993. [1] The studio was run similar to Sony Music Entertainment during its first few years, with producers seeking out creative talent and nurturing them to help develop new games. [2] Examples of these works included PaRappa the Rapper by Masaya Matsuura, and Everybody's Golf by Masashi Muramori. [2]
Shuhei Yoshida oversaw Japan Studio from 1996 through 2000. Yoshida started creating teams within Japan Studio and hired for them, while simultaneously assisting other developers for Sony-published exclusives. New games such as Ape Escape and The Legend of Dragoon came out from Yoshida's approach, as well as dedicated teams such as Team Ico for Ico , and Polyphony Digital for Gran Turismo (which eventually was spun out as its own first-party developer for Sony). [3] Alongside these first-party titles, the latter years of the original PlayStation saw strong third-party support, with games like Final Fantasy VII and Metal Gear Solid . According to Yoshida, this led Sony into some complacency on relying on third-party games to support further consoles, and oversight and support for first-party games was less of a priority. [3] Though Japan Studio's output during the PlayStation 2 years were strong, it struggled to release successful games during the PlayStation 3 era. Yoshida attributed this to the general game development practice in Japan which he described as a "grassroots and bottom up", without a clear vision of what a final game would look like, with exceptions being for people like Kazunori Yamauchi or Fumito Ueda who possessed a specific drive towards a product. In contrast to Western video game development, Yoshida said Japan Studio's methods tended to allow games to wander. [3] Allen Becker, who led Japan Studio starting in 2011, said that their complacency during the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3 era caused the studio to fall behind on updated tools and methodologies for game development. [2]
Yoshida took over full control of Japan Studio in 2008, at the same time that the PlayStation 3 was out and Sony was preparing to launch the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita. Around that time, mobile gaming and casual gaming started to become a major factor in the Asian video game market and drove competition from the consoles. [3] Sony found that there was a lack of triple-A third-party support for these new products, and they had to turn to rely on their internal studios for game support. To get Japan Studio back on track, Sony brought in Becker, who had been working at Santa Monica Studio, to lead Japan Studio. Becker made several tough calls of the 40-some games that were in development at the time of his arrival to terminate development of those unlikely to be successful and implemented similar development processes as Sony's Western studios to get the studio back on track. [3] Though Becker's approach, the studio was able to release shorter but cohesive titles that still reflected a Japanese approach to video games, such as Puppeteer , Rain and Knack . [3] Also during this time, emphasis was placed on The Last Guardian , the highly anticipated third title from Ueda which had been in development for over six years, eventually released in 2016. [2]
