The PlayStation 2 and its marquee games remain beloved even decades later as the PlayStation 5 itself ages. Jak and Daxter is among the quintessential PS2 franchises that have effectively been abandoned – alongside the likes of Sly Cooper – but that seemingly hasn’t stopped remake attempts from happening.
Animator Travis Howe recently shared one such Jak and Daxter remake project on LinkedIn, posting a clip of a cutscene from the original game next to a shot-for-shot remake he created. Howe says that “a team was assembled,” presumably at Sanzaru Games where he worked, “to pitch a remaster of Jak & Daxter.” Sony was not responsible for the clip’s creation, with Howe noting that this was essentially a fan pitch aimed at gaining permission to go forward with the project.
The clip was then shared by Jak and Daxter fan account ECO-MMUNITY, and the responses are surprisingly polarized. Comments under the tweet are generally opposed to the remake’s art style, with some claiming it too closely resembles the look of the newer Ratchet & Clank games. Others say that the original Jak and Daxter character renders should be the basis of a design refresh for the franchise, since those more accurately reflect Naughty Dog’s original vision. The Twitter comments are interestingly the inverse of what is seen under Howe’s original LinkedIn post, where the comments are more supportive.
Since Howe was given permission to share the clip of his shot-for-shot remake, Sanzaru Games’ pitch was clearly not accepted by Sony, and the project is not underway. Howe adds a parenthetical to his post telling fans to “get the word out” if they want a remake, though the decision is ultimately up to Sony, the Jak and Daxter rights holder. Without any official confirmation, it’s impossible to tell if Sony has a new Jak and Daxter project in the works, or if one is being considered at all.
A few years ago, Tom Holland mentioned wanting to make a Jak and Daxter movie while doing promotion for his Uncharted adaptation, and the Uncharted director, Ruben Fleischer, was subsequently revealed to be attached to such a project. Nothing has come of it yet, but there is a possibility that a film would renew interest in the franchise, prompting a remake or a new game entirely. The PlayStation 5 is approaching the end of its generation, though, so a new Jak and Daxter would conceivably have to be announced fairly soon.
One potential roadblock to Jak and Daxter’s return is Naughty Dog’s current slate. The studio is currently working on Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, which was revealed in December 2024, but has yet to receive a release window – or even a second trailer. Beyond that, Naughty Dog hasn’t released a Jak and Daxter game since 2005. Over the last two decades, a handful of spin-offs have been developed by other studios.
Since Naughty Dog has moved on from Jak and Daxter (and has given no indication that it will return to the franchise), it would be Sony’s prerogative to enlist a different developer if the franchise was going to be revived. There is definitely an interest in Jak and Daxter returning, but responses to the clip above show that its art style is a clearly divisive topic.
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