Sony Bend New Vita Game

Though Vita hardware sales may have slowed, the past few months have been filled to the brim with great titles. It's the future that gamers are still unsure about. Aside from a handful of already confirmed games, next year's Vita software release slate is shrouded in mystery - perhaps not the best move considering Sony's position in the handheld market. Though we may still be in the dark regarding future releases, more games are indeed coming;  including yet another unannounced title from Bend Studio.

Bend Studio has a long and storied history with the PlayStation family, as many will recall them as the creators of the Syphon Filter series. Though Gabe Logan's adventures have taken a rest since the PSP days, Bend Studio has been hard at work pumping out quality portable titles. The developer was last known for Uncharted: Golden Abyss, which launched to warm critical reception - including our own review.

PlayStation LifeStyle recently uncovered a job listing by Bend on Gamasutra's job boards, confirming that the studio is working on a brand new, AAA Vita title. The job listing makes reference to pushing the Vita even harder - an admiral feat considering Golden Abyss is already quite pretty.

"Bend Studio the creators of Sony’s flagship Vita title Uncharted Golden Abyss is currently looking for the entertainment industries top artistic talent to help us create AAA content for Sony’s powerful new hardware. We just scratched the surface on what the Vita can do with Uncharted Golden Abyss and expect to push the platform even further with our future projects."

The question is of course: what are they working on? With the success of the Uncharted franchise - not to mention Golden Abyss' performance - it wouldn't be hard to imagine the studio working on yet another one of Nathan Drake's adventures. Personally, I'd like to see them take another strike at the Resistance franchise. Though Nihilistic Software's Resistance: Burning Skies may not have been up to snuff, Bend was able to create a wonderful Resistance game in Resistance: Retribution. The PSP titled offered an experience on par with its console brethren, albeit from a third person perspective. Unfortunately, Sony has no current plans to continue the franchise, so my dreams are all but shattered.

For the longest time, there have also been rumblings of a new Syphon Filter game in development, with many speculating that Syphon Filter 4 will soon be announced. This rumor crops up just about every time a Sony press conference is about start, but after Logan's hiatus, perhaps Sony plans to reboot the popular spy thriller on the Vita. The last couple of Syphon Filter games have all been released on the PSP, so movement to the Vita would be the natural progression for the series. It was even believed at one time that Bend was developing a new Syphon Filter for Vita, a logical conclusion considering the studio's past.

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Source: Gamasutra (via PlayStation Lifestyle)