At Tokyo Game Show 2013, a teaser trailer for Gravity Rush 2 (called Gravity Daze 2 in Japan) was shown, confirming the development of the cult hit sequel. However, no specific platform was announced for the project, leading some fans to believe that it may end up on the PS4 while others arestill hoping for a Vita version. We at Game Idealist think that it may be best for Sony to release Gravity Rush 2 on the current-gen console instead of the handheld. You can find our reasons below.
Console Roots
The transition from developing a handheld game to a console title would not be too jarring for Team Gravity. This is because the original Gravity Rush actually started out as a PlayStation 3 game before being moved to the Vita. Team Gravity was previously known as Project Siren as well, releasing several games from the Siren series on the PS2 and PS3.
Sony as a whole appears to be done developing high budget games on the Vita. Instead, all of the major development teams have apparently moved on to work on PS4 games.
While developing for the PlayStation 4 definitely requires a lot more resources when compared to the Vita, it will be worth the effort in the end as more copies of the game are sold due to differences in install bases between the two platforms.
Reaching More Customers
Being on the PlayStation 4 instead of the Vita would significantly increase the sales potential of Gravity Rush 2. Sony recently announced that more than 20.2 million PS4 units have been sold to customers since launching in November of 2013, making it the second fastest selling home console ever (only slightly less than the Nintendo Wii).
On the other hand, the PlayStation Vita has sold much less even though it launched first in late 2011. In fact, Sony does not even bother releasing any sales data for the handheld. Another factor to consider is that the PS4 sales will continue to grow as Sony hasn’t even drop the price yet. In contrast, Sony hasn’t been aggressively advertising the Vita for a long time, leading many to believe that the company is mainly focusing on the current-gen console.
If the Gravity Rush franchise were to continue, we feel that it has to appear on a more popular platform than the PlayStation Vita.
Less Graphical Compromises
Developing Gravity Rush 2 on the PS4 would also give Team Gravity more room to work with. While the original game looks great on the Vita, it did suffer from severe pop-in issues as you see people and objects appear out of thin air when flying around. The buildings in the distance will also lose their textures until you get within a closer distance.
Team Gravity could use the extra horsepower of the PlayStation 4 to not only fix the graphical issues but also further expand upon the unique gravity-defying gameplay. The open-world environment, for example, could feel a lot busier. On the Vita, the development team would have to deal with more hardware limitations.
While Sony could always release Gravity Rush 2 on both the PS4 and Vita, Team Gravity will be forced to develop on the lowest common denominator. So the game will be much better off being a PlayStation 4 exclusive.
The sequel currently has no release date. Hopefully, we will hear more about the game, including what platform it will be on, sometime later this year.