Given Sony’s recent struggles with online games, it feels almost wrong to even suggest that the PS2 classic Shadow of the Colossus could have worked as an online experience.
But that was what auteur Fumito Ueda originally had in mind.
A recent interview with a former Sony employee, commemorating the game’s 20th anniversary, brought back memories of the original pitch video. This video was included as a bonus feature with early Japanese pre-orders of the game, ICO.
An early concept for the game, created to secure funding, featured players on horseback exploring an open world reminiscent of Shadow of the Colossus. They used arrows to divert a giant creature while one player scaled it.
He told Denfaminicogamer, as spotted by Genki on X (or Twitter):
Honestly, what really excited me about this project was the idea of teaming up with other players online and achieving something together. But, as I’ve mentioned before, we just didn’t have the tech to pull it off at the time. We looked at everything, really weighed our options, and ultimately decided to focus on a different direction and leave the online stuff out. It wasn’t an easy call, but it felt like the right one given our limitations.
Ueda confessed he was completely hooked on Battlefield 1942, a popular online game where players worked together in large-scale battles.
However, the novelty eventually wore off, and he gravitated back towards single player experiences.
He said:
Video games began as simple entertainment where you competed against the computer. But what really captured my attention was the possibility of interacting with something that felt genuinely alive, even when playing solo.
The Last Guardian probably originated from the concept of being completely isolated, but needing to work together with an animal companion to move forward.
It’s fun to imagine what might have been, but an online multiplayer version of Shadow of the Colossus actually sounds pretty good. It could have even paved the way for games like Monster Hunter.
Ultimately, the game became a PlayStation classic, and Ueda’s vision clearly paid off. However, it’s still interesting to imagine how different things could have turned out.
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2025-10-28 09:36