Is Sony Bringing Back Classic PlayStation Franchises?

Together, these insider reports suggest activity around legacy franchises, but they do not confirm which specific IPs are involved.

Ape Escape, Sly Cooper, and inFAMOUS: Why These Names Keep Appearing

Certain franchises repeatedly come up in rumors for a simple reason: they are iconic PlayStation series that have been dormant for years.

• Sly Cooper last received a main entry in 2013.
• inFAMOUS has not seen a new game since Second Son and its standalone expansion in 2014.
• Ape Escape, once a defining PlayStation franchise, has been largely absent since the PS2/PS3 era.

Insider discussions about revisiting older IPs naturally lead fans and commentators to speculate about these titles. However, the available reporting still stops short of confirming any of them specifically.

PlayStation’s IP Preservation Initiative

Another signal that sparked discussion is PlayStation’s internal IP preservation effort, highlighted by a senior PlayStation build engineer.

The project focuses on cataloging and preserving the company’s historic game assets and development materials. Characters from classic franchises—including older PlayStation series—have appeared in imagery connected to the initiative.

Preservation efforts don’t necessarily indicate new games are being developed, but they do show that Sony is actively organizing and maintaining its legacy IP library—something that could support future remasters, collections, or revivals.

The Studio Question: Who Would Make These Games?

At the moment, no developer has been officially linked to any revival of Sly Cooper, Ape Escape, or inFAMOUS.

Historically, Sucker Punch Productions created both the Sly Cooper and inFAMOUS series. However, the studio previously stated it had no plans to revisit those franchises and that no other studio was working on them at the time.

That statement does not rule out future projects entirely—studios often change direction over time—but it highlights how speculative current rumors still are.

What Still Isn’t Known

Despite the growing discussion around PlayStation’s dormant IPs, several crucial details remain unconfirmed:

• Whether any of the rumored revivals are actually in development
• Which franchises would return first
• Whether projects would be remasters, remakes, collections, reboots, or entirely new games
• Which internal or external studios might develop them

The Bottom Line

Right now, the evidence points to a strategic openness inside Sony to revisit classic PlayStation franchises, not to confirmed revivals of specific games.

Executive comments show that Sony recognizes the value of its legacy IP, while insider reports suggest some smaller projects based on older franchises may be in development. But until PlayStation formally announces something, rumors about Sly Cooper, Ape Escape, and inFAMOUS remain speculation rather than confirmed plans.