June 16, 2011June 17, 2011

E3 Replay: Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time

I wanted to thank everyone for the great reception we received at E3 when we announced the next installment of the Sly Cooper franchise, Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time, which will come to the PlayStation 3 in 2012.

In case you missed it last week, here’s a broadcast segment we did with the PlayStation.blog live from the SCEA booth on the E3 show floor. We knew Jeff Rubenstein was a big fan of the series and this was the first time he had a chance to see what we had been up to. He had a bunch of great questions for us, and a bunch more that we’ll be answering over the next few months!

Seven of us founded Sanzaru Games back at the beginning of 2007 and since then we have been hard at work, steadily increasing the size and quality of the games we work on. Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time will be our third game with SCEA; last year we released The Sly Collection for the PS3. It’s been great to work with the SCEA world class production team behind Ratchet & Clank, Jak and Daxter, inFAMOUS, UNCHARTED, Resistance and, of course, The Sly Cooper series!

We realized back in 2008 when we pitched the idea of working on the next Sly Cooper that it was a pretty crazy idea, but we absolutely love the series and are glad that once people saw our hard work they responded enthusiastically.

A question I was asked several times at the show was “Isn’t it a huge amount of pressure to take on such a big franchise like Sly Cooper?” I think my answer really sums up the spirit of Sanzaru: we are infinitely more excited about the fact that we are working on something as cool and fun as Sly Cooper and this excitement feeds on itself as people are constantly coming up with cool new ideas to incorporate into the game. So while I wouldn’t describe the process of making such a big game as easy we are more excited to see how it all comes together.

So thanks again for the support and stay tuned for more cool announcements about the game over the next few months!

Comments are closed.

64 Comments

10 Author Replies

Snugville
June 16, 2011 at 10:30 am PDT

First
Craiji
June 16, 2011 at 10:38 am PDT

Does Sucker Punch have any input or impact on the project?
- Glen Egan
  June 16, 2011 at 4:57 pm PDT
  
  Of course! We wouldn’t be doing it if they weren’t on board :D
Huuuze
June 16, 2011 at 10:40 am PDT

Will the “hidden bottle” gameplay feature be returning? I really enjoyed that in the first two games.
Seeing_Red_Again
June 16, 2011 at 10:43 am PDT

Looks amazing, thank you guys at Sanzaru Games for making a Sly 4!
- Glen Egan
  June 16, 2011 at 5:21 pm PDT
  
  Cheers!
Huuuze
June 16, 2011 at 10:44 am PDT

Ha….should’ve watched the video first. Yes, they’ll be back!
- Glen Egan
  June 16, 2011 at 4:58 pm PDT
  
  Hehe, yup!
Gekidami
June 16, 2011 at 10:44 am PDT

I hope the visuals are FAR from final, because that demo isnt a far cry from a PS2 game…
UnforgivenWolf
June 16, 2011 at 10:45 am PDT

Wooo they coming back! :D
Chuckbait
June 16, 2011 at 10:53 am PDT

I’m enjoying the welcome back games, and appreciate the apology from the e3 press conference, but other than that I think Sony’s e3 was pretty bad. I am already sick of these e3 posts (i’m probably in the minority),

but Sly Cooper (not made by Sucker Punch)
and a new Twisted Metal….

and all these remakes… can we have some new original franchises???

I never cared about Uncharted, and Vita should have L1, L2 R1, R2 buttons….

So your original games….. they only come out in downloadable form??

Put some posts on here about lesser known, or original games, please.

