Ape Escape Revival Reportedly in Development at Sonic Mania Developer Evening Star

Sony could finally revive the beloved Ape Escape franchise with Evening Star reportedly developing the series’ long-awaited modern return.

Rumors have suggested that Ape Escape could be the next in a long line of legendary PlayStation properties to be rebooted. The series hasn’t been seen on the modern PlayStation lineup for a few years now, but it might be coming back with a new game from a studio that’s known for its retro-inspired approach.

The report says that Evening Star, the studio behind Sonic Mania and Penny’s Big Breakaway, is working on a new Ape Escape. It also reported that its own sources have corroborated the information, lending greater legitimacy to the rumor. Given Evening Star’s history with retro-inspired games, their work on Ape Escape could be particularly interesting.

Penny’s Big Breakaway established that the team could create a solid 3D platformer with a retro art style that could easily be applied to the original Ape Escape premise. But reportedly, the idea is still in its early phases of development. Gerstmann said he heard about the game when it had just been greenlit and was still being put together.

His information seems to be based on queries he posed regarding Ape Escape during the DICE event earlier this year. That would imply that Sony and Evening Star have been working on the idea for a while, perhaps working their way through the pitching, approving, budgeting, and planning stages before full development kicked off. So don’t hold your breath for the game to drop anytime soon.

With Evening Star bringing its vintage abilities, Ape Escape may be back at last.

The prospective disclosure date could be significantly impacted by the magnitude of the project. By making Ape Escape a smaller revival instead of a full blockbuster, Sony could speed up production. A large project, however, may take several years to complete. The news also comes amid larger suspicions that Sony is reviving old games.

It has been heard there are a variety of resurrection ideas being looked at internally, with classics like Killzone and potentially Sly Cooper among those being considered. Ape Escape fits right into that approach, with Sony’s first-party portfolio skewing toward big hitters like Spider-Man, Horizon, and God of War. Smaller projects could provide more variety and cover the gaps between major releases.

Sony might use smaller PlayStation reboots to help diversify its massive release cycle. A modern Ape Escape doesn’t necessarily need the tremendous cost associated with Sony’s biggest first-party releases. A well-made platformer may deliver a nostalgic trip without the scope or budget of a large open-world game.

This might also mean Sony could release more games over the course of a generation. Smaller-budget games might fill out the schedule, alongside major releases such as Astro Bot, and give PlayStation owners more variety throughout the year. If the idea becomes reality, it might be targeting the PlayStation 5 and future PS hardware.

There is also speculation that Sony could consider its future portable approach when deciding what games to bring into its ecosystem. There’s no official word from Sony that a new Ape Escape game is in development, so for now, the concept has to be considered a rumor.

But Evening Star would be an interesting addition to the brand, especially given the studio’s history with retro-inspired platformers. The team behind Sonic Mania’s revival of Ape Escape might well be the nostalgic resuscitation fans of the famous PlayStation series have been waiting for after years in the shadows.