The studio made the announcement on Twitter, writing, “Our PixelOpus adventure has come to an end. As we look to new futures, we wanted to say a heartfelt thank you to the millions of passionate players who have supported us, and our mission to make beautiful, imaginative games with heart.”

The California-based studio was founded in 2014, and in the same year, it released rhythm title Entwined for PS4, PS3, and PS Vita. Following the launch of Concrete Genie, the studio confirmed in 2021 that it was staffing up to work on “an exciting new PlayStation 5 title”.

Sony has yet to officially announce the studio’s closure, so there’s no word yet on whether its entire team has been laid off, or whether the project it was working on will be moved to a different developer.

https://twitter.com/Pixelopus/status/1654563543386296320

Along with Baker, prominent leaker AccountNgt has also made similar claims on Twitter of a Sly Cooper 5 being set for announcement later this year. Along with Sly Cooper 5, AccountNgt also claims that a game in the inFamous franchise is also under development. The superhero franchise has been dormant since 2014 saw the release of inFamous: Second Son, followed by its standalone expansion, inFamous: First Light.

It is worth noting that considering the reports of Sony’s lack of plans for June’s slate of gaming events, it is more likely that we’ll see Sly Cooper 5 announced during Sony’s reportedly-planned September event. Baker, AccountNgt, and previous reports indicate that Sony doesn’t have any event planned before September.

Rumours from earlier this year indicate that Sly Cooper 5 is being developed by Concrete Genie studio PixelOpus. Since series-creator Sucker Punch isn’t involved with Sly Cooper‘s new game, it is currently unknown what the studio is working on since the release of its critically-acclaimed game Ghost of Tsushima. Since rumours of a new inFamous game being in development are circulating, it is possible that Sucker Punch might be involved with development to some extent.

It is worth keeping in mind that, as these are rumours, they should all be taken with a grain of salt. Until Sony makes an official announcement, there is no veracity to claims of a new Sly Cooper or inFamous game.

https://twitter.com/accngt/status/1528867378708512768

Leaker AccountNGT recently tweeted that, “The next Sly Cooper is not developed by Sucker Punch.” Though further details were lacking, Xbox Era co-founder Nick Baker tweeted that it may be PixelOpus of Concrete Genie fame. Speaking to a source that gave the green light, though both are still “not 100 percent certain,” Baker said “It’s believed that PixelOpus (as many of you have guessed) possibly in collaboration with Sony Animation are the ones working on Sly. I also believe Sony Animation is on the cartoon project.”

PixelOpus was noted last year to be working on an “exciting” new PS5 title. If the rumors are true, then Sly Cooper would be akin to Twisted Metal which is getting a live-action television series along with the rumored new title. Time will tell but considering the rich lore of the series and its characters, a Sly Cooper cartoon would be pretty cool. Take things with a grain of salt as usually though and stay tuned for more details in the coming months.

https://twitter.com/accngt/status/1501232009599152129

Ok…so, my source *has* given me the green light, but we’re still not 100% certain. But it’s believed that Pixel Opus (as many of you have guessed) possibly in collaboration with Sony Animation are the ones working on Sly. I also believe Sony Animation is on the cartoon project https://t.co/HcIY0UjFpz

— Balatro Nick  (@Shpeshal_Nick) March 9, 2022

Known for releasing Concrete Genie in 2019, PixelOpus revealed on Twitter that it was hiring for a new PS5 title. “We are hard at work on an exciting new PlayStation 5 title, and continuing to grow. Come and join us on this unique project within #PlayStationStudios!” The developer shared two job listings, one for a principal graphics programmer and the other for a senior engine programmer. Working with Unreal Engine 5 is stated for both, so it’s likely that the developer’s next title could utilize the same.

Concrete Genie is currently available for PS4 and has received a good amount of critical acclaim. You can check out our review for it here. Among other PlayStation Studios news is the news that Horizon Forbidden West is “on track” for a Holiday 2021 release but is still uncertain due to ongoing challenges with performance capture. Check out more on that here.

