With the discharge of Astro Bot final 12 months, the world bought a reminder of simply what number of beloved first-party franchises PlayStation was liable for in its glory days – and the way few of them are nonetheless alive right this moment. Whereas Sony itself appears considering pursuing little past a handful of mega-franchises from its largest studios, it is apparently more and more prepared to license out these collection to different publishers: notably Bandai Namco, which introduced new Patapon and Everyone’s Gold video games throughout the Nintendo Direct for March 2025.
First we noticed Patapon 1+2 Replay, a remastered assortment of Sony’s two beloved PSP rhythm technique video games. Patapon helped type the height of Japan Studio’s fame for delightfully offbeat video games, and it was among the many extra fashionable elements of that lineage, spawning not only one, however two sequels. There’s little else prefer it to today – apart, in fact, from designer Hiroyuki Kotani’s religious successor, Ratatan, which is because of launch in 2025.
Patapon 1+2 Replay is ready to launch throughout PS5, Swap, and PC on July 11 courtesy of Bandai Namco, and that is not the one Sony sport the writer’s dealing with. Bandai Namco additionally introduced Everyone’s Golf: Sizzling Photographs right this moment, which additionally due out on PS5, Swap, and PC someday this 12 months.
Everyone’s Golf was as soon as generally known as Sizzling Photographs Golf in North America, however no matter title you acknowledge it by, it is a cute, accessible golf sport with roots going all the way in which again to the PS1. This one is probably an excellent weirder comeback than Patapon – right here we’ve got a brand-new entry in a Sony-published collection that bought a brand new entry as 2019 with Everyone’s Golf VR.
Bandai Namco kicked off this complete factor with the discharge of Freedom Wars Remastered earlier this 12 months. That Monster Hunter-style action-RPG was as soon as a PS Vita unique and sure, a first-party PlayStation sport. There hasn’t been any formal announcement of a partnership between Sony and Bandai Namco, however clearly the 2 firms have labored out some mutually useful IP agreements.
As a lot as I am confused by all this, I am principally simply pleased that different publishers are prepared to offer us the smaller IP revivals that Sony’s unwilling to. There’s already some Bloodborne copium within the ether as the results of all this, however what I would like are Sony’s best obscurities. After these years, please: sickos like me are demanding a brand new Tokyo Jungle. You owe it to the world, Bandai Namco. Let that little Pomeranian stalk the streets as soon as extra.