Across late 2020 and early 2021, several notable Japan Studio employees announced that they were departing the company. [4] [5] [6] According to multiple sources speaking with Video Games Chronicle Sony had not renewed most of the contracts for the studio outside of those on the Team Asobi because the studio was not considered profitable enough to continue with original game development. [7] In a statement, Sony stated that, as of 1 April 2021, Japan Studio would be re-centered around Team Asobi to build on the popularity of Astro's Playroom . [8] Before and shortly after 1 April 2021, several additional Japan Studio staff announced their departure from the studio. [9] Team Asobi was moved into PlayStation Studios in June 2021. [10]
Year | Title | Platform(s) | Ref(s). |
---|---|---|---|
1994 | Crime Crackers | PlayStation | [11] |
1995 | Victory Zone | ||
Rapid Reload | |||
Jumping Flash! | |||
Arc the Lad | |||
Philosoma | |||
Hermie Hopperhead: Scrap Panic | |||
Wizardry VII: Crusaders of the Dark Savant | |||
Sengoku Cyber: Fujimaru Jigoku Hen | |||
Beyond the Beyond | |||
Sentou Kokka: Air Land Battle | |||
Project Horned Owl | |||
1996 | Jumping Flash! 2 | ||
Popolocrois | |||
Eigo no Tetsujin: Center Shiken Trial | |||
Victory Zone 2 | |||
Arc the Lad II | |||
Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenyaku Romantan – Ishin Gekitou Hen | |||
PaRappa the Rapper | |||
Fluid | |||
Wild Arms | |||
1997 | I.Q.: Intelligent Qube | ||
Sentou Kokka Kai: Improved | |||
Alundra | |||
Velldeselba Senki: Tsubasa no Kunshou | |||
Pet in TV | |||
Baby Universe | |||
Quest for Fame | |||
Ghost in the Shell | |||
Everybody's Golf | |||
Arc the Lad: Monster Game with Casino Game | |||
Linda³ Again | |||
The Granstream Saga | |||
Crime Crackers 2 | |||
Elemental Gearbolt | |||
Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan – Juu Yuushi Inbou Hen | |||
1998 | PlayStation Comic No. 1 – Space Adventure Cobra: The Psycogun Vol. 1 | ||
PlayStation Comic No. 1 – Space Adventure Cobra: The Psycogun Vol. 2 | |||
Zero Pilot: Ginyoku no Senshi | |||
PlayStation Comic No. 2 – Carol the Dark Angel | |||
Tomoyasu Hotei: Stolen Song | |||
Devil Dice | |||
Yarudora Series Vol. 1: Double Cast | |||
Souten no Shirokikami no Kura Great Peak | |||
Yarudora Series Vol. 2: Kisetsu wo Dakishimete | |||
Yarudora Series Vol. 3: Sampaguita | |||
Legend of Legaia | |||
Yarudora Series Vol. 4: Yukiwari no Hana | |||
PopoRogue | |||
Wonder Trek | |||
PlayStation Comic No. 3 – 2999 Game Kids | |||
I.Q. Final |
Year | Title | Platform(s) | Ref(s). |
---|---|---|---|
1999 | Circadia | PlayStation | [12] |
Pocket MuuMuu | |||
PlayStation Comic No. 4 – Cobra Galaxy Knights | |||
Global Force: New Battle Nation | |||
Um Jammer Lammy | |||
Pocket Dungeon | |||
Tamago de Puzzle | |||
PlayStation Comic No. 5 – Buzzer Beater (Part 1) | |||
PlayStation Comic No. 5 – Buzzer Beater (Part 2) | |||
Lord of Monsters | |||
Ore no Shikabane o Koete Yuke | |||
Ape Escape | |||
The Book of Watermarks | |||
Gekisou TomaRunner | |||
Doko Demo Issyo | |||
Everybody's Golf 2 | |||
Panekit | |||
Wild Arms 2 | |||
Ore no Ryouri | |||
Paqa | |||
Robbit Mon Dieu | |||
Brightis | |||
Poketan | |||
Arc the Lad III | |||
Pet in TV with My Dear Dog | |||
Alundra 2: A New Legend Begins | |||
