Summary
Sony may bring back thePataponfranchise from thePSPera after showcasing some new gameplay in a video for CES 2024. The video introduces Sony Pictures Entertainment’s Torchlight facility, which utilizes a creative space for filmmakers to visualize their projects strategically. In it, footage ofPatapongameplay, both from the days of thePSPand today, can be seen, though only for a few moments, before moving on to other demonstrations.
CES 2024 features a wide range of innovative technologies from various companies that get to exhibit new and upcoming projects. TheCES 2024 eventwill host up to 4,000 exhibitors in and around the Las Vegas Convention Center, with 130,000 attendees reportedly expected to arrive during the three-day trade show. This year’s CES theme focuses on sustainability and human security (abiding by the current eight key pillars established by the United Nations). Among the many companies in attendance, Sony is a big name already providing insight into some new tech. In addition to the demonstration with a DualSense-controlled vehicle, Sony presented a new facility to complement some upcoming projects by different creators.
During CES 2024, Sony unveiled its “Realizing Vision” video that acquaints its audience with thenewly-established Torchlight facility. The video takes the viewer through sequences of “iterative creativity,” which sees creators and designers working with technology to generate hyperrealistic results. More than halfway through the video, particularly after thelive-actionGravity Rushadaptationis shown, newPatapongameplay is on display under the IP Development Gaming/Anime segment. The footage showsPataponin a more 3D-friendly environment with modern graphics, showing a tribe as they try to take down a mammoth. Further images can be seen after that on a creator’s screen, but only for a brief moment.
Pataponfirst entered the gaming industry scene in 2007 when developers Pyramid and Japan Studio developed it for the PSP, with Sony Computer Entertainment publishing the title. The game features a unique blend of rhythm and strategy mechanics, and it’s been well-received for its particularvideo game art style. The originalPataponwould inspire two sequels:Patapon 2(2008) andPatapon 3(2011), as well as a PlayStation 4 version that launched in 2017. Since then, the series has preserved its legacy with remastered editions.Ratatan, a spiritual successor to thePataponseries, also launched a Kickstarter campaign last year.
This is not to say that a newPatapongame is in the works. Sony hasn’t announced anything yet, and there’s no word on a new installment being developed. The lastPatapongame was the franchise’s third entry in April 2011; it’s been almost 13 years since fans have gotten to play something completely new from theclassic PSP franchise. Whether the demonstration in the Torchlight hints at a new game or not, Sony might have more plans forPatapon, which would make it another PSP game to be revived for the 2020s.
PSP
The PSP, or PlayStation Portable, marks Sony’s first leap into the handheld gaming space, usually dominated by Nintendo. Their compact system featured small discs and featured quite a few PSP-exclusive titles during its run. Its direct competitor was the Nintendo DS during the seventh-generation of console wars.
