GDC09: Team ICO's new game is 'close to ICO' in essense

by Randy Nelson { Mar 25th 2009 at 5:30PM }

During this morning's GDC 2009 panel on Eastern vs. Western development philosophies, Team ICO head Fumito Ueda was asked -- by Grasshopper Manufacture boss, Goichi "Suda51" Suda -- what the deal is with his crew's next game. You know, the follow-up to Shadow of the Colossus that everyone (even other Japanese devs!) are eager to know anything new about. Ueda couldn't say much, but we found his comments interesting.

After joking (or was he?) that his bosses were in the room listening, Ueda said that his next game -- widely referred to by the nickname "Trico" -- will be "something in-between" ICO and Shadow of the Colossus. "It will be similar to those past games, the essense is close to ICO," he added.

Suda51 then excitedly asked if he'd brought screenshots -- anything -- of or about the game. Ueda laughed slightly and conveyed the non-verbal equivalent of "next!" with his face.

Tags: fumito-ueda, gdc-2009, ico, shadow-of-the-colossus, team-ico, trico

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Ico77 @ Mar 25th 2009 5:37PM

Oh my. I am indeed moist in anticipation. Were this game to have half the class, beauty, elegance and emotion of Ico and Shadow then it'll be a classic. Given the team involved I'd be very much surprised if it wasn't on a par with both of those games. My most anticipated game of this console generation and bearing in mind what's gone before that's saying a lot. I'm sure Yorda and Agro will be proud!

Andrew @ Mar 25th 2009 5:39PM

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE. Now Please!!!!

mcdonaldshamburgerwithcheese @ Mar 25th 2009 5:45PM

i havent played the other games (please dont flame, lol) so i hear their pretty good, so im wondering, will this be a sequel to the game ICO or shadow of the colossus? just wondering because im not gonna go and buy a ps2 just to play those games

henning @ Mar 26th 2009 5:22AM

i bought ico + SotC half a year ago and since then i think they are better than any PS3 game out now.

BananaBoat @ Mar 26th 2009 8:45AM

Shadow of the Colossus is chronologically the prequel to Ico (even though Ico came out first)

You could probably understand the story of Trico without having played the past two games, but you'd be missing out on a great deal of the nuance that makes the series special.

sony boy @ Mar 25th 2009 6:01PM

Ico of the colussus.

Game_playa @ Mar 25th 2009 6:46PM

golobulus @ Mar 25th 2009 6:06PM

this dude can take as long as he wants. in the meantime, how about an ICO re-reprint for NA?

Josh @ Mar 25th 2009 7:27PM

This.

BananaBoat @ Mar 26th 2009 8:48AM

They should dual reprint both SOTC (the NTSC version) and Ico (the PAL version which is compatible with US PS2's). The PAL version for both the exceptional box art that was on the PAL version (we got screwed in the US), and for the replayability factor (new weapons, subtitles, co-op, etc)

Or..wait..now I'm confused. Apparently Amazon still has copies of SOTC. I had thought it was out of print, but maybe I was mistaken.

Either way, reprint of PAL Ico (or just the PAL features on an NTSC only disc, with the PAL box art, etc) would be awesome.

Edward @ Mar 25th 2009 6:31PM

Great. We wait years for more news, and the moron tells a lame joke and smiles a little. This might take longer to come out than Duke Nukem Forever.

gkwie @ Mar 25th 2009 6:47PM

I don't care if it's released in 2015 as long as it's an experience I'll never forget. Just like Shadow of the Colossus.

CantFlame (PSN MariusElijah) @ Mar 25th 2009 6:46PM

GDC has turned out to be rather disappointing as of yet

Bissy Boy (PSN johnnynumber5) @ Mar 25th 2009 9:38PM

Yeah I kind of agree with you in terms of Playstation news. The announcement of Resistance 2 DLC was pretty cool. Hopefully some Killzone 2 DLC is announced as well as a co-op patch for the campaign.

kentuckyfried @ Mar 25th 2009 6:54PM

Can't wait for the next release...I've never sold either of those two originals b/c of the awesomeness of each.

j.howlett @ Mar 25th 2009 8:01PM

i still have ico but sotc disappeared from the living room ps2 years ago. i keep thinking it might show up like my soul calibur 2 copy did today but i might try hunting down a copy before things get ridiculous

kentuckyfried @ Mar 25th 2009 8:12PM

^ You mean, as a $100 collectible? yeah, hurry up, pronto!