Legend of Dragoon | |||
Vib-Ribbon | |||
Love & Destroy | |||
XI [sai] Jumbo | |||
2000 | Pocket Jiman | ||
Beat Planet Music | |||
Popolocrois II | |||
Chase the Express | |||
Koneko mo Issyo: Doko Demo Issyo Tsuika Disc | |||
Addie no Okurimono: To Moze from Addie | |||
Fantavision | PlayStation 2 | ||
I.Q. Remix+: Intelligent Qube | |||
Tiny Bullets | PlayStation | ||
Docchi Meccha! | |||
Aconcagua | |||
Boku no Natsuyasumi | |||
Scandal | PlayStation 2 | ||
TVDJ | |||
Gekitotsu Toma L'Arc: TomaRunner vs L'Arc-en-Ciel | PlayStation | ||
Bikkuri Mouse | PlayStation 2 | ||
Magical Dice Kids | PlayStation | ||
Bealphareth | |||
Gunparade March | |||
Kouashi Kikou Shidan: Bein Panzer | |||
Shachou Eiyuuden: The Eagle Shooting Heroes | |||
Koko Hore! Pukka: Dig a-Dig Pukka | |||
Dark Cloud | PlayStation 2 | ||
Blood: The Last Vampire (Volume One) | |||
Blood: The Last Vampire (Final Volume) |
Year | Title | Platform(s) | Ref(s). |
---|---|---|---|
2001 | Sagashi ni Ikou Yo | PlayStation 2 | [13] |
Sky Odyssey | |||
Tsugunai: Atonement | |||
Extermination | |||
Okage: Shadow King | |||
Check-i-TV | |||
Phase Paradox | |||
iMode mo Issyo: Doko Demo Issyo Tsuika Disc | PlayStation | ||
Mister Mosquito | PlayStation 2 | ||
Rimo Cocoron | |||
Pipo Saru 2001 | |||
Everybody's Golf 3 | |||
PaRappa the Rapper 2 | |||
Sky Gunner | |||
The Yamanote Sen: Train Simulator Real | |||
Mad Maestro! | |||
Genshi no Kotoba | |||
Seigi no Mikata | |||
Bravo Music: Christmas Edition | |||
Legaia 2: Duel Saga | |||
Toro to Kyuujitsu | |||
Yoake no Mariko | |||
Ico | |||
2002 | Bravo Music: Chou Meikyoku Ban | ||
Yoake no Mariko 2nd Act | |||
Dual Hearts | |||
Wild Arms 3 | |||
Surveillance Kanshisha | |||
Otostaz | |||
Popolocrois: Hajimari no Boken | |||
Futari no Fantavision | |||
Boku no Natsuyasumi 2: Umi no Bouken Hen | |||
Ape Escape 2 | |||
Poinie's Poin | |||
Space Fishermen | |||
The Keihinkyuukou: Train Simulator Real | |||
Dark Chronicle | |||
Gacharoku | |||
Let's Bravo Music | |||
XI Go |
Year | Title | Platform(s) | Ref(s). |
---|---|---|---|
2003 | Lifeline | PlayStation 2 | [14] |
DekaVoice | |||
Shibai Michi | |||
Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits | |||
Doko Demo Issyo: Watashi na Ehon | |||
Minna no Golf Online | |||
Ka 2: Let's Go Hawaii | |||
Hungry Ghosts | |||
Flipnic: Ultimate Pinball | |||
ChainDive | |||
Mojib-Ribbon | |||
Kuma Uta | |||
Wild Arms: Alter Code F | |||
Everybody's Golf 4 | |||
Gacharoku 2: Kondo ha Sekai Isshuu Yo! | |||
2004 | Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex | ||
Popolocrois: Tsuki no Okite no Bouken | |||
Doko Demo Issyo: Toro to Nagareboshi | |||
Koufuku Sousakan | |||
Vib-Ripple | |||
Ape Escape: Pumped & Primed | |||
Finny the Fish & the Seven Waters | |||
DJbox | |||
EyeToy: Monkey Mania | |||
Doko Demo Issyo: Toro to Ippaii | |||
Waga Ryuomiyo: Pride of The Dragon Peace | |||
Bakufuu Slash! Kizna Arashi | |||
Arc the Lad: End of Darkness | |||
Everybody's Golf Portable | PlayStation Portable | ||
Doko Demo Issyo | |||
Ape Escape Academy | |||
2005 | Popolocrois | ||
Ape Escape: On The Loose | |||
Wild Arms 4 | PlayStation 2 | ||
Bokura no Kazoku | |||
Bleach: Heat the Soul | PlayStation Portable | ||
Derby Time | |||
