Ape Escape Could Hopefully Be Returning Soon

If Sony ever expects to repair the self-inflicted damage it’s been doing to its reputation these last few months, the best way it could start would be to bring back Ape Escape. The original was one of the PS1’s finest titles, casting you as a spiky-haired boy burdened with the job of rounding up dozens of rambunctious monkeys with one humble net. Two sequels followed on the PS2, but for the last twenty years, the only exposure Ape Escape has gotten is through numerous cameo appearances in other Sony games.

According to former Giant Bomb journalist Jeff Gerstmann, the apes could be let loose once again very soon. “I don’t think this game is close to being out or anything like that, but I guess it’s been almost a year since we started talking about Ape Escape,” Gerstmann told his podcast listeners. “My understanding is that an external team has been working on that. What do they make… Penny’s Big Breakaway. Evening Star. I heard that they were working on it.”

The statement was later backed up by sources at VGC. The significance of Evening Star is that Christian Whitehead, the lead developer of the amazing Sonic Mania, founded the studio in 2018 and, like Gerstmann said, they are already responsible for a solid platformer hit, Penny’s Big Breakaway. They have the chops and the smarts to resurrect Ape Escape, if that is indeed what they’re doing. It’s good news.

An Ape Escape 4 could attract a lot of positive attention Sony’s way. That being said, when the game is released, will we get to own it or will our $70 or $80 only count as as “rental”?