Ape Escape Revival Rumored
A new Ape Escape video game is reportedly in the works, helmed by the team that successfully rebooted a certain blue hedgehog with Sonic Mania. Developer Evening Star also made Penny’s Big Breakaway, which launched to mixed reviews compared to Sonic Mania’s near unanimous praise.
The report comes from journalist Jeff Gerstmann, corroborated by VGC sources. Gerstmann stated on his podcast that he heard Ape Escape is being made by an external team.
The game is not close to being released yet, as development is still in early stages.
While some speculated that Astro Bot developer Team Asobi might be handling the project, understanding points to external studio Evening Star as the developer.
Sony Third-Party Strategy
According to the report, Sony is looking at using third-party studios to revive dormant series across its entire portfolio. Rumors have also circulated regarding other PlayStation franchises being brought back.
The last game in the Ape Escape series was PlayStation Move Ape Escape, released for PS3 in 2010, while the last mainline entry was Ape Escape 3 on PS2 in 2005.
At the time of the initial reports, the project appeared to have been recently greenlit and was just getting underway.
Inquiries regarding the rumored third-party licensing strategy have not yet received a response from Sony.
IGN reached out to Sony for comment about its rumored third-party licensing strategy last week, but so far there’s been no response.