Genji: Dawn of the Samurai | PlayStation 2 | ||
Kenran Butousai | |||
Ape Escape 3 | |||
Kingdom of Paradise | PlayStation Portable | ||
Yarudora Portable: Double Cast | |||
Yarudora Portable: Kisetsu wo Dakishimete | |||
Yarudora Portable: Sampaguita | |||
Yarudora Portable: Yukiwari no Hana | |||
Bleach: Erabareshi Tamashii | PlayStation 2 | ||
Bleach: Heat the Soul 2 | PlayStation Portable | ||
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex | |||
Mawaza | PlayStation 2 | ||
Shadow of the Colossus | |||
Fuku Fuku no Shima | PlayStation Portable | ||
Talkman | |||
Ape Academy 2 | |||
Work Time Fun |
Year | Title | Platform(s) | Ref(s). |
---|---|---|---|
2006 | Gunparade Orchestra: Shiro no Shou – Aomori Penguin Densetsu | PlayStation Portable | [15] |
Rule of Rose | PlayStation 2 | ||
Yarudora Portable: Blood The Last Vampire | |||
Bleach: Hanatareshi Yabou | |||
Monster Kingdom: Jewel Summoner | PlayStation Portable | ||
Blade Dancer: Lineage of Light | |||
Derby Time 2006 | |||
Bomberman: Bakufuu Sentai Bombermen | |||
XI Coliseum | |||
I.Q. Mania | |||
Gunparade Orchestra: Midori no Shou – Ookami to Ano Shounen | PlayStation 2 | ||
Talkman Euro | PlayStation Portable | ||
Doko Demo Issyo: Let's Gakkou! | |||
Boku no Natsuyasumi Portable | |||
Brave Story: New Traveller | |||
Brave Story: Wataru's Adventure | PlayStation 2 | ||
Saru! Get You! Million Monkeys | |||
LocoRoco | PlayStation Portable | ||
Gunparade Orchestra: Ao no Shou | PlayStation 2 | ||
Bleach: Heat the Soul 3 | PlayStation Portable | ||
Blood+: Souyoku no Battle Rondo | PlayStation 2 | ||
Blood+: Final Piece | PlayStation Portable | ||
Everybody's Tennis | PlayStation 2 | ||
Bleach: Blade Battlers | |||
Tenchi no Mon 2: Busouden | PlayStation Portable | ||
Genji: Days of the Blade | PlayStation 3 | ||
Jeanne d'Arc | PlayStation Portable | ||
PaRappa the Rapper | |||
Saru! Get You! Pipo Saru Racer | |||
Wild Arms 5 | PlayStation 2 | ||
P-kara | PlayStation Portable | ||
2007 | Talkman-Shiki Shaberingual Eigkaiwa | ||
Kikou Souhei Armodyne | PlayStation 2 | ||
Rogue Galaxy | |||
Bleach: Heat the Soul 4 | PlayStation Portable | ||
Minna no Golf Ba Vol. 1 | |||
Folklore | PlayStation 3 | ||
Piyotama | |||
Talkman-Shiki Shaberingual Eigkaiwa for Kids! | PlayStation Portable | ||
Boku no Natsuyasumi 3 | PlayStation 3 | ||
Everybody's Golf 5 | |||
Saru! Get You! SaruSaru Big Mission | PlayStation Portable | ||
Minna no Golf Ba Vol. 2 | |||
Wild Arms XF | |||
Rezel Cross | |||
LocoRoco Cocoreccho! | PlayStation 3 | ||
Bleach: Blade Battlers 2nd | PlayStation 2 | ||
Go! Sports Ski | PlayStation 3 | ||
Minna no Golf Ba Vol. 3 | PlayStation Portable | ||
The Eye of Judgment | PlayStation 3 | ||
Toy Home | |||
Minna no Golf Ba Vol. 4 | PlayStation Portable | ||
Dark Mist | PlayStation 3 | ||
What Did I Do to Deserve This, My Lord? | PlayStation Portable | ||
Everybody's Golf Portable 2 | |||
Talkman Travel | |||
Doko Demo Issyo: Let's Gakkou! Training Hen | |||
Patapon |
Year | Title | Platform(s) | Ref(s). |
---|---|---|---|
2008 | Sky Diving | PlayStation 3 | [16] |
Coded Soul: Uketsugareshi Idea | PlayStation Portable | ||
MyStylist | |||
Echochrome | |||
Echochrome | PlayStation 3 | ||
Nippon no Asoko de | PlayStation Portable | ||