Should I buy Fancy Pants, or Outland folks?
Lexaus1222
June 16, 2011 at 10:55 am PDT

When I saw the trailer during the conference, I don’t think I could measure my excitement level on a richter scale! A few questions: 1) Will we be seeing the (playable) return of all of the members from the new Sly gang, AKA Panda King, Penelope, Guru and Dimitri? 2) How was it for the team to create new worlds and characters from scratch for the series on the PS3 instead of just converting for the HD Collection? and 3) How will Sly explain his ‘lack of amnesia’ to Camelita? I expect a lot of angry shooting after that talk!
- Glen Egan
  June 16, 2011 at 5:13 pm PDT
  
  We love Carmelita when she is angry, it will be fun! It has been a great experience for the team bringing the Sly universe onto the PS3 – bringing characters over to the PS3 means we have a lot more processing power to work with so we can increase texture detail and animation bone counts and so on to make them even more expressive. With the environments we again have more processing power to add depth and detail but we are making sure to stay grounded in the art style: bold, simple shapes and rich colours!
  As far as returning characters goes we will definitely have some more news to share in the next few months so stay tuned :D
  Cheers!
tiuur
June 16, 2011 at 11:02 am PDT

They better fix that face! Those graphics seem like PS2 =/
kivi95
June 16, 2011 at 11:21 am PDT

8# Without an question OUTLAND!!!!
fraz17
June 16, 2011 at 11:21 am PDT

There is always going to be some doubt when a different developer makes a new game of an awesome franchise but from what I have just seen, Sanzaru seem to be doing a great job.

+ The environment looks gorgeous and it stays true to the original games. I can’t wait to see what other environments there are to see and explore.

+ Kevin Miller and co returning is always an awesome thing. Irreplaceable.

+ The boss battle shown looks epic, something that the original games never quite had in my opinion. I also love that costumes are more functional in this game, nice idea.

+ It just looks like classic Sly Cooper fun!

Overall, it looks great and a worthy entry to the Cooper franchise. I can’t wait to see more.

P.S – So that’s Ratchet & Clank on the PS3, Sly is on his way soon and now that just leaves a certain demolition duo to arrive…
- Glen Egan
  June 16, 2011 at 5:39 pm PDT
  
  Cheers – thanks for the support.
  
  If you like Kevin and Co go check out his podcast: http://www.secondfunniestpodcast.com
  
  He’ll often get together with Matt Olsen (Bentley) and Chris Murphy (Murray) and talk Sly Cooper stuff!
CFD13
June 16, 2011 at 11:34 am PDT

Please Sanzaru Games give us a collectors edition with a life sized replica of Sly’s cane, that would just be a dream come true. I know Epic games are selling replicas of the Lancer for Gears 3 and making a cane isn’t nearing as tedious as making a gun and it would be soo cool to have. I’ve been a Sly fan since the first and was thrilled to hear of another Sly this is a day 1 purchase for me :D
- Glen Egan
  June 16, 2011 at 5:15 pm PDT
  
  We agree! Not sure how we would make it happen but I definitely want to try :D
Buckis2002
June 16, 2011 at 11:35 am PDT

if you looked at one of the movie theaters in infamous 2 look at the thing that is announcing current movies and it says Sly 4 so it did tease Sly 4
McDouble872
June 16, 2011 at 11:40 am PDT

“i waited for u for 7 years…” lol. I loved the first 2 games. go sly,go!
McDouble872
June 16, 2011 at 11:41 am PDT

first 3 games lol
Winter324
June 16, 2011 at 12:13 pm PDT

Even if the graphics are PS2-esque (not saying that I agree) I would play this on the PSOne if it meant more Sly.
NamesIrish13
June 16, 2011 at 12:17 pm PDT

OMG!!!! So pumped for this game.
sleepy92
June 16, 2011 at 12:32 pm PDT

I love Sly Cooper! Having the first 3 games on one blu ray disc in HD is awesome. The Sly Collection is one of my favorite games of all time.

The Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time reveal was the highlight of my E3. I was a bit disappointed when I found out Sucker Punch weren’t developing it but from what I’ve seen of the game so far, it looks like another worthy entry in one of my favorite series.

Don’t listen to the people saying the graphics aren’t good enough. Art style is much more important to me than graphics and according to the videos in the article above, you guys are going to nail the Sly Cooper art style. This game is going to look gorgeous.

