When considering our most anticipated games of 2013 for the 2012 Nodie Awards, it was difficult to not include Team ICO’s The Last Guardian, but the uncertainty of its future after numerous delays and the departure of Lead Designer Fumito Ueda from Sony Computer Entertainment left the gaming world guessing, and somewhat heartbroken.
Thanks to a sort of public service announcement from Fumito himself, though, eager Team ICO fans can rest assured that the game is not in danger of vaporizing, and will indeed see the light of day. On his personal website, Ueda wrote:
To All Interested Parties:
As some of you may have heard, I left Sony Computer Entertainment Japan Studio some time ago to pursue my creative passions. Nevertheless, I continue working on THE LAST GUARDIAN as a freelance contributor.
While it’s been a long time coming, THE LAST GUARDIAN remains under my creative supervision and is still in development by an incredibly talented team.
I should also mention that details regarding THE LAST GUARDIAN’s release is solely decided by Sony Computer Entertainment, not myself. Please keep an eye out for their official announcement.
Moving forward, it is my intent to continue my involvement with THE LAST GUARDIAN project, as well as pursue new creative projects with a fresh perspective. As I rekindle my passions as a creator, I look forward to seeing where it will take me, and I deeply appreciate your support during this transition.
Fumito Ueda
Perhaps the gaming press will learn more next week at Sony’s special February 20th event in New York City. Stay tuned, and keep your fingers crossed.
[Fumi.to]