Bleach: Heat the Soul 5 | |||
Shiki-Tei | PlayStation 3 | ||
The Last Guy | |||
Afrika | |||
Xam'd: Lost Memories | Video | ||
Aquanaut's Holiday: Hidden Memories | PlayStation 3 | ||
What Did I Do to Deserve This, My Lord? 2 | PlayStation Portable | ||
Bleach: Soul Carnival | |||
Derby Time Online | PlayStation 3 | ||
Patapon 2 | PlayStation Portable | ||
LocoRoco 2 | |||
Minnya no Putter Golf | PlayStation 3 | ||
White Knight Chronicles | |||
2009 | Dress | ||
Enkaku Sousa: Shinjitsu e no 23 Nichikan | PlayStation Portable | ||
Demon's Souls | PlayStation 3 | ||
Ape Quest | PlayStation Portable | ||
Trash Panic | PlayStation 3 | ||
Bleach: Heat the Soul 6 | PlayStation Portable | ||
Juusei to Diamond | |||
Numblast | |||
Numblast | PlayStation 3 | ||
Boku no Natsuyasumi 4 | PlayStation Portable | ||
Toro to Morimori | PlayStation 3 | ||
Everybody's Sukkiri | PlayStation Portable | ||
Echoshift | |||
LocoRoco Midnight Carnival | |||
Bleach: Soul Carnival 2 |
Year | Title | Platform(s) | Ref(s). |
---|---|---|---|
2010 | Patchwork Heroes | PlayStation Portable | [17] |
Everybody's Tennis Portable | |||
The Eye of Judgment: Legends | |||
No Heroes Allowed | |||
Influence | |||
Piyotama | |||
Boku no Natsuyasumi 2 | |||
White Knight Chronicles II | PlayStation 3 | ||
Trick×Logic Season 1 | PlayStation Portable | ||
Bleach: Heat the Soul 7 | |||
Trick×Logic Season 2 | |||
Kung Fu Rider | PlayStation 3 | ||
Beat Sketcher | |||
PlayStation Move Ape Escape | |||
Echochrome II | |||
2011 | White Knight Chronicles: Origins | PlayStation Portable | |
Patapon 3 | |||
Bleach: Soul Resurrección | PlayStation 3 | ||
The Ico & Shadow of the Colossus Collection | |||
Ico | |||
Ore no Shikabane wo Koete Yuke | PlayStation Portable | ||
Everybody's Golf 6 | PlayStation Vita | ||
Welcome Park | [18] | ||
2012 | Tokyo Jungle | PlayStation 3 | [17] |
Everybody's Golf 6 | |||
Open Me! | PlayStation Vita | ||
Paint Park | |||
2013 | Soul Sacrifice | ||
Puppeteer | PlayStation 3 | ||
Rain | |||
Knack | PlayStation 4 | ||
No Heroes Allowed: No Puzzles Either! | PlayStation Vita | ||
2014 | Soul Sacrifice Delta | PlayStation Vita | |
Destiny of Spirits | |||
Freedom Wars | |||
Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines |
Year | Title | Platform(s) | Ref(s). |
---|---|---|---|
2015 | Bloodborne | PlayStation 4 | [19] |
Bloodborne The Old Hunters Edition | |||
2016 | The Tomorrow Children | ||
The Last Guardian | |||
2017 | PaRappa the Rapper | ||
LocoRoco | |||
Everybody's Golf | |||
Patapon | |||
Knack II | |||
Japan Studio VR Music Festival | |||
No Heroes Allowed! VR | |||
LocoRoco 2 | |||
The Last Guardian VR Demo | |||
2018 | Shadow of the Colossus | ||
No Heroes Allowed! DASH! | Android, iOS | [20] | |
Déraciné | PlayStation 4 | [19] | |
2019 | Everybody's Golf VR | ||
Monkey King: Hero Is Back | [21] | ||
Death Stranding | [22] | ||
2020 | Patapon 2 | [19] | |
Ghost of Tsushima | [23] | ||
Demon's Souls | PlayStation 5 | [24] |
Japan Studio was formed by several internal development teams, with all of them being disbanded, reorganised, or spun off into a separate studio.
Polys Entertainment was founded in 1994 as a team under Japan Studio and was formally spun off into Polyphony Digital after the success of Gran Turismo .