#PixelOpus is hiring! We are hard at work on an exciting new PlayStation 5 title, and continuing to grow. Come and join us on this unique project within #PlayStationStudios!#PlayStation #SIE #hiring #Sonyhttps://t.co/nJidL5ADq6https://t.co/xsNUySVyjn

— PixelOpus (@Pixelopus) June 3, 2021

Following its State of Play presentation for Destruction AllStars, Sony has announced the free games for PlayStation Plus subscribers in February. Destruction AllStars is included along with Control: Ultimate Edition on PS5. PS4 players will also receive the latter along with the underrated Concrete Genie.

Destruction AllStars received tons of new details recently, from its vehicle types and Hero abilities to Destruction Points and Challenge Series. It will be free for two months on PlayStation Plus and then retail for $70. Control: Ultimate Edition includes the base game and two expansions, The Foundation and AWE, with support for ray-tracing and 60 FPS modes.

Those who play Control: Ultimate Edition on PS4 can transfer their save data over to the PS5 version. However, those who own the base game cannot and even if the expansions were purchased separately, there’s no free upgrade option. All three of the above titles will be available free on PlayStation Plus from February 2nd to March 1st.

After many years of waiting, Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Tsushima finally launched officially as of today. The game promises a vast open world where you take on the role of Jin, a samurai torn between his strict code and his home that’s under invasion from a powerful enemy. It will mark the final major first party release from Sony for the PS4, and fittingly, the other Sony first party studios have tipped their straw hat to the new IP.

Naughty Dog, Sony Santa Monica, Insomniac Games, Media Molecule, Bend Studio and Pixelopus all posted some art either showing Jin crossing over with the protagonist from each studio’s latest game, or an homage to Ghost in their own unique way. Probably my personal favorite is ninja Ratchet from the Ratchet and Clank series looking completely lost and out of place. You can see them all below.

Ghost of Tsushima is out now exclusively for PlayStation 4. For some starter tips on how to best tackle the game, we’ve got you covered through here.

Two Ghosts and a Boy (and a fox).

Congratulations to the team @SuckerPunchProd on the official launch of Ghost of Tsushima! We can't wait to play in the beautiful world you have created.
All of your friends @SonySantaMonica #GhostofTsushima #playstation
Credit: @dlongfish pic.twitter.com/etjJjVB1fD

— Santa Monica Studio – God of War Ragnarök (@SonySantaMonica) July 17, 2020

CONGRATULATIONS to our friends at @SuckerPunchProd on the launch of #GhostOfTsushima! Now our weekend is going to go by so quick! pic.twitter.com/pi9MCxjKp5

— Insomniac Games (@insomniacgames) July 17, 2020

https://twitter.com/Pixelopus/status/1284161505412313088?s=20

https://twitter.com/mediamolecule/status/1284074874332381185?s=20

Congratulations to our family up at @SuckerPunchProd on the launch of #GhostOfTsushima! We're ready to learn the way of the Ghost and fight alongside Jin and take on the Mongol Empire! pic.twitter.com/NZvPY3TWSb

— Bend Studio (@BendStudio) July 17, 2020

Congratulations to our wonderful friends at @SuckerPunchProd on launching #GhostofTsushima! We're all so excited to play and experience the story and stunning world you've created.

Art by Hyoung T. Nam. pic.twitter.com/Ml0abOvzDo

— Naughty Dog (@Naughty_Dog) July 17, 2020

PixelOpus’ Concrete Genie is out now, and though it might not be Sony’s most high profile release this year, it’s certainly no slouch as far as quality is concerned. It’s a charming, unique little adventure, and I wouldn’t be surprised if you wanted more of it by the time you were done with the story.

However, for now it’s looking like repeat playthroughs will have to serve that purpose, since the developers don’t currently seem to have any plans for DLC in the near future. The studio confirmed in response to a question over on Twitter that other than the additional Pond brush design pack available in the game’s Digital Deluxe, they have no other extra content for the game. That said, they also said that DLC might be “possible”, and to “watch this space.”

