Customers of the world’s largest dedicated video game retailer were shocked today when an automated phone call went out declaring the cancellation of Team Ico’s eagerly-anticipated PlayStation 3 exclusive The Last Guardian. Say it isn’t so, Sony!
While it is true that The Last Guardian creator Fumito Ueda recently vacated his position at the head of Sony’s Team Ico, we’ve been told on several occasions that the move would in no way affect the development of the PlayStation 3 boy and his giant bird-thing game.
Yet now GameStop is telling customers the game has been cancelled. Indeed the game has been removed from the company’s online website, and calls to two retail locations indicate it’s no longer in their point-of-sale system either. Does GameStop know something we don’t? Is the game canceled?
According to Sony’s senior director of corporate communications, Patrick Seybold, the cancelation is not a real thing. “This is not true.” It doesn’t get much clearer than that.
So what gives, GameStop? I’ve reached out to the retailer for comment, and will update this post as soon as I receive a response. Until then, The Last Guardian is still a going concern; Sony says so.
Anthony Warne
Friday, December 23, 2011 at 8:32 AMFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
Braaains
Friday, December 23, 2011 at 9:35 AMMMMIIIIIITTTOOOOOOO!! COME BACK!!!
AerintheADEQUATE
Friday, December 23, 2011 at 8:34 AMThis would be entirely too depressing.
marksman52
Friday, December 23, 2011 at 8:43 AM“… and his giant bird-thing”
bazuden
Friday, December 23, 2011 at 9:00 AMThis just screams, ’2013 release’.
Roh
Friday, December 23, 2011 at 9:01 AMIt better fucking not be.
Zico
Friday, December 23, 2011 at 9:03 AMWorst gaming news of the year if true
Paul 'AngryNerd'
Friday, December 23, 2011 at 1:18 PM^ this. *wipes tears*
metalisticpain
Friday, December 23, 2011 at 9:22 AMbet sony is just being a douche (again) and it really is cancelled :P
Ruffleberg
Friday, December 23, 2011 at 10:07 AMI don’t know what the deal with this game is, but the fact that they’ve been working on it since 2008 and have almost nothing to show for it tells me that something has gone wrong in development. I don;t think this game is cancelled, but i think since the resignation of Ueda, Sony will bring in their own people to speed up development.
Ryan Bismark
Friday, December 23, 2011 at 10:11 AMRescoping for release on a new console in a few years?
weresmurf
Friday, December 23, 2011 at 10:55 AMThats what Im thinking… therefore Sony isnt lying at all and Gamestops not wrong either.
Mortar
Friday, December 23, 2011 at 6:52 PMPs4 launch game?
ScreamingMimi
Friday, December 23, 2011 at 10:22 AMGamestop don’t just delist games. They have to have received a notification from Sony that the game isn’t going to be released in any projected release period.
What I assume has happened is, what ever internal issues have peed of Ueda have also delayed the game. Sony’s then changed the games released date to, ‘we have no idea’. This has then been communicated to retailers who have taken the game of their release schedule.
Now Sony are going into damage control and saying, ‘off course it’s not canceled!’, but what they’re not saying is, ‘we have no idea when this game will be released’. It’s been a no show at every single major show this year and the lead developer and driving creative force of the game has walked out, it’s not looking good.
weresmurf
Friday, December 23, 2011 at 10:56 AMIf that were so then why can I already see pre-order suggestions for games like GTA V in Gamestop related shops like EB when theres no firm date set for them either?
Hyperthx
Friday, December 23, 2011 at 10:24 AMNo. It is not cancelled at all. The Game Director (right on the tip of my qwerty?) will be moving on to other things when the game IS finished. Sensationalist propaganda…
Hyperthx
Friday, December 23, 2011 at 10:26 AMBy the By; f*k Gamestop!
blaja
Friday, December 23, 2011 at 11:28 AMsurprise factor zero
Hanque
Friday, December 23, 2011 at 8:17 PMI’ll be very surprised if this is true.
It looked WAY too close to completion for Sony to take it behind the barn and say goodnight.
I’m still waiting.
Cause it looks more than worth it.
MinuSkull
Saturday, December 24, 2011 at 3:34 PMGamestop is an attention WHORE!