Last Guardian removed from GameStop's release schedule, but not canceled [update]

by Justin McElroy on Dec 22nd 2011 3:31PM

According to several GameStop customers and employees, The Last Guardian has been removed from GameStop's computer system and possibly canceled. Clerks at several stores confirmed that the game was no longer listed among titles that were coming soon and several customers of the store have received calls telling them that the game had been canceled. Blogger Darren Hupke even recorded the message. A search of the retailer's web site also shows no trace of the game.

For the moment we're without official confirmation, so we've got our fingers crossed that this is just a clerical error. Of course, with the recent departure of Fumito Ueda, we can't say this would come as a complete surprise (despite Ueda being "committed to completing" the game).

We've reached out to Sony and will let you know what we hear.

Update: You still can't pre-order The Last Guardian at Gamestop, but SCEA's Senior Director of Corporate Communications, Patrick Seybold, says reports of the game's cancellation are "not true." So, why has it disappeared from a major retailer?

Update 2: This just in from GameStop: "The Last Guardian has not been cancelled by Sony as we incorrectly stated in an automated call to reservation customers. Because the game did not have a specific release date, GameStop made the decision to remove the game from our system. The Last Guardian will be reinstated for pre-order when a firm launch date is known."

Tags: fumito-ueda, playstation, ps3, The-Last-Guardian

Reader Comments (66)

/le'sigh

@foxhound Damn it, Reddit.

@Dionkey
WHY. tell me WHY should anyone care what freaking GAMESTOP HAS TO SAY about it??? they're a retailer. They sell games! The only reason they had it on their list to begin with was so they could start taking preorders for it months in advance to secure sales! Even if people DIDN'T eventually buy that game they'd more their money to another game rather than take it back and go to ANOTHER STORE! If everyone that did preorders at Gamestop suddenly asked for their money back the store would crumble!

They took it off the list because with no real date and an unknown developer situation no one was going to preorder any more copies of it anyway until the situation changed! Gamestop knows nothing more than any game news site and often even less going by some of their employees.

I hope not :(

Can't be. Sony has pumped too much money in the project.

They need to release it and make some money back.

@psnkillstrike re-unveiling of the game at E3, c'mon!!! do you believe!?

If this is actually canceled I might have to actually stab someone with an actual knife

@lSpam
You might as well stab me, this title was one of the reasons I needed to get a PS3.

@lSpam - I know that feel. I nearly had a heart attack when I read the story.

I was looking forward to this but maybe it wasn't turning out to be good.

Such a bummer, but makes sense after Ueda leaving. They probably couldn't agree on the game's vision, and both wanted separate things.

@darrenhupke

If that´s the case then it´ll be better if it´s not released. If Ueda left for creative difference then sony could end up doing whatever they want to release the game and the final quality would be affected, sometimes i wonder if this one could end up being the nex Duke Nuke´em?????

@darrenhupke

That doesn't seem like Sony tho. They seem to always let the different type of game get out there. I always figured they allowed for the most creative freedom of any publisher....

This is devastating if true. So far my Amazon order has not been cancelled.

no no nononononononononononononononononoonooooooooooo!

I have a bad feeling its been cancelled with the recent departures, hopefully its just being delayed but...looks bad.

@neojames82

But Ueda's most recent comments about the game are that he is working under contract to finish the game.

Doesn't that sorta flying the face of this? I'm thinking there was some sort of error in communication between Gamestop/Sony. Either that or its going to get a PSN only release.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Up1t5siifEw

MERRRRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Now I got 100 problems.....

@Jay Z And this is one.

@CraszyAsce Now if only this would turn out to be a problem with their system, you could say, "I got 99 problems but this glitch ain't one."

*insert rimshot*

@CraszyAsce

No shit.

@Jay Z

This guy right here pfffffthahahahaha

@CraszyAsce YES THAT WAS THE JOKE

Just what is going on with the development of this game? Come on folks, pull it together.

That sound you just heard was a million hearts breaking simultaneously.

Yes, because Gamestop is such a reliable source of information... They probably are just refusing to stock it because it's too artsy for their customer base...

@Gibbeynator

Yeah!

Er-wait. I bought the Ico/SotC pack at Gamestop.

Then maybe this was even artsier! Bastards.

@Gibbeynator
That would make sense if any retailer had the game to stock their shelves with. And if GameStop were really that bad.

This is terrible news. Some of my favorite games (Ico and SotC), and I was really looking forward to this...

STOP TOYING WITH OUT EMOTIONS!

@liquidsoap89: YES! EVERYONE KNOWS YOU MUST HAVE EMOTIONS IN ORDER TO TOY!

I'm calling it right now:

The Last Guardian will get a new English title.

The Last of Us is to blame?

WELL, the game certainly isn't cancelled since Sony has been confirming the game is still in production to Kotaku, IGN, a few other sources...so I'm going with either A) Gamestop screwed up or B) PSN only release.

If they cancelled this game it would be one of the biggest mistakes in Video Game history.

Good games die young.

I'll wait to hear something from sony.

@Special Agent Bob SONY DOESNT COMMENT ON SPECULATION AND RUMOR

I wouldn't be surprised. Though I also wouldn't be surprised if they just showed a trailer...

Sony really wants to ruin Christmas, don't they.