Concrete Genie is out now for PS4, and is also compatible with PSVR. In our review of the game, we lauded it for being able to “successfully blend its dark undertones with lighthearted playfulness all while still remembering it’s a video game first and foremost”. Read our full review through here.

We have an additional Pond brush design pack in the Digital Deluxe version (which you can upgrade to from either the digital or disc based standard editions) which has 12 new designs, but beyond that we have nothing specific planned. It’s possible though so watch this space!

— PixelOpus (@Pixelopus) October 14, 2019

Young teen artist, Ash, is the perpetual mark of a troop of bullies in the desolate seaside town of Denska. Our journey starts on a bleak day when the group runs across our hero quietly minding his business and subsequently steal the sketchbook he uses for drawing. Things quickly get out of control, leaving the book’s pages scattered about the town and prompting Ash to set out in an attempt to retrieve them. But in an interesting turn of events, he’s introduced to Luna, one of his paintings that has mysteriously become sentient and seems desperate to solve the case of why a purple substance is overtaking the town, and his quest expands well beyond his wildest dreams.

"Grass, trees, suns, rainbows – there are dozens of unique paintings to be found, and each of them have a use at some point in the game’s story."

Concrete Genie is a dark game both figuratively and literally. Its story deals maturely with the concepts of mental and physical bullying, coping mechanisms, and the looming threat of alienation from one’s peers. Meanwhile, Denska is an abandoned, dreary town full of fog and rain, lending a very real sense of dread to the game’s atmosphere. This gloomy aesthetic is far from unattractive though, leaning heavily on an art style reminiscent of games like Life is Strange and Tearaway to bolster its visual uniqueness. And though I never grew particularly attached to any of the cast besides Ash, their distinctive personalities are captured elegantly through the use of interesting facial animations that draw clear inspiration from stop-motion films.

Despite his ever-present feelings of estrangement, Ash is determined to bring Denska back to life with his colorful paint and the help of the titular painted genies that wander about the walls of the levels with you. Using a magical brush and the DualShock 4’s motion controls, you’ll paint a variety of items on the walls of the town in an attempt to turn on lights that hang along the rooftops. Grass, trees, suns, rainbows – there are dozens of unique paintings to be found, and each of them have a use at some point in the game’s story.

Painting vivid auroras and thunderous skies sounds enthralling in theory, but Concrete Genie ultimately presents a half-baked sense of creativity. You’ll collect loads of new things to paint and be given a plethora of blank canvases on which to paint them, but it doesn’t really mean much when you’re asked to repeatedly draw identical items dozens of times. And the game gives no incentive to paint the items with any feeling of creative vision since you can just slap it on a wall any old way and be successful. At least painting is a leisurely exercise since there’s never imposing danger that demands rapid completion, so you’ve got plenty of time to cover Denska with your lustrous paintings at your own pace.

The genies act as companions who require you to paint specific items to stay happy, and you’re given a bit of freedom to design them yourself using some of the pages you’ve found on your journey. More importantly, they possess the ability to perform tasks to aid you in your quest based on their color – red genies can burn red tarps, yellow genies use electricity to power switches, and blue genies blow wind to move objects for you. These unique characteristics give each of them tangible benefits, and some of the game’s environmental puzzles require the use of more than one type to solve. Plus, since a genie remains in your world well after they’re initially needed, your ranks grow exponentially over time to allow for plenty of playful interactivity and simple puzzle-solving.

When you’re not painting bright and colorful vistas on the town’s dilapidated buildings, you’ll spend a lot of your time climbing and navigating them. A lot of Concrete Genie takes place on rooftops as you track down a copious amount of scattered pages, newspapers, and collectible memories throughout Denska. Climbing is responsive and functions similar to games like Uncharted, acting as a compliment to the otherwise conventional platforming. An extremely basic stealth system allows you to make your way to a rooftop and call out to the wandering bullies to relocate them and provide you an opportunity to reach new spots. All of these gameplay elements are very rudimentary, but when combined, they keep the moment-to-moment gameplay feeling more involved than I initially expected.