Bissy Boy (PSN johnnynumber5) @ Mar 25th 2009 9:40PM

I bought a copy of Ico at a movie Gallery for like $10 last year. They have copies of SOTC for $20 at Best Buy. However, its not an original print as it's actually a greatest hits copy.

j.howlett @ Mar 25th 2009 11:34PM

i still have the case and the demo and cardboard sleeve for being a psu g.a.p. member. i'm really hoping it's mixed in with a pile of disc but i'll settle for the greatest hits just to play again

BananaBoat @ Mar 26th 2009 9:11AM

Amazon also has it, for twenty bucks. You could easily take the disc out of the greatest hits box, and stick it in the other box, and it would be like nothing ever happened (I don't think the disc art or the contents of the disc changed at all, I could be wrong).

People should definitely grab SOTC up before it is too late. I lost my copy of Ico, and I kicked myself when I had to import the only version still in print a couple of years ago (the special edition PAL version with art cards, etc. It was like 60 bucks after shipping. I nearly cried, since that is the price of a new game). That version of Ico is no longer in print, so I wouldn't count on SOTC being in print in the US for much longer either.

The only perk of losing it was that I got to play the special features on the PAL disc (subtitles for her speech being the one enormous special feature, for me anyway. Co-Op was nice but unnecessary, as were the special weapons, and the film grain mode)

I think SOTC is the superior game, but the margin is so slight. Everyone should play both games if they have the opportunity.

zanzibarlegend @ Mar 25th 2009 7:02PM

damn u Ueda could you ps ar least release ICo again here in NA? i needs that game badly

bvhj @ Mar 25th 2009 7:14PM

OH GOD WHAT A TEASE

Feba @ Mar 25th 2009 7:41PM

I was hoping he'd turn around and go "I'll show you mine if you'll show me yours."

Desperate Struggle *and* Ico 3 information. I'd have a very hard time thinking of what I'd want out of GDC more than that.

Lookhappy @ Mar 25th 2009 7:44PM

Amazing!!! I know it's just a few little words, but it's got me excited! It's great when gaming is treated as an artform like they do.
Can't wait for more info!

ryuk @ Mar 25th 2009 8:26PM

ugh....i hope it is pretty far in development and they are gonna release some things by the time it is almost done (something square enix could learn) so we don't get teased for a whole 2 years

death_slade @ Mar 25th 2009 8:52PM

SOTC was one of the most under appreciated games on the PS2. Simply a masterpiece. Hope next gen game just as good.

Yingerman @ Mar 25th 2009 8:58PM

Shadow of the Collossus was an absolutly increadible game! Somehow, with almost no words said, I fell in love with the caracters.

I can only hope that this will be just as good, if not a better game experience.

nickux @ Mar 25th 2009 9:14PM

absolute torture

tiamat5 @ Mar 25th 2009 9:49PM

Tee Hee Hee!! Oh mister Ueda . You are such a tease.

Confucius @ Mar 26th 2009 3:31AM

Even though this may be my most anticipated game as of yet, I feel like I can wait a little while.
I just know that it's gonna be really artistic and awesome, and besides time can only make it better.
I will never forget games like ICO and SOTC!!

henning @ Mar 26th 2009 5:29AM

Team ICO is the church and i am a believer. i will wait patiently, and when it comes out i will go and buy it. then i go home, close any connection to the outer world and put in the game. and then i will play this game 10x through.

go here: http://teamicogamers.blogspot.com/

Grady @ Mar 28th 2009 4:23PM

it may just be me but the immage above looks a lot like the cylindrical staircase that you walk down in shadow of the colossus, only with much more wear and a big chain running down the middle. It makes me wonder if it is the characters of ICO wandering upon the ruined set of Shadow of the Colossus because, if i remember correctly, (SPOILER) when the main character in shadow of the colossus becomes a baby he has horns and he starts the race of horn people that is what the character of ICO is. If that is true, then it would seem like the setting of Shadown of the colossus would be old and broken down and the setting of the picture would be apparent. Thoughts?

RogueJedi86 @ Mar 27th 2009 12:13PM

That image is not new Grady. It was the background graphic on an ad early last year that Team ICO put up looking to hire more people. Speculation was abound back then.

There's no way to judge the scale of that image. It could be a small hubcap with a tiny chain(with the foliage being small moss), or it could be a huge pit with an immense chain(with the foliage being trees). With no other frame of reference, we just can't tell.

We can't base our guesses on previous games, because each game is completely different. You couldn't guess any bit of SotC's story from its first trailers just from connecting it to ICO. Too different. Basically drop all assumptions you have about 3-co and just focus on the image.