Kena: Bridge of Spirits was one of the standout announcements from Sony's PlayStation 5 blowout event last year, and it has only looked better and better since then. We'll all get to experience that one in August, but it appears Ember Lab is already busy with what comes next. As part of the Wired interview which revealed Sony has more than 25 PS5 exclusive games in production, co-founder Josh Grier speaks about what they learned throughout the production of Kena: Bridge of Spirits will be applied to the developer's next project.
Josh Grier said: "Our groundwork was on the PS4. But looking at game two, focusing on taking advantage of the SSD and building mechanics and tools around that, will be really fun. I know for sure we haven't fully taken advantage of how actually fast it is—we were getting a lot of benefits of it being just out-of-the-box better. But I think you can push it even more." Given the fact that the quote appears in an interview with Sony bigwigs such as Jim Ryan, we think it's very safe to assume that future title will come to PS5 at the very least. If not with some sort of exclusivity tied to it — those load times should be super short too thanks to the PS5 SSD.
Are you excited to hear Ember Lab is already plotting for what comes after Kena: Bridge of Spirits? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
[source wired.com]
Comments 28
I'm happy that Kena doesn't look like getting delayed.
Based on what we've seen from Kena so far, this team seems like a good fit to make a new Jak and Daxter. Just a thought.
@Enuo great shout!
@Loftimus Technically it was delayed quite a bit. It was originally announced for 2020 (no specific date but they did say holiday 2020). I wouldn't expect any further delays though
@Xenomorph_79 They havent ruled out a physical copy coming later. Even if not through normal distribution channels, id be surprised if someone like Limited Run Games didnt publish one:
https://www.psu.com/news/kena-bridge-of-spirits-is-getting-a-physical-release-at-a-later-date/
After the hype from the reveal, it wouldn't surprise me if Sony are looking at funding a full budget/length sequel.
Kena reminds me of an old school Rare game. Here's to hoping it'll have as much charm as they did back in the day.
I'm mildly excited for what comes next for the team, but how about a reality check? Kena is this studio's first game, and while it looks promising, we have no idea if it will hold up over the course of a whole game.
I HOPE it's good, and I wish them well, but I find it slightly comical how hard people have fallen for this game considering it's being done by a team with literally no track record whatsoever.
That Wired article is worth a read. It puts all of the negativity over the past few months to shame, and it talks just about the hardware and the games. No services.
Feels good, man.
@LordSteev I can't help but agree to an extent. I love how Kena looks, but it looking THIS good for a first-time effort from an (until now) unknown team raises some serious red flag warnings that I can't ignore. I hope it's great, but I've been burned far too many times to not express some caution.
@Xenomorph_79 yeah me too. Only reason i dont have any Limited Run releases (same with Play Asia etc). I remember going to buy Cosmic Star Heroine on Vita and shipping cost as much as a digital copy. Just can't justify the postage
@RBMango
Me too. From past burns comes future wariness, I guess. I hope it's a great game and you're right, it LOOKS fantastic. Can't remember from before, but I think one of the founders has a history in animation, so if there's an area the game should excel in, it would be that. I hope we're both pleasantly surprised!
Game looks pretty and all but I think it's a bit too soon for the developer to be planning a sequel when the first game isn't even out yet. Regardless I'll be buying it whether it gets a Physical release or not and I wish people would stop moaning about games not getting a Physical version. The world is moving towards digital that is the reality of it.
Is already a day one for sure as It looks like a game developed by Pixar themselves and it's also one of the few instances where I think someone is undercharging for their game.
@The_New_Butler That is one thing I can agree on but when people come to Articles and leave comments that leave a damper on things it gets old after a while and doesn't contribute anything to the discussion at all.
@Xenomorph_79
No physical release? Ever? Then looks like it’ll be a few years before I get it. Don’t buy digital games for more than £10 due to all trade in / resale value being removed.
@LordSteev I don't know, even studios with good track records aren't super trustworthy. How many big games are buggy messes at launch? There's a lot more pressure for a small unknown team to get it right the first time, and the fact that they delayed the game into this year to do that gives me a bit more hope than the usual indie hype train. It's not just visually pretty either, the gameplay they've shown also looks promising. But I guess we'll all find out later in the year. It would be a real shame if it does turn out to be a dud.
@Xenomorph_79 Probably not loads more, maybe a little more. 70% of playstation revenue is coming from digital these days. Physical is dying out.
@Residentsteven I agree they haven't used their talent wisely. The last good game I remember was Kameo.
Kena was my favorite game shown at the initial ps5 showcase and still my moat anticipated game. I understand the weariness of people as its a new studio. But with animation that good its not like I need gameplay as good as housemarque. Just need it to be competent while telling an interesting narrative like it seems.
@NoxAeturnus
🤞 (fingers crossed)
I'm really excited for Kena. The game looks utterly fantastic.
Sony should buy those guys also.and jade Raymond new studio.word up son
Ratchet and Clank AND Kena on a 2 month time window? Damn, this summer will be GOOD
@Xenomorph_79 exactly, physical game sales can't even offset microtransactions. And physical is far more of a financial risk, if they print too many discs and people don't buy the game then that's money down the drain. You can't "print" too many digital downloads.
I don't think buying physical is old fashioned, it's just the industry is moving more towards digital, now more than ever. Enough so that I think even a hyped game like Kena is probably still too risky to print discs. It's certainly risky enough that Ember lab isn't doing it and isn't searching out any publisher to do it for them.
If it actually ends up being a good game, certainly it'll get an overpriced limited run printing at some point, though.
Its a real shame that based on the price tag of this game and the comments from the developers, it seems like its going to be a very short game. I really hope they don't throw away the opportunity they have with this game.
On my wishlist 😎
Kena is still a day one purchase for me...though I do wonder if the next game will be a sequel or a new IP.
We still don't even know how the first game ends yet haha XD.
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