Year | Game Title | Platform |
---|---|---|
1994 | Motor Toon Grand Prix | PlayStation |
1996 | Motor Toon Grand Prix 2 | |
1997 | Gran Turismo |
Team Asobi is a team founded in 2012 by Nicolas Doucet, who previously worked for London Studio and Saffire. [25] In April 2021, they were formally spun off into a separate studio under SIE Worldwide Studios. [10]
Year | Title | Platform(s) | Ref(s). |
---|---|---|---|
2013 | The Playroom | PlayStation 4 | |
2016 | The Playroom VR | ||
2018 | Astro Bot Rescue Mission | [19] | |
2020 | Astro's Playroom | PlayStation 5 | [24] |
Team Ico developed Ico and Shadow of the Colossus . [26] They were disbanded following lead game designer Fumito Ueda leaving the company and establishing genDESIGN. [27]
Year | Game title | Platform | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2001 | Ico | PlayStation 2 | |
2005 | Shadow of the Colossus | ||
2011 | The Ico & Shadow of the Colossus Collection | PlayStation 3 | Developed with Bluepoint Games |
2016 | The Last Guardian | PlayStation 4 | Development moved to genDESIGN in 2014 [28] |
Project Siren, also known as Team Gravity, was a team formed in 1999 by former members of Team Silent, the creators of Silent Hill .[ citation needed ] The team was led by game designer and director Keiichiro Toyama, who, alongside designers Kazunobu Sato and Junya Okura, left Japan Studio in late 2020 to form Bokeh Game Studio. [29]
Year | Title | Platform(s) | Ref(s). |
---|---|---|---|
2003 | Siren | PlayStation 2 | [14] |
2006 | Forbidden Siren 2 | [15] | |
2008 | Siren: Blood Curse | PlayStation 3 | [16] |
2012 | Gravity Rush | PlayStation Vita | [17] |
2015 | Gravity Rush Remastered | PlayStation 4 | [19] |
2017 | Gravity Rush 2 |
Ico is a 2001 action-adventure game developed by Japan Studio and Team Ico and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2. It was designed and directed by Fumito Ueda, who wanted to create a minimalist game around a "boy meets girl" concept. Originally planned for the PlayStation, Ico took approximately four years to develop. The team employed a "subtracting design" approach to reduce elements of gameplay that interfered with the game's setting and story in order to create a high level of immersion.
Shadow of the Colossus is a 2005 action-adventure game developed by Japan Studio and Team Ico, and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2. It takes place in a fantasy setting and follows Wander, a young man who enters an isolated and abandoned region of the realm seeking the power to revive a girl named Mono. The player assumes the role of Wander as he embarks on a mission that might entail Mono's resurrection: to locate and destroy the colossi, sixteen massive beings spread across the forbidden land, which the protagonist traverses by horseback and on foot.
Beyond the Beyond, known in Japan as Beyond the Beyond: Harukanaru Kanān e, is a 1995 role-playing video game developed by Camelot Software Planning and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation. Though not the first role-playing game released for the PlayStation, Beyond the Beyond was the first RPG available in the west for the console using a traditional Japanese RPG gameplay style like Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest and Phantasy Star. The characters were designed by popular manga artist Ami Shibata.
Fumito Ueda is a Japanese video game designer. Ueda is best known as the director and lead designer of Ico (2001) and Shadow of the Colossus (2005) while leading Team Ico at Japan Studio, and The Last Guardian (2016) through his own development company GenDesign. His games have achieved cult status and are distinguished by their usage of minimal plot and scenario using fictional languages, and use of overexposed, desaturated light. He has been described by some as an auteur of video games.
Devil Dice, known in Japan as XI, pronounced[sai], is a puzzle video game developed by Shift and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation. It was released in Japan in 1998 and Europe in 1999, and by THQ in North America in 1998. The game is a million-seller and a demo version was released as a PlayStation Classic game for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable (PSP) on 7 November 2007.
