The Last Guardian Release Date of 2016 Confirmed at E3 2015

The Last Guardian has finally been revealed, during today's Sony press conference at E3 2015. New developer Gen Design is leading the project. A gameplay trailer showcased a new level that required the character and guardian to work together in order to progress.

The game is slated for a released date of 2016.

First announced six years ago, Sony's The Last Guardian has been subject to multiple delays and a dearth of new information. On multiple occasions, it has been thought that the project had been abandoned.

In June 2011, Team Ico studio head Fumito Ueda left the company, followed closely by executive producer Yoshifusa Hayama, seemingly as a result of major issues with the project.

Exactly a year later, Sony commented on when The Last Guardian would be available, saying it would only release the game "when it is absolutely ready."

Sony Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida later said The Last Guardian was making progress, albeit "slow progress." He added that development on the title had been "tough," but noted that developer Team Ico has not altered the focus on the title.

Scott Rohde, Sony's senior vice president of product development, followed up by saying it has no deadline whatsoever for The Last Guardian.

"I think that's a really important thing to remember, that it would be very easy to ship a game when it's not quite ready because we need to meet a business plan," he said.

"Gamers are first. And the experience that we provide is first. And that's why we're going to talk about that game when we're ready to talk about it."

In September 2013, Sony explained numerous The Last Guardian no-shows and a lack of new information by saying it was waiting for the right moment to “re-introduce” the game.

Fumito Ueda, who continued to advise on development following his departure, eventually apologised to fans for the delay to The Last Guardian.

"More than anything, I feel terribly sorry that for various reasons I have kept my audience waiting for such a long time," he said. "The details of when, where, and how will be completed are beyond my control.”

In December 2014, Sony reiterated that The Last Guardian had not been cancelled, and would be shown "when it's ready." Speculation that it was transitioning from the PlayStation 3 to the PlayStation 4 were sparked when the company said development was continuing under "completely new conditions."