I have faith in you Sanzaru Games. Make me proud.
- Glen Egan
  June 16, 2011 at 5:20 pm PDT
  
  Thank you for the support – we won’t let you down!
KazeEternal
June 16, 2011 at 12:51 pm PDT

Can you guys bump suckerpunch over the bugs in Infamous 2. I’ve had 3 serious crashes, a detached camera, and audio anomalies. One crash occurred during the final battle twice during a segment of herroism by one of the protagonists in my approach of being good…. hopefully that isn’t too veg.
BLipp17
June 16, 2011 at 1:02 pm PDT

now we just need a new Jak & Daxter game and the trio will be complete! comeon sony! maybe starting with a Jak HD Collection? ;)
MadMeat001
June 16, 2011 at 2:37 pm PDT

Great interview Jeff! I laughed when you commented about spoilers, and it’s awesome to see a new Sly current gen 3D platformer :)
The game looks like great fun!
BoredUltimatum
June 16, 2011 at 3:19 pm PDT

+1 for #21. PS2 BC would be better but since that won’t ever even be a higher priced option, the HD collection is the next best thing. Make it reasonably priced though. I’m not paying $60 for a collection I already have with slightly better graphics and wireless controllers. An R&C collection would be nice too…
krae_man
June 16, 2011 at 5:19 pm PDT

Darn it. Looks like you’re going the Sly 2/3 route and not the Sly 1 route. I would have preferred you brought back the one hit your dead death mechanic and designed the levels around that instead of the multi hit health bar model of the sequels.

Also Cancel all developement of other playable characters. Playing anyone other then Sly sucks, always will suck and there is nothing you can to to make them not suck.

The Hub world and each level being one giant heist was the only part of the squels worth saving, everything else was better in the first game. Really dissappointed you don’t realise that.
Trevelyan
June 16, 2011 at 6:59 pm PDT

Really happy to see the PS Blog make a post about this. Words can’t describe my excitement of finally seeing this game, thank you so much Sanzaru for making this possible, and I wish you guys the best of luck in bring Sly back and better than to the PS3!

Oh yeah, I know you said 2012, but I assume that’s all you can say for now? No, Q1, Q2…etc? ;)
auron1014
June 16, 2011 at 9:58 pm PDT

I’ve been a Sly fan from the PS2 days and I really like what I’m seeing! Sly 3 was my favorite but I was bummed when I realized there weren’t clue bottles so I’m happy to see those coming back. I’m glad Sly 4 is being made by big fans of the series!
Symbiote1996
June 16, 2011 at 10:43 pm PDT

Finally he’s back, I got so happy when I saw it at E3 live, and Sanzaru is making a really good job, one question though… Are the controls the same, like, do you still run by holding down R1 or did they have to change it? Please reply!!!
- Glen Egan
  June 17, 2011 at 2:33 pm PDT
  
  The basic controls for Sly will remain the same, they just feel so natural with the character, but there are some new things coming so stay tuned!
Darkstar01FTW
June 16, 2011 at 11:48 pm PDT

i DID not see that coming xD
imcrazy1111
June 17, 2011 at 1:14 am PDT

I just died of a heart attack from excitment and went to heaven were Sly 4 came out. Wait, its happening on earth!? As a big of a Sly fan that i am, i really can’t wait to see Sly Bently Murry and Carmalita in the new and improved graphics, sure there are other characters but those four are what sly is all about. I’m gonna be pre ordering this for sure. I have played all of the Slys one thru three multipule times over and over then i pre ordered the Sly Collection which was great. Now i have this to add along with the others!
iZalman007
June 17, 2011 at 1:49 am PDT

Hey Sanzaru Games! Thank you for taking over the franchise, we really need a new Sly game for the PS3.

I’ve watched all the interviews and previews, and I’m extremely excited for this game! As a hardcore fan of the series, I have a few questions which I really hope you’ll answer for me. It would mean a lot!

1) Why did you decide to call it Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time and not Sly 4: Thieves in Time? This is the sequel to Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves, after all. Wouldn’t it make sense to follow the same name pattern as the previous games?

2) What is your relationship with Sucker Punch? How often do they check up on the game? What is their role in the development? Did they work on the story with you guys?

3) This isn’t really a question but a request. Please do a Collector’s Edition! A lot of people seem to want a life sized replica of Sly’s cane, which would be really cool. However, it’s not a must. I just want a Collector’s Edition to show my love for the series. An artbook and a soundtrack would do!

