Even with no name and just a 2-minute trailer, this next release from one of gaming's most legendary studios deserves to be on your radar.

The game prizes 2024 has been full of exciting announcements for upcoming releases, but one that might get lost in the excitement of everything going on is an unnamed title, currently dubbed Project: Robot. Despite being announced alongside big names such as Elden Ring: Night Reign, The Witcher 4and Frontiers 4This game also deserves to be on the radar of many players, even without its own name and just a two-minute trailer. A big reason for this is the reputation of the studio behind this project, genDESIGN, which is home to some of the most legendary game developers.

Almost nothing has been revealed about this game other than a very cryptic two-minute trailer and a working title, but there's still a lot to be excited about because of the studio's immense reputation. The studio most recently worked on The Last Guardian eight years ago in 2016, but the team behind it is better known to Shadow of the Colossus and Ico for Playstation 2. Since The Last Guardian, genDESIGN has remained quiet for some time, with this unnamed game potentially serving as a major comeback.

Shadow Of The Colossus and Ico are gaming icons

GenDESIGN created incredible cult classics

To understand why Project: Robot deserves attention, one must understand that the development team's previous titles are cult classics that have developed legendary status in the gaming industry. GenDESIGN is led by former employees of a Sony development team called Team Icowho made his mark with the groundbreaking 2001 game Ico which told an incredible story with minimal dialogue. It wasn't a huge commercial success, but its incredible art, original gameplay, and story made it a beloved cult classic, a staple of Team Ico titles.

Similar praise has been heaped Shadow of the Colossusthe team's second title, which also had minimal dialogue and innovative visuals. Shadow of the Colossus is the studio's most famous titleearning a BluePoint remake in 2018, and was acclaimed for its visual storytelling that made people feel remorse for the Colossi. It's a moving story that kept people hooked, and the title's stunning visual achievement in 2005 was unparalleled for its time, making it a game that many players miss for nearly twenty years later.

What we know about the game so far

It appears to be an Ico team game from start to finish

Though called by a different name, genDESIGN appears to be making a Team Ico game through and through according to the trailer, available on the official website Playstation YouTube channel. There's repeated, awkward dialogue in heavily modulated English as the main character climbs a giant mechanism, likely meaning the studio will stick to the minimal dialogue storytelling it's known for. The trailer also appears to be gameplay footage, with the character clearly being controlled while climbing this massive mech.

Project: Robot appears to be the team's first futuristic title, since all three other titles are in fantastic settings, without extremely advanced technology. It has the climbing elements seen in Shadow of the Colossusand the title could feature a similar approach, but with giant mechs killed to get from place to place to escape the dark and scary fog on the horizon. The symbols on the character's poncho could mean that the game is in the same universe as the other titles, as the Shadow of the Colossus storyboard connects you with Icoworld.

Why you should be excited about this game

Team Ico only made great titles

Even though Team Ico had a different name, the same people are involved with genDESIGN. This group, led by legendary director Fumito Ueda, has proven time and time again that it creates incredible titles that linger in the memories of its players for years after the fact. Although these titles rarely receive mainstream attention at the level of new announcements like Elden Ring Night Kingdom or The wizard 4, they, they always end up as beloved cult classics with hauntingly beautiful stories to tell in worlds that feel rich and vibrant. With the support of Epic Games, this title could be the biggest and richest of them all.

Sometimes a studio's reputation is enough to push a game forward, even if the studio has been dormant for a while. Although almost nothing was displayed, not even a proper name, Project: Robot it looks like it will have the DNA of Team Ico that has never disappointed the gaming industry. When surrounded by trailers for sequels and spin-offs in The game prizesan original IP from a legendary group of developers could be the antidote to an industry suffering from a lack of creativity from many AAA developers who seem to have lost their shine.

Source: PlayStation/YouTube