With the recent talks and rumors ofPlayStation 5 being backward compatiblewith every previous iteration of PlayStation hardware that came before it, the immediate train of thought among many PlayStation fans becomes obvious. Many PlayStation fans surely think about some of their favorite games of past generations being playable again on modern hardware. Unfortunately, many of those titles have faded into the background as the developers and studios behind those titles have moved on or disappeared.
Speaking of titles that have quietly faded into the background, 2019 was theApe Escapefranchise’s twentieth anniversary. For those unaware, the firstApe Escapetitle launched in 1999 on the PS1. While the most recent game in the franchise,PlayStation Move Ape Escape, launched all the way back in 2010, there’s now hope for a new entry in the series after over 10 years.
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Though anewApe Escapegame was rumoredto be in development back in June of 2019, there has been sparse information about the franchise since that rumor began circulating. However, fans of the franchise may have reason to reignite those hopes, as the franchise’s Japanese Twitter account has recently been tweeting some pretty promising hints and images that there may be something in the works for 2020.
Though Ape Escape was one of the lucky PlayStation 1 titles to come to the west, plenty ofPS1 titles are still stuck in Japan. For those readers who may be unaware, the originalApe Escapefollows a boy named Spike who has to catch a bunch of monkeys who have escaped containment and traveled back in time to various locations around the world. The title is an action platformer and somewhat of a collect-a-thon, with some similarities to games likeBanjo-KazooieandMario 64.
However, more recent or younger PlayStation fans might recognize the franchise and Spike fromPlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale.PlayStation All-Stars 2was also rumored to be in development back in 2019, so fans might get to see Spike return as a fighter in a possible sequel. ThoughPlayStation All-Starswas met with mixed reception, the game was a nice love-letter to the games of PlayStation’s past.
Regardless, there seems to be at least some hope thatApe Escapewill resurface in some fashion in 2020. Whether it be through an HD Collection of some sort, a possible sequel, or even a remake of the original in the vein of the recentMediEvil. In the meantime, fans will have to keep on the lookout for any new information that crops up about this beloved PlayStation classic.