Philosoma is a shooter video game developed by G-Artists and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation. It was released in Japan in July 1995, North America in January 1996 and PAL territories in March 1996. It was re-released on the PlayStation Network in Japan on April 26, 2007. One of the earliest PlayStation games, it was met with mediocre reviews, with most critics assessing its graphics as dull and its gameplay as primitive.
Team Ico was a Japanese video game development studio led by game designer Fumito Ueda. It was part of Sony Interactive Entertainment Japan Studio's Product Development Department #1, and had developed the games Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, both for the PlayStation 2. The team was also initially responsible for The Last Guardian before Ueda's departure in 2011 and the formation of a new company taking over development in 2014. Their games are usually characterized by minimalist storytelling and gameplay, an atmospheric use of bloom and high dynamic range rendering (HDR) lighting, and use of fictional languages. Their products are frequently cited as examples of video games as an art form.
Pet in TV, known in Japan as Go For It! Morikawa-kun MK 2 (がんばれ森川君2号), is a pet-raising simulation video game developed by MuuMuu and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation. The game was released in Japan in May 1997, and later in Europe in August 1998. Pet in TV consists of teaching a virtual pet known as a PiT tricks, getting it new costumes and learning what items are edible in the wild along with solving random puzzles around the PiT world. The game's developers, MuuMuu previously developed the Jumping Flash! series of games.
Toy Home is a racing video game developed by Game Republic and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. It was released as a downloadable game on the PlayStation Store.
Dark Mist is a shoot 'em up video game developed by Game Republic and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. It was released as a downloadable game on the PlayStation Store.
Saru Get You: SaruSaru Big Mission is a platform video game developed by h.a.n.d. and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation Portable. A spin-off of the Ape Escape series, it was released in Japan and select parts of Asia in 2007.
Pocket MuuMuu (ポケットムームー) is an action game developed by Sugar & Rockets and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation. It was released exclusively in Japan in 1999. It is a spin-off game in the Jumping Flash! series. The game makes use of the Sony PocketStation peripheral. PocketStation is not required to play.
Everybody's Golf 2, known in Japan as Minna no Golf 2 and in North America as Hot Shots Golf 2, is a golf video game developed by Clap Hanz and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation. It is the second game in the Everybody's Golf series, the first in the series to not be developed by Camelot Software Planning and the debut game of Clap Hanz.
The Last Guardian is a 2016 action-adventure game developed by Japan Studio and GenDesign and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 4. Players control a boy who befriends a giant half-bird, half-mammal creature, Trico.
PlayStation Studios is a division of Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) that oversees the video game development at the studios owned by SIE. The division was established as SCE Worldwide Studios in September 2005 and rebranded as PlayStation Studios in 2020.
Everybody's Golf, released in North America as Hot Shots Golf and in Japan as Minna no Golf, is a golf video game developed by Camelot Software Planning and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation. It was the only game in the Everybody's Golf series developed by Camelot, who later developed the Mario Golf series.
The Ico & Shadow of the Colossus Collection is a video game bundle that contains high-definition remasters of two PlayStation 2 games, Ico (2001) and Shadow of the Colossus (2005), for the PlayStation 3. Developed by Bluepoint Games, who assisted in the remastering alongside Japan Studio and its division Team Ico, the bundle provides support for high-definition monitors, higher frame rates, stereoscopic 3D, and additional features for the PlayStation Network. The two games, while fundamentally different in gameplay and story, are thematically connected, with Shadow of the Colossus considered a spiritual sequel to Ico. Both games were critically acclaimed on their original release, while the remastered collection itself was praised by reviewers.
Hermie Hopperhead: Scrap Panic is a platform video game developed by Yuke's and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation. It was released in Japan in September 1995. The game uses parallax scrolling.
Team Asobi is a Japanese video game developer based in Tokyo. A first-party studio for Sony Interactive Entertainment, Team Asobi was originally formed in 2012 as part of Japan Studio, but formally spun off into an independent studio within Sony's PlayStation Studios in April 2021.
Since 2014, genDESIGN has been handling all creative efforts for the highly-anticipated title The Last Guardian, all under the direction of Fumito Ueda.