Sequels to PS Vita's biggest hits were in development, but they were "devoured" by PlayStation 4, Shuhei Yoshida admits
It turns out that the sequels to two of the PS Vita's favourite games, Soul Sacrifice and Freedom Wars, were in development, but their budgets were redirected to the development of PlayStation 4 games. This truth was revealed by the former president of Sony Interactive Entertainment Shuhei Yoshida.
Here's What We Know
Speaking at Sacred Symbols+, Yoshida confirmed that the development of Soul Sacrifice 2 and Freedom Wars 2 was underway, but eventually stopped as Sony changed its focus from the handheld to the main resources for PlayStation 4.
"We were really working on Soul Sacrifice 2 and Freedom Wars 2, but due to budgetary constraints, we had to stop and move on to PS4," said Joshida.
Freedom Wars, developed by Dimps and published by Sony Computer Entertainment, was a niche hit in the West, but much more popular in Japan, reaching the second highest launch sales of any PlayStation Vita title. The official description of the game plunges us into a bleak future: "In the distant future, humanity is struggling to survive. Pollution has ravaged the planet, and the remnants of humanity are divided into city-sized prisons called Panopticons. The resources are so scarce that life itself is a crime, and those who are born are immediately sentenced to a million years in prison." It is worth noting that the remastered version of the game was released only in January this year, giving new life to this unique story.
Soul Sacrifice, developed by Marvelous in collaboration with the now-closed PlayStation Japan Studio, was created by Capcom veteran Keiji Inafune and released in 2013. The extended version, Soul Sacrifice Delta, was released the following year.
One can only wonder what these sequels could have become if Sony hadn't redirected its resources to PS4 development. Perhaps one day we will see them in one form or another, but for now, these are just dreams.
Source: VGC
