To close out the month of March,Nintendorecently held a new Direct dedicated entirely to games planned for the current Switch. The event only lasted for about 30 minutes, but it still featured some noteworthy announcements from first- and third-party developers. A newTomodachi Lifegame was revealed,Metroid Prime 4: Beyondwas shown off for the third time, andPokemon Legends: Z-Awas given a late 2025 release window. It was even announced thatNintendo’s long-dormantRhythm Heavenfranchise was making a return with a new entry calledRhythm Heaven Groove.
As exciting as these game announcements were, two of the more surprising reveals from this week’s Nintendo Direct did not come from Nintendo itself, but instead from Sony, of all companies. During the presentation, Sony confirmed that thePataponandEverybody’s Golffranchises would be making their debuts on the Nintendo Switch. The first twoPatapongames will be bundled together and remastered as part ofthePatapon 1+2 Replaycollection, and theEverybody’s Golfseries will get a new mainline installment namedEverybody’s Golf Hot Shots. BothPatapon 1+2 ReplayandEverybody’s Golf Hot Shotsare going to be launched on the Nintendo Switch, in addition to PS5 and PC, later this year.
Sony Games Being Released on a Nintendo Console is a Big Deal
PataponandEverybody’s Golfmay not be household names, but the fact that they’re being released on a Nintendo platform is a momentous occasion. For decades, Sony has actively prevented its IPs, no matter how big or small, from being launched on non-PlayStation consoles. The confirmation ofPatapon 1+2 ReplayandEverybody’s Golf Hot Shotsfor the Switch, however, indicates that the Japanese conglomerate is starting to have a change of heart about multiplatform releases. Even though these newPataponandEverybody’s Golfgames have been licensed to Bandai Namco instead of being published by Sony itself, it appears that the prospect of classic PlayStation IPs coming to Nintendo consoles is no longer a pipe dream.
In addition toEverybody’s Golf Hot ShotsandPatapon 1+2 Replay, Sony has also broughtLego Horizon AdventuresandFreedom Wars Remasteredto the Nintendo Switchin recent months.
Japan Studio, the Developer That Worked on Patapon and Everybody’s Golf, Also Made Gravity Rush
Intriguingly, almost all the Sony games that have made their way to the Nintendo Switch so far are Japan Studio titles. The now-defunct Sony subsidiary made many AA games exclusively for PlayStation platforms, includingPataponandEverybody’s Golf. One of the projects that it was best known for, however, was the cult classicGravity Rushfranchise. Conceived bySilent Hillcreator Keiichiro Toyama, this action-adventure series only has two installments, the first of which debuted on the PS Vita in 2012. TheGravity Rushgames put players in the shoes of an amnesiac girl named Kat, who has the ability to control gravity and use it to attack enemies and travel from place to place.
Clap Hanz co-developed most of theEverybody’s Golfgames alongside Japan Studio, while Pyramid worked onPatapon.
The originalGravity Rushwas remastered for the PS4 in 2015, and it received a sequel a few years later, titledGravity Rush 2. Unfortunately, though, due to the commercial failure ofGravity Rush 2and the closure of Japan Studio, the franchise is almost entirely dormant these days. Sony is not actively working on any newGravity Rushvideo games, but it is producinga live-actionGravity Rushmovie based on the series, which it showed a brief snippet of during CES 2024.
Gravity Rush Would Be a Perfect Fit for the Nintendo Switch
Since Sony is seemingly okay with licensing its IPs out to other publishers and letting its legacy games come to Nintendo platforms, it could potentially release a remastered compilation ofGravity Rush 1and2for the Nintendo Switch and/or Switch 2 in the future. Although they’re relatively old games, these titles would likely perform quite well on Nintendo’s platform, perhaps even more so thanEverybody’s GolfandPatapon. Because of this, it’d be a smart move for Sony to time the release ofa possibleGravity Rushremastered collectionin conjunction with the upcomingGravity Rushfilm. Getting the games in front of a larger audience prior to the release of the movie could generate a lot more profit for both Sony and its PlayStation division.
Gravity Rush
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Gain a new perspective as Kat, a strong-willed girl trying to protect her future in a world that’s crumbling to pieces. With incredible gravity-altering abilities, Kat is the only one who can salvage the floating city of Hekseville – if only she could remember who she is…