Thanks for reading, and as I said, I would really appreciate a reply. You have my support and I can’t wait to see more gameplay footage of Sly 4!
- Glen Egan
  June 21, 2011 at 4:25 pm PDT
  
  Hi there, thanks for the support!
  
  Question 1) The reason behind the title will become apparent later :D
  
  Question 2) Sucker Punch as you know has been extremely busy with the awesome inFAMOUS 2 so we don’t bug them too often! We set them up with builds and also have them take a look at story ideas and stuff to make sure we are staying true to the universe they created.
  
  Question 3) Great ideas, we are going to hassle all the powers that be to try and make these things happen!
  
  Cheers!
kbo206
June 17, 2011 at 4:11 am PDT

I’m hearing June 1, 2012
CombustionManX
June 17, 2011 at 5:24 am PDT

It looks pretty good, I just hope they update the graphics a little more than that, with the PS3’s power and Sly’s less hardware intensive graphics style they should be able to make everything super smooth (not blocky like the PS2 games) and crisp, hopefully anti-aliased/1080p. The fire and fog looks pretty abysmal to be honest, as well as Sly, he doesn’t really look much like sly at all. They should try and go for a look that better resembles Sly in the PS2 cutscenes more, or better yet that trailer they released for Sly 4 at E3. At the moment this looks like a PS2 game, but it also looks pretty fun :)
PvySage89
June 17, 2011 at 6:21 am PDT

I know this is probably a no brainier but are you bring back narrated comic/cartoon panel cut-scenes?
digitalman123
June 17, 2011 at 8:00 am PDT

I’m sincerely glad that the costumes are being handled and usable like Sly 2/3’s, by press/holding a button. It’ll feel needed, but less intrusive. So psyched!
dlbpc
June 17, 2011 at 8:10 am PDT

Good to have another Sly Cooper game, but why is Sly’s cane white? Also, could you make his face look more like Sly? Looks strange at the moment.
Peco12
June 17, 2011 at 9:41 am PDT

Haven’t played the Sly series in a long time since Sly 3, so I’m glad that the series is coming back with this installment of the Sly Cooper series.
zakdude100
June 17, 2011 at 10:25 am PDT

ok got a few questions for you Glen

1) will there be a “adventures of sly cooper #3” to go along with this game to follow the pattern of when the comics are made?(1 released before or after every sly game)
2)will there be alot of these new costumes cause i wouldnt want them to overshadow the cool regular thief moves?
3)i hope this isnt too much of a spoiler question but how many levels will there be? sly 2 had about 8 or 9 which made the game great but sly 3 had 6 which made the game quite short(er).
4)do you have the same music writer for this as with the other games cause he did a great job?

Request- as a preorder bonus move could you have the mega jump (if your gonna have a pre order bonus move) ? you could also include the cooper cane people have been asking for, and the comic which would make a great preorder pack
hope you reply
thanks
- Glen Egan
  June 21, 2011 at 4:36 pm PDT
  
  Hey there, again i will answer the things i can!
  
  1) Stay tuned, we are very focused on the game but should have more info later on
  2) There will be one costume per episode :D
  3) More info on that coming in the next few months!
  4) Yes! I am very pleased to say that Peter McConnell is back as the music director for Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time.
  
  Cheers!
zakdude100
June 17, 2011 at 10:30 am PDT

oh 1 more question i forgot
will the cut scenes still be in the comic style? thats one of the things what made the sly games unique.
Symbiote1996
June 18, 2011 at 6:16 am PDT

Will there be any multiplayer like in Sly 3? It would rock if you did that, and it would be awesome to play the multiplayer mini games online! Please reply.
Venom1976
June 18, 2011 at 9:53 am PDT

It looks like the game is pretty far along in terms of development. hopefully early 2012? I second the cane idea I’d totally jump on that one.
tiuur
June 18, 2011 at 12:26 pm PDT

The story seems to be epic!, apparently the gameplay and other stuff too… BUT what i’m seeing about the graphics is that look a little strange; like the edges of the characters, and most important: the face of Sly. It’s great that you guys are trying to make it more expresive, but we can’t deny that it looks kinda weird. Actually that face looks more like Sly 1. It doesn’t seem like a PS3 game (about graphics quality i’m talking). So sorry if this sounds rude!

