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Some may be quick to brush off the purchase as Sony’s rushed response to Microsoft acquiring Blizzard/Activision, but this judgment might prove to be a little unfair. First, this move would have been in the making long before the Activision news broke. Moreover, by acquiring Bungie, Sony expanded its portfolio to include a development studio that has proven (on multiple occasions) its ability to put out engaging and innovative action games and shooters.
7 Killzone
Once upon a time, the Killzone franchise used to be widely regarded as the “gold standard” for narrative-driven first-person shooters. Back in the PS2 and PS3 eras, these games served as a prime example of the level of refinement that console exclusives should strive towards, both story and gameplay-wise.
This dormant franchise is a perfect match for Bungie Studios. Set in the distant future against the backdrop of a long-standing galactic war, Killzone checks all the boxes of a series the developers over at Bungie would love to get involved with, given their history with games like Destiny or Halo.
6 The Order
Released as one of the earlier Sony exclusives of the PlayStation 4 era, The Order: 1886 was met with mixed responses. Many gamers praised its unique premise and jaw-dropping graphics, but even more people criticized its lack of replay value, disappointing story, and unpolished gameplay elements.
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Understandably, Sony hasn’t pursued a sequel to The Order in recent years. However, if handed to the right developers, the franchise could go through a revival, mainly thanks to its attractive steampunk setting. Given Bungie’s history with the Destiny franchise and their ability to take a divisive title, flesh out its positive aspects while improving upon everything that wasn’t too well-received, one could hardly think of a better studio to elevate this high-potential action-adventure IPto new heights.
5 SOCOM
Tactical shooters have always been a very popular genre, and Sony attempted to capitalize on this trend in the PS2 era with the release of SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs. This exclusive title turned out to not only start a decent shooter franchise but also showcased the PlayStation 2’s online capabilities. As opposed to series like Counter-Strike or Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six (which SOCOM was clearly inspired by), these games were played from the third-person point of view.
This fresh perspective enabled players to see the battlefield in a completely different way and forced them to take different strategic approaches. Bungie’s track record with shooters is impeccable, and seeing how it successfully dabbled in third-person action games at the turn of the century (the great, but forgotten Oni comes to mind), the studio should be able to do a great job in bringing the cult-classic SOCOM franchise back to life.
4 Resistance
Much like Killzone, Resistance feels like a franchise that was tailor-made to get taken over by Bungie Studios. A first-person shooter series with futuristic and unconventional weaponry and a plot that revolves around fighting off an alien invasion sounds eerily similar to the premises of the Washington-based studio’s greatest hits.
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With the last Resistance title having released on the PS Vita in 2012, this spring will mark ten years of the franchise’s inactivity, which could also be the perfect time for announcing the works on a new entry. Resistance is fondly remembered by players and critics to this day, and a new title developed by Bungie would surely send waves of joy across the gaming community.
3 Syphon Filter
This third-person action franchise has not only been dormant for well over fifteen years, but it is also a largely forgotten relic of a bygone era. Cynics have criticized it for being a little too inspired by the Metal Gear series, but even they couldn’t deny that Syphon Filter games were simply a blast to play.
Seeing as the latest Syphon Filter game was released in 2007 on the PSP, a reboot of the franchise could prove to be a massive hit. With linear, single-player experiences enjoying a renaissance, Bungie could take on Syphon Filter to deliver a high-quality, refined product in the vein of Oni gameplay-wise, with a grandiose, linear plot that resembles the earliestHalo games.
2 Twisted Metal
Contrary to the rest of the dormant PlayStation titles that Bungie Studios would do a great job reviving, Twisted Metal doesn’t seem like the most obvious match for the largely shooter-focused studio. After all, as a quirky, yet innovative vehicular combat game, the series doesn’t have too much in common with Bungie’s most successful titles.
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The studio isn’t completely inexperienced when it comes to vehicular combat, though. It was Bungie who introduced the intuitive and smoothly-controlled vehicles in Halo: Combat Evolved. Taking what they’ve learned about making combat vehicles when working on the Halo titles and applying it to Twisted Metal on a much wider scale could be the perfect recipe for modernizing the aged fan-favorite franchise.
1 Infamous
The Infamous series was a short-lived one, but these games were definitely stand-out Sony exclusives in the PS3 and PS4 eras. Infamous was an interesting twist on the superhero genre as it allowed players to choose whether their superpower-wielding characters would be heroes or villains.
Despite running for only five years, the Infamous games managed to amass a sizable following thanks to action-packed sequences, responsive controls, and a creative approach to superpowers. Reviving this IP would allow Bungie to add even more variety to Infamous’s gameplay, given what the studio did with Destiny and the freedom its players have with choosing their own unique play style.
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