Un new Bloomberg report informs us of possible important news in the house Sony, regarding the Visual Arts Service Group. The company, based in San Diego, has been helping a complete games designed by other studios owned by Sony with animation, concept art or other content. About three years ago, a handful of influential figures within the Visual Arts Service Group decided to have more creative control and lead the direction of a game of their own, rather than just being support figures, as happened for Spider-Man e Uncharted. And so they thought of a remake of The Last of US.
Second Jason Schrier of Bloomberg, Michael Mumbauer, who founded the Visual Arts Service Group in 2007, recruited a group of around 30 developers to form a new development unit within Sony. The idea was to expand some of the company's most successful franchises, and the team began work on a remake of the first The Last of Us to PlayStation 5. However, according to some internal sources, Sony he never fully acknowledged the team's existence, nor did he provide them with the funds and support necessary to succeed in a highly competitive gaming market. The studio never even had a name. Also, Sony transferred ownership of The Last of Us remake to its original creator, Naughty Dog.
Bloomberg: Naughty Dog is apparently working on a The Last Of Us remake for PS5
Bigger news here though is that Sony seems to prioritize big teams with big games above all else; a heavy focus on hits only it seemshttps: //t.co/NdxultMbMX pic.twitter.com/I7qITzqA5T
- Nibel (@Nibellion) April 9, 2021
Thus, the small group seems to have dissolved, with Mumbauer himself having decided to abandon the project. The failure of the team highlights, according to Schreier, the complex hierarchy of video game development and, in particular, Sony's conservative approach to making PlayStation 5 games. The Japanese conglomerate owns around a dozen studios around the world as part of its label PlayStation Studios, but in recent years it has only prioritized games made by its most successful developers.
The team organized by Visual Arts had originally planned a remake of the first Uncharted game, published by Naughty Dog in 2007. However, the idea quickly faded as it would have been expensive and required too much additional design work. Thus, the team opted for a remake of The Last of Us, which however it will not come through them.