Actually I thought that this game will look gorgeous, like the teaser trailer on Sly Collection

You guys can’t imagine how I support you! Since I finished Sly 3 on 2005, I’ve been praying for another Sly Cooper game xD. Plus, you did a great job with the remastering. I just want that this game be awesome, just like Sly Cooper Gang deserve it! And I think that making an extra effort to do better (and expressive) graphics, the whole Sly Cooper fans will thanks you infinitely!

The best of luck to you guys!
Can`t wait to 2010 (spring I hope =D)
tiuur
June 18, 2011 at 12:31 pm PDT

^ ups! my mistake… I mean 2012 =P
Arcadian_Rebel
June 18, 2011 at 7:35 pm PDT

Looks like a child’s game but I’ll keep an eye on this one.
indianajones7890
June 18, 2011 at 9:35 pm PDT

This game look awesome and I am really excited for this one, but im just wondering if you guys are going to change the title to Sly 4: Thieves in Time instead of Sly Cooper: Thieves in time, I know that’s kind of a silly question but i like my games numbered sometimes and i just think its sounds cooler. Please Reply, thank you, and keep up the great work. :)
SlyCooperRocks
June 19, 2011 at 4:24 pm PDT

I’m soooooooo excited for this!!!!! Thank you guys so much for making a Sly 4! I was a little upset at first when I heard this wasn’t being created by Sucker Punch, but you guys look like you know what you’re doing, and I can’t wait for this!! I know you probably don’t even know half the answers to all the questions being asked right now, so I won’t ask any. All I needed to know for now is that Sly is a thief again, and that means Carmelita is chasing him, just how it should be. :) Thanks again guys!!
the_conman_1876
June 19, 2011 at 5:55 pm PDT

Sanzaru, thank you so much for bringing another installment to my favorite game series!! I just would like to know if the voice actors from the previous games were returning for the fourth game. Again thank you for your dedication
and hard work to bring back some of the best games that have ever been produced.
slydaniels
June 19, 2011 at 10:38 pm PDT

“don’t know if you guys well see this but” I cant even express how I feel about this, I grew up with Sly and I am really passionate about the series witch is why I wanted to work at Sucker Punch some day, so when he just left I was really sad. but now my all time favorite game back and its really reassuring that Sly fan such as yourselves well be working on this along with assistance from Sucker Punch.

Thank you.
infamousissweet
June 20, 2011 at 4:09 am PDT

Okay well at first I want to say THANK YOU,for bringing the series back! And apart from all the same repeating questions I was wondering where some of the characters will go on there journey (Besides Asia). As I wrote before thank you for bringing back the series. Thanks

-infamousissweet
dpgib97
June 20, 2011 at 1:45 pm PDT

Hey, thank you for bringing back one of the BEST franchises on PS2. You guys are awesome for that. Also do you think you could release the E3 demo on PSN?
bdc4444
June 20, 2011 at 5:12 pm PDT

Couple of questions, prolly wont get answered but worth a shot:

1) Will there be some sort of collectors edition like Sucker Punch did with Infamous 2 (even if there isn’t a cane).

2) Is their a even possibility for having online multiplayer?

3) MOST IMPORTANTLY: Why not Sly 4: Thieves in Time? Please if you can change the name. I know you might not think its a big deal but it is! It’s just like “Jak & Daxter” “Jak 2” “Jak 3” and then a different company made a new one called Jak& Daxter: Lost Frontier and it was horrible! I’m sure this game will be just as good as the other Slys but I’m sure everyone would prefer Sly 4

As long as the essence of Sly is still there I’ll have no problems. I don’t think it’ll be like Naughty Dog leaving Crash or Insomniac leaving Spyro. Sucker Punch still has some involvement as do Sony and I can tell the people at Sanzaru have a huge passion for the Sly games. As long as we get to jump and press the circle button I’ll be fine!!