Completionists will appreciate that Concrete Genie features a bevy of collection notes and trackers and an adequate map for finding its many optional collectibles. But even with that assistance, the game does a great job of hiding certain pages in trash cans or other inconspicuous places that require you to do some additional exploring to track them all down. Thankfully, each of the town’s districts feel distinctive, and most of them are interconnected in ways that allow for easy backtracking, so I never felt like I was wasting time wandering around the streets and rooftops in my pursuit of extras.

"A duo of included VR-only modes give Concrete Genie a bit of extra replay value for those seeking to get even more mileage out of the game."

A surprisingly violent turn in the back end of Concrete Genie comes out of nowhere to set up the endgame while also introducing an underwhelming and clunky combat mechanic that is otherwise absent from the first few acts of the game. During this final act, Ash also gains the ability to skate on paint, and while it’s fun to glide around the town quickly, it unfortunately doesn’t create any additional exploration opportunities. These new mechanics feel like an attempt to offer something more traditional to balance out the game’s creation-based aspects, but I couldn’t help but feel like they could’ve benefitted from being integrated into the game earlier with a more fleshed-out design.

A duo of included VR-only modes give Concrete Genie a bit of extra replay value for those seeking to get even more mileage out of the game. These modes take place in a first-person perspective with one offering objectives and another serving as an open-ended free paint mode. But regardless of your choice, you’re still not granted the freedom to paint anything you wish, relying solely on premade items that chosen from Ash’s sketchbook. Considering these modes require two PS Move controllers, it’s disappointing that we’re not given the option to create things from our own imaginations.

Concrete Genie never quite measures up to its own aspirations, and I would’ve loved to see what Pixelopus could’ve done with a bigger budget and some expanded mechanics. But after wrapping the game up in about 5 hours, I left Ash and his genies having experienced a pleasant afternoon of enchanted entertainment. In an age where so many games try to take themselves too seriously and value narrative over gameplay, Concrete Genie manages to successfully blend its dark undertones with lighthearted playfulness all while still remembering it’s a video game first and foremost. For that, it’s worth every penny.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 4.

The upcoming game from Sony and PixelOpus, Concrete Genie, is almost here, after having recently wrapped up development. The game is a burst of creativity that follows a boy named Ash, who is on a quest to save his lost notebook doodles to liven up the scenery of his home city. Today we got a very lengthy look at the gameplay, along with some helpful commentary.

The video was posted by PlayStation Underground, and includes 17 minutes of gameplay footage to give you a solid idea of what the game will play like. It also includes commentary from Creative Director Dominic Robilliard and Art Director Jeff Sangalli, who take us through Ash’s work on the seaside town of Denska.

Concrete Genie releases October 8th exclusively on PlayStation 4. The game also includes a VR option that includes a VR Free Paint Mode that requires two Move controllers, which you can read about through here. You can check out the gameplay preview below.

PixelOpus’s Concrete Genie is out next month and offers a unique action-adventure story about illustration, graffiti, and overcoming one’s fears. Taking to Twitter, the developer has announced that the game has gone gold. This means that principle development is finished, and that it’s ready for shipping and being pressed onto discs.

Concrete Genie follows Ash, a young boy who doodles in his notebook, which is subsequently torn up by the local bullies. He sets out on a journey to recover those pages, but also takes to liven up the town with his creations. There’s also a Photo Mode, which will have a Replay function with clips of Ash customizing his photos that can be shared.

There’s also the VR Experience, where Ash ventures below the lighthouse along with Splotch, a genie. Then there’s VR Free Paint Mode, which provides access to four different places for creating art with Living Paint and Genie brushes earned during the story. Concrete Genie releases on October 8th for PS4, so stay tuned for more details on the game.

WE DID IT! #ConcreteGenie has gone gold! pic.twitter.com/EfjiFkLC1v

— PixelOpus (@Pixelopus) September 6, 2019