Development on The Last Guardian first began all the way back in 2007, when Team Ico set about crafting a worthy follow-up to both Ico and Shadow of the Colossus. In those intervening years, the adventure game was struck by a string of setbacks, during which team many feared that the studio would pull the plug altogether.
But fear not, for PlayStation boss Shuhei Yoshida brings word that there is finally – finally! – light at the end of the tunnel now that The Last Guardian has officially gone gold. In layman’s terms, this indicates that principal development on the title has officially wrapped as manufacturers begin pressing TLG onto physical discs. Essentially, barring any day-one patches and/or DLC, Team Ico’s journey is almost at an end.
Per Twitter:
I’ve waited a very long time to say this… The Last Guardian has gone gold! I’m so excited for you all to finally experience it ˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖
— Shuhei Yoshida (@yosp) October 22, 2016
Fumito Ueda, creative mind behind both Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, is the game designer that headed up development, and though it was initially hatched as a PlayStation 3 exclusive, The Last Guardian shifted over to PS4 just prior to the console’s unveiling in 2013. It’s been a long and meandering road, then, but the real question is, has the prolonged wait been worth it? Regardless of whether it sinks or swims, Team Ico’s latest creative effort remains one game that you shouldn’t miss out on this holiday season.
The Last Guardian will stomp onto PS4 on December 6.
