15 Most Tragically Abandoned PlayStation IPs

MediEvil follows the colorful and tragic adventures of Sir Daniel Foresque as he tries to destroy the evil sorcerer Zarok. The only catch is that Sir Daniel is a skeleton that has been resurrected. He was made the great hero of a battle but in reality, he was the first to die. Now he’s actually going to do some good.

The last true entry in the series was released in 2000, but a remake of the original did come to PSP in 2005. The humor, Tim Burton-esque visuals, and engaging combat make for a fun filled romp that is incredibly different from any of Sony’s other IP. Maybe this is just a series that will forever be stuck in the early 2000s of PlayStation.

Sony already has a realistic racing series in Gran Turismo, but fans of arcade racers didn’t have anything to cut their teeth on. That all changed when Motor Storm blasted onto the scene. The off-road racer was all about tearing through the mud and dirt, leaving your competitors behind in flaming wrecks.

It’s fast, beautiful, and has something to offer players who don’t love racing games. With four games in the series, it has visited arid deserts, frozen wastes, a jungle paradise and an apocalyptic city. But the racing never evolved enough to justify new installments so 2011 marked the last time we got to tear it up.

This bizarre car combat game gained popularity on the PlayStation 1 due to its crazy cast of characters and over the top vehicles that launched dozens of missiles through the air. But drifting and hitting speedy little targets in various arenas isn’t always as fun as it sounds.

As exciting as each new entry was, the gameplay always had issues. The camera had difficulty keeping up with the action and  controlling the cars themselves was never as smooth as it should have been. The last entry, released in 2012, proved that the series still has a lot of kinks to iron out. It may be one of Sony’s more unique IPs, but it still doesn’t stand out enough to continue.

This quirky platformer made the jump from the PlayStation to PS2, even making its way to PSP. Rounding up the escaped primates and leaping and bounding through the world is endless fun, but as the mid-2000s came around the 3D platforming genre slowly ceased to be as prominent as it once had.

Ape Escape was also replaced by platforming series that seemed to attract a larger audience, like Ratchet and Clank and Jak and Daxter, but the charming Japanese style is still timeless. They’ve made a return on the PS4 but we won’t be seeing a sequel to this classic series.

Exclusive JRPG series are always a gamble. Final Fantasy managed to become a hit but that was in a time when the industry was not as densely populated. Dark Cloud mixed dungeon crawling with a fun and engaging combat system.

One of the biggest time sinks in the game was the town building aspect which allowed players to design a small town the way they saw fit. The second and last game released in 2002 and Level-5 moved onto other projects. It has seen a small resurgence as a PS2 classic on the PlayStation 4 but you still shouldn’t hold your breath for a sequel.

PlayStation’s answer to Super Smash Bros. didn’t hit as hard as it should have. Most of the characters were not exclusive to the platform and there were some noteworthy exclusions. Lives could only be lost to super moves, which meant that the game had a much different pace. While it did receive support after launch, it wasn’t exactly received well.

Sony could come back with a completely revised sequel but the overall reception was lackluster. Not only did the game not pay PlayStation’s history the respect it deserved, but it simply wasn’t enough fun to warrant a follow-up.

Military shooters are all the rage these days but the genre has undergone a number of changes and the tactical, team-based gameplay of Socom wasn’t in high demand anymore. The series was in decline for some time but with Socom 4 releasing during the PSN outage of 2011 and many being unable to access a plethora of its features, many of which were online, the game simply didn’t sell.

Sony has tried their hand at other similar titles like Unit 13 for the PlayStation Vita, but their other shooter franchises are still doing well enough to conquer that portion of the PlayStation market. Developer Zipper Interactive closed its doors in 2012, effectively ending the series.

Multiplayer focused games are always a hard sell. Starhawk and Warhawk did feature single player modes but the massive, varied competitive battles were always the main draw. Starhawk served as a soft reboot for the series, imbuing the gameplay with more science fiction, which allowed for plenty of dynamic new combat options.

Despite being a great PS3 exclusive, we still haven’t heard tell of the ‘hawk’ franchise since 2012. Starhawk certainly seemed like the right move, mixing a well-tailored single player with the multiplayer that had long defined the franchise.

This action-stealth series was all the rage when the PS One was still on store shelves. Many fondly remember the Taser that lit enemies on fire, the gripping stories, and tense action. The final release was titled Logan’s Shadow, which came out in 2007 for PSP and 2010 on PS2.

Developer Bend Studios is currently working on Days Gone, the open world Zombie survival game for PS4, so unless another studio takes the reigns and revives the series, it’s likely to remain dead.

Mark of Kri was a unique action game. Taking control of warrior Rau Utu, players could take the stealthy approach or rush in swinging their sword and effortlessly cutting through enemies. The series was unfortunately replaced by other action series like God of War, but it’s unique style and blend of action and stealth are still great today.

The last entry in the series, Rise of the Kasai, was released in 2005 but both games returned as PS2 classics on PS4 in 2016. The series may not be coming back anytime soon but you can still enjoy these fantastic titles.

Open world, GTA-style games don’t often appear as console exclusives, but the Getaway proved that Sony could create something truly special way back in 2002. Taking place in an open world London, the game depicted gang warfare and tense firefights.

It was a beautiful game for the time, with fantastic gameplay and a thrilling story. It was overshadowed by the resurgence of GTA, which was still the king of the open world, even more than 10 years ago.

Wonderbook was an AR experiment launched in 2012 for PlayStation 3. The book could be used to interact with and bring to life various stories. Only four titles were compatible with it, including one that was linked to the Harry Potter universe.

Despite the peripheral working and offering several unique experiences, nothing had much substance, and the lack of support caused it to fizzle out incredibly quickly. It was targeted more at children, but this limited demographic wasn’t too interested in digital books that aren’t really books.

The Legend of Dragoon seems like a fairly standard turn-based RPG on the outside, but it’s much more than that. The combat included an interactive element, allowing players to score bigger hits by timing button prompts.

As massive JRPGs became less and less prominent as the PS2 era gave way to that of the PlayStation 3, hopes for a sequel slowly died out.  It still lives on in the hearts and minds of many RPG fans, but that’s where it’s bound to stay.