If this turns out to be true, it will be the dumbest thing ever by SOny, trumping expensive memory card prices.

@OGC

What if the game is terrible?

@eat it
Come on man, a Team Ico game, terrible? Do you even believe what you're saying?

@Sonictheratherquickhedgehog

Hey SotC is my favorite game ever but Ico stunk.

@eat it Stunk? Are you sure you played Ico? Are you absolutely sure you didn't spend all that time playing Death by Degrees? I think you'll find that to be the case actually, common mistake.

@Oddgirl I was never really able to get into Ico or SotC, so i'm pretty neutral about last guardian.

@eat it Then just say that you couldn't get into it. I can't get into FFVII, but it didn't stink by any means... it just wasn't my cup o' tea. Same goes for ICO and you 'cuz ICO is beautiful while SotC is simply amazing... and both withstood the test of time, which is another argument as to why they're so great.

That said, to each his own. I think ICO is great, SotC to be amazing and I'm hyped for the Last Guardian, although saddened by the departure of Ueda... but everyone has to move on.

Sony has confirmed that it is still in production. Its on IGN

Oh this sounds like bad news is coming our way. Cancelling this title would be a damn shame.

| 1 | 2 | Most Recent | Next 50 Comments

The Last Guardian

Last Guardian removed from GameStop's release schedule, but not canceled [update]

Reader Comments (66)

Posted: Dec 22nd 2011 3:32PM foxhound said

Posted: Dec 22nd 2011 3:51PM Dionkey said

Posted: Dec 23rd 2011 4:22AM PN04 said

Posted: Dec 22nd 2011 3:32PM Awsaim said

Posted: Dec 22nd 2011 3:33PM psnkillstrike said

Posted: Dec 22nd 2011 3:53PM Eniko said

Posted: Dec 22nd 2011 3:34PM lSpam said

Posted: Dec 22nd 2011 4:10PM Spookimitsu said

Posted: Dec 23rd 2011 5:13AM BananaBoat said

Posted: Dec 22nd 2011 3:34PM eat it said

Posted: Dec 22nd 2011 3:34PM darrenhupke said

Posted: Dec 22nd 2011 4:39PM Hunter141072 said

Posted: Dec 22nd 2011 5:19PM Chris DPSN AggieCEO XBLThe Aggi said

Posted: Dec 22nd 2011 3:34PM bluejuan85 said

Posted: Dec 22nd 2011 3:36PM wocyob said

Posted: Dec 22nd 2011 3:36PM neojames82 said

Posted: Dec 22nd 2011 3:43PM libregkd said

Posted: Dec 22nd 2011 3:37PM Once known as Shadsy said

Posted: Dec 22nd 2011 3:38PM Arrow of Arjuna said

Posted: Dec 22nd 2011 3:39PM Jay Z said

Posted: Dec 22nd 2011 3:49PM CraszyAsce said

Posted: Dec 22nd 2011 3:54PM Dionkey said

Posted: Dec 22nd 2011 3:55PM Acosta02 said

Posted: Dec 22nd 2011 4:00PM Rob Liv said

Posted: Dec 22nd 2011 4:22PM 8bitartist said

Posted: Dec 22nd 2011 3:41PM archipelagos said

Posted: Dec 22nd 2011 3:42PM baby sea tuna said

Posted: Dec 22nd 2011 3:44PM Gibbeynator said

Posted: Dec 22nd 2011 4:30PM ItsameMatt03 said

Posted: Dec 22nd 2011 11:40PM Hayseboi said

Posted: Dec 22nd 2011 3:44PM PHigz18 said

Posted: Dec 22nd 2011 3:45PM liquidsoap89 said

Posted: Dec 22nd 2011 5:08PM AxelSteelBMX said

Posted: Dec 22nd 2011 3:46PM Oddgirl said

Posted: Dec 22nd 2011 3:50PM libregkd said

Posted: Dec 22nd 2011 3:51PM KinseySS said

Posted: Dec 22nd 2011 3:51PM Jeremy White said

Posted: Dec 22nd 2011 3:52PM Special Agent Bob said

Posted: Dec 22nd 2011 4:26PM 8bitartist said

Posted: Dec 22nd 2011 4:09PM psnkillstrike said

Posted: Dec 22nd 2011 3:55PM McDude said

Posted: Dec 22nd 2011 3:55PM OGC said

Posted: Dec 22nd 2011 4:00PM eat it said

Posted: Dec 22nd 2011 4:08PM Sonictheratherquickhedgehog said

Posted: Dec 22nd 2011 4:21PM eat it said

Posted: Dec 22nd 2011 4:31PM Oddgirl said

Posted: Dec 22nd 2011 5:07PM Frostfell said

Posted: Dec 25th 2011 6:56PM UnverifiedUser said

Posted: Dec 22nd 2011 3:56PM OGC said

Posted: Dec 22nd 2011 4:01PM Duke said

The Last Guardian Info

Description

MSRP

Release Date

Genre

Developer

Publisher

Rating

Breaking News

WB conjures up Harry Potter for Kinect this fall

Featured Stories

Stiq Figures, May 14 - 20: He's heating up edition

The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Ballin

Weekly Webcomic Wrapup is a stranger in a strange land

Engadget

TUAW

Massively

WoW