Bluepoint Games

Bluepoint Games is a developer.

Bluepoint Games Webpage, Facebook

A development studio based in Austin, Texas. Established in 2006, the studio has developed a strong reputation over the years for its work on conversions, remasters, and remakes. It specializes in adapting and remastering games for both handheld devices and home consoles. Since September 30th, 2021, Bluepoint Games has been officially owned by Sony and operates as part of PlayStation Studios.

History

Bluepoint Games was founded in 2006 by former members of the team behind the Metroid Prime series - Marco Trush, who became the company''s president, and Andy O'Neil, its vice president. In the same year, the studio launched its first project, Blast Factor, an arcade game that was among the earliest PlayStation 3 exclusives distributed digitally.

Specialists in remasters…

Three years later, a new chapter began for Bluepoint Games - one that continues to this day. In 2009, the team announced they were working on remastered versions of the first and second installments of the God of War series, developed for the PlayStation 3. Titled God of War Collection, the release was met with acclaim from fans and reviewers, establishing the team as a leading remaster developer. The studio's next undertaking came in 2010, when it was tasked with remastering the PlayStation 2 classics Ico and Shadow of the Colossus. They debuted on PlayStation 3 less than a year later as the Team ICO Collection.

This wasn't Bluepoint Games' only project that year. For Konami, the studio developed the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection - a bundle featuring remastered versions of Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance, Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence, and Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. Unlike the team's previous projects, this release appeared on both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, and was later ported to the PlayStation Vita.

Over the next few years, Bluepoint Games collaborated with Sony Santa Monica and SuperBot Entertainment on PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale. The studio handled the PlayStation Vita port, powered by its own Bluepoint Engine.

Owing to the team's expertise in ports and remasters, Electronic Arts and Respawn Entertainment commissioned Bluepoint Games to develop the Titanfall port for Xbox 360. The developers once again demonstrated their technical excellence, as seen in the remastered version of Flower, released for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita in 2013.

Two years later, Bluepoint Games released another compilation of its remastered hits. The project focused on the Uncharted trilogy, originally a PS3 exclusive. Released for PlayStation 4 under the title Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection, the compilation preceded the launch of the fourth game in the series. In 2016, Gravity Rush Remastered made its debut, this time ported from PlayStation Vita to PlayStation 4, shortly before the release of Gravity Rush 2.

…and masters of remakes?

During E3 2017, Sony Interactive Entertainment announced that Bluepoint Games would develop a full remake of one of the most iconic PlayStation 2 games. We are talking about Shadow of the Colossus, whose new version was released on PlayStation 4 in February 2018. The developers focused primarily on the graphics, completely redesigning the game's visuals from scratch, while also making improvements to certain gameplay mechanics, particularly the controls. In June 2020, Bluepoint Games announced its next project, developed in collaboration with SIE Japan Studio. That game was Demon's Souls, a comprehensive remake of FromSoftware's best-selling game, which helped pioneer the soulslike genre. Designed for PlayStation 5, the game was set to launch alongside the console on November 12th, reaching Europe a week later. Following the approach of prior projects, the developers focused on a complete graphical overhaul to maximize the potential of the ninth-generation console.

In June 2021, Sony accidentally leaked the news on PlayStation Japan's Twitter that Bluepoint Games was about to be acquired. Official confirmation did not arrive until September 30th, when the team was formally welcomed by its new owner. While it was unclear what the team was working on, Marco Thrush, the studio's leader, confirmed that after years of remasters and remakes, the studio had received approval to develop an original production.