E3 2016 Sony First Party Studios - What We Know So Far

E3 2016 is quickly approaching and this means one thing: new games! Every year, dozens of games are announced in the city of angels. Needless to say, it’s a pretty exciting time to be a gaming enthusiast. Instead of wild speculation, I want to take a fact-based approach in order to give educated guesses (based on job listings, announcements, etc.) on what games first-party Sony studios are working on right now.

Check out the list below to find out what each first party studio is currently doing. I’m assuming (and hoping) that most of these studios will be seen at E3 in some capacity. It makes sense when you look at how light last year was in terms of first-party output. But as always, just remember that until these games are on store shelves, they’re essentially vaporware.

Now that I’ve listed what teams already have confirmed projects, it makes it a little easier to piece together what might be announced at the E3 2016 Sony press conference. There will certainly be quite a few surprises (and non-first party announcements) in store for PlayStation fans come June 13, so keep coming back to PlayStation LifeStyle to make sure you stay on top of the news!

Let us know in the comments below what you think of the current crop of first party Sony studios, and what games you would like to see each studio announce at the E3 2016 Sony press conference.

E3 2016 and Sony First-Party Studios – What We Know So Far

E3 2016 and Sony First-Party Studios – What We Know So Far
Bend Studio

Latest Release: After releasing the Vita launch title Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Sony's Bend Studio took a different take on the Uncharted series by creating a card game based on Sony's popular franchise. Uncharted: Fight for Fortune ended up being a surprisingly deep card game, and showed that the talented studio could do more unique ideas.

What They Are Working On: According to job listings, Bend Studio is currently working on a PS4 title. Not much else is known about the game, but hopefully the developer is working on their own series. It's a lock to see at E3 this year, and here's to hoping that Sony Bend gets to do something truly original.
Guerrilla Cambridge

Latest Release: Guerilla Cambridge were last seen when they put out one of the most high profile Vita releases, Killzone: Mercenary. While the game had some issues, it did a good job of providing first person shooter fun on the go.

What They Are Working On: Despite their job listings stating that they were working on a "high profile, multi-million selling franchise," Guerrilla Cambridge was announced to be working on an original game called RIGS. It looks to be one of PlayStation VR's major launch titles, and we can't wait to see more of this competitive shooter.
Guerrilla Games

Latest Release: Guerrilla Games is basically the Killzone studio as they have worked on the franchise exclusively since 2004. Their latest game in the series was the PlayStation 4 launch title Killzone Shadow Fall.

What They Are Working On: Guerrilla Games won't just be known for Killzone any longer as they're now working on a third-person action game called Horizon Zero Dawn. The impressive looking PS4 exclusive was announced last year, and will be one of Sony's big games for 2017.
Japan Studio

Latest Release: PlayStation 4 launch title Knack was the last title the studio developed by themselves, but they've done plenty of support work with other Japanese developers.

What They Are Working On: SCE Japan Studio is comprised of several teams so they are currently working on several projects. Team Ico is working on The Last Guardian, which should finally get a release date this year. Meanwhile, Team Gravity (who have worked on Siren in the past) are working on Gravity Rush 2. Don't be surprised if we see a smaller scale game or a collaborative effort come out of Japan Studio announced during this E3.
Media Molecule

Latest Release: Media Molecule brought their fantastic Vita game to PlayStation 4 last year in Tearaway Unfolded. Sadly, it once again failed to find a sizable audience.

What They Are Working On: Their new game is called Dreams, a 3D sandbox creation tool. It focuses on the same core concepts as LittleBigPlanet as players will "play, create and share." We'll probably get a beta date announced at E3, and hopefully a firm release date for this ambitious title.
Naughty Dog

Latest Release: Naughty Dog just released a small title by the name of Uncharted 4, it's understandable if you haven't heard of it.

What They Are Working On: While Naughty Dog is comprised of two teams, and one just wrapped up working on Uncharted 4: A Thief's End. That means another title has been in development for at least a year now, and we're expecting to see what else Naughty Dog has been doing at E3 this year.
Pixelopus

Latest Release: Pixelopus is a small studio based out of California. Their first release was Entwined.

What They Are Working On: Pixelopus revealed on Twitter that they are working on their second project. It's been almost two years since the release of Entwined, so there's a chance we get a surprise E3 release again.
Polyphony Digital

Latest Release: Polyphony Digital are better known as the studio that makes the Gran Turismo series. It is no surprise that their last release was 2013's Gran Turismo 6.

What They Are Working On: The studio is currently working on Gran Turismo Sport. It's set to release later this year, and there's not really more to be revealed about it. Don't be surprised if it's only seen in a sizzle reel.
Santa Monica Studio

Latest Release: Much like Sony Japan, Sony Santa Monica does a lot of support work in addition to their original games. Their last internally developed game was God of War: Ascension.

What They Are Working On: As far as internal projects go, Santa Monica Studio are currently working on a brand new entry in the God of War series. Expect God of War IV (hopefully not God of W4R) or a reboot to get a big reveal this year.
London Studio

Latest Release: Sony's London studio has a more casual game focus than its other studios and has done a ton of work on Sony's Singstar series. Their last release was SingStar: Ultimate Party on PS4.

What They Are Working On: London Studio are currently working on PlayStation VR Worlds, a launch title for PlayStation VR.
San Diego Studio

Latest Release: Sony San Diego Studio's most recent release was MLB 16: The Show. Their release before that was MLB 15: The Show. Do you see the pattern?

What They Are Working On: While they are inevitably working on MLB 17: The Show, San Diego Studio has also been working on Kill Strain. A top-down third person shooter that should get out of beta later this year.
Sucker Punch Productions

Latest Release: Sucker Punch is the studio behind both the Sly Cooper and inFAMOUS series. Their latest release was 2014's inFAMOUS First Light.

What They Are Working On: We're going on 2 years since Sucker Punch last released a game, and we know they've been hiring lately. That's all good news, and it looks like we might get an unveil at this year's E3 unless Sony wants to sit on what is likely a 2017 release.