Bluepoint is famous for its remakes and remasters, a reputation earned through its overhaul of Shadow of the Colossus for PS4, as well as its work on titles like Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection, Gravity Rush, and Metal Gear Solid: HD Collection. We now know that the studio has been working on something for a while now, but today's news confirmed that "something" will be for the PS5 and that it will be big.
Wired spoke with Marco Thrush, the president of Bluepoint Games, as part of its uncovering of new PS5 details. While we have known that GT Sport developer Polyphony Digital and Astro Bot Rescue Mission developer SIE Japan Studio has been creating demos to showcase the power and potential of the PS5, this is the first time Sony has confirmed that a new PS5 game is in the works. Thrush confirmed that the studio has its sights set on 2020, explaining: "We're working on a big one right now. I'll let you figure out the rest."
Figure out the rest we will. This comment sent the internet into a frenzy of speculation, with the leading consensus being that Bluepoint will be working on a long rumored remake of Demon's Souls. Sony owns the game's IP, after all, making it technically separate from the other games in the Dark Souls series (which is published by Bandai Namco). Demon's Souls game director Hidetaka Miyazaki has said he'd enjoy a remaster of the game were it "done right" by another studio, and who better than Bluepoint?
But it's not definite. Bluepoint has also worked with Konami, EA, and Microsoft, and its April 2019 GDC presentation referred to its next project as a "re-envisioning" that goes beyond its admittedly impressive work on bringing Shadow of the Colossus from PS2 to PS4. So, we can't help but wonder, what game could Bluepoint be remastering for the PS5? What games are ripe for the remastering, that would benefit from Bluepoint's keen eye and ability to pull a game into a new generation? The studio doesn't just port games – they improve upon and remake existing structures, molding a great game of yesteryear into a great game of today.
Here are our top six games that Bluepoint Studios could be remastering for the PS5:
Demon's Souls
Demon's Souls is the obvious first choice. A PS3 exclusive that inspired one of the most influential and imitated franchises of modern gaming, it is by and large the most popular choice for Bluepoint to consider. There's a reason why people compare difficult games to Demon's Souls, and why everyone is so tired of hearing it – it's because Demon's Souls is in desperate need of a remake. While Demon's Souls made an impact when it launched back in 2009, it was a bit of a sleeper hit. Its systems and mechanics were even more obtuse, its core gameplay even more challenging, than that of its spiritual successor, Dark Souls. That's why it makes perfect sense for Demon's Souls to be given the remaster treatment, to let players go back to where it all began – a challenging experience truly unlike anything else on the market. Bluepoint has demonstrated time and time again that it is capable of overhauling and updating cult-classics from previous generations, and a Demon's Souls remake could certainly help fill the gap while we wait for a sequel to Bloodborne.
Metal Gear Solid
This is another damn good option, as Konami's Kojima-shaped absence has left the iconic stealth action game on ice. Metal Gear Solid was one of the premiere PS1 releases, lauded for its innovative stealth-action gameplay and complex geo-political narrative. It arguably paved the way for big budget blockbuster games and basically invented a new genre, and was likely the reason quite a few people bought a PS1. Bluepoint has already done a rather basic remaster of Metal Gear Solid and its two direct sequels when it released the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection back in 2011. And it was already given the remake treatment back in 2004 when developer Silicon Knights took a – shall we say – more cinematic approach to the overhaul, so it would be great to see Bluepoint bring this modern classic back to life for a new generation of gamers.
Silent Hill
That Silent Hill earns a spot in this list is a no brainer – it's widely considered one of the best PS1 games ever, as well as one of the scariest games across both time and consoles. Plus, we're all still reeling after the Silent Hills incident, in which Hideo Kojima partnered with Guillermo del Toro to create what was supposed to be the ninth installment in the Silent Hill series. After Konami announced the game by way of offering P.T. (short for Playable Teaser) as a free download, fans were starving for more – and then Kojima left Konami, and the game was promptly cancelled. Bluepoint and Konami have a history, and it would make sense that the masters of the remaster would help breathe some new life into this legendary series. Hijinx Studios' Silent Hill HD Collection, released back in 2012, was imperfect (to put it kindly). Silent Hill is in desperate need of a new lease on life, and there's no better studio to deliver it than Bluepoint.
SOCOM 2
When SOCOM 2 launched back in 2003, it was at the forefront of online gaming on console – it helped shape the early days of the PlayStation Network, as anybody with memories of slotting a network adapter into the PlayStation 2 Expansion Bay can attest to. Sony acquired Zipper Interactive back in 2006, but we haven't seen SOCOM resurface since its fourth installment launched in 2011. With Ghost Recon now dealing firmly in open-world, co-operative antics, there's certainly a space in the market for a tough, tactical military shooter on console. While Bluepoint doesn't necessarily have form in online games, there's certainly an argument to be made that bringing back this legendary PlayStation franchise by way of a full remaster could help fill a gap in the PS5 lineup – Sony doesn't have a wealth of out-and-out shooters in the bank, after all. SOCOM 2 isn't an obvious franchise to return to, but it's one that's just begging for another shot – the underlying game is solid enough, it just needs a fresh coat of paint.
Ico
Here's another game whose spiritual successor (Shadow of the Colossus) has already been remade, and in a funny turn of events, a remake done by Bluepoint. Seems like a fairly obvious path to go down, then, no? Ico, which was first released on PS2 back in 2001, was a source of inspiration for numerous other video games like The Last of Us, Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, and Uncharted 3, among countless others. Ico's groundbreaking lighting, art design, gameplay style, and narrative design was virtually unmatched then, and resonates similarly now. Bluepoint knows Ico territory better than most games on this list, making it a solid candidate for a full PS5 remaster. While Bluepoint has already said that it is taking aim at something a little more ambitious this time out than a mere graphical overhaul and tweaks to the mechanics under the hood, we wouldn't rule out the studio returning to something as influential as Ico and giving it a new lease on life for the next generation.
Syphon Filter
Bend Studios unleashed Day's Gone this year, a game which may well have been a stealth Syphon Filter sequel. Syphon Filter, if you aren't up on your game history from 1999, was actually the series that made Bend Studios famous – a third-person shooter that was formative for many a PS1 owner. While it would be difficult to imagine a new game in the series being greenlit – given how long it has been – there is certainly an argument to be made that it is well deserving of another chance to shine. A few years ago, we'd have said no way, but we've had remasters of Spyro: The Dragon, Crash Bandicoot, and MediEvil this year, so clearly anything is possible! Bluepoint has plenty of history remaking stealth action games, so we have little doubt that it would handle this with grace. Syphon Filter is yet another PlayStation exclusive that is in desperate need of a return, and getting the remaster or remake treatment – to introduce an array of new players to the series – could be exactly what it needs.
Whatever game Bluepoint Studios is working on for PS5, we're sure to get something that is nothing short of breathtaking. Any one of these games would thrive on a new console, with each bringing a unique take to the gaming table. From Demon's Souls unparalleled legacy, to Silent Hill's terrifying visuals, to SOCOM 2's online excellence, Bluepoint has a fine lineup from which to choose.
Want to get a better idea of how powerful the new next-generation console from Sony is going to be? Why not check out our breakdown of the PS5 specs to get a sense of what it will be capable of when it the PS5 releases 'Holiday 2020'.
