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Famed game creator Fumito Ueda leaves Sony, will complete work on The Last Guardian

Famed game creator Fumito Ueda leaves Sony, will complete work on The Last Guardian

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Fumito Ueda, creator of influential games Ico and Shadow of Colossus, has departed Sony. He will complete work on The Last Guardian, already in development, as a contracted employee.

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The Last Guardian
The Last Guardian

Sony has confirmed the recently rumored departure of Fumito Ueda, the heralded creator of PlayStation 2 classics Ico and Shadow of Colossus. The move comes as his current project, The Last Guardian, remains in production. In a statement provided to Gamasutra, Sony assures those anticipating the title — first unveiled back in 2009 — that it will be seen to completion by Ueda, who will be working on a contract basis for the remainder of the development period.

The Last Guardian marks just the third collaboration between Ueda and Sony. His aforementioned previous two works were recently bundled and given the remastered-in-HD treatment by the company, providing PS3 owners the chance to experience what are widely regarded as breakthrough gaming experiences.  Both of those titles also proved to be lengthy projects, with Ico in development for four years and Colossus for three.

Specifics relating to Ueda's leaving have yet to come to light, though the news is sure to disappoint many. It's another sizable loss for Sony following the exit of The Last Guardian's producer Yoshifusa Hayama just last week. For its part, the console manufacturer has long established itself as willing to take creative risks with a catalog that includes Heavy Rain, Flower, and PixelJunk Eden as current-generation examples. Sometimes good things simply don't last.