New PlayStation 1 game in development, in the year of our lord 2024

This isn’t a story I imagined I’d be writing this morning.

A PlayStation 1 game is on the way and no, I do not mean a remake or remaster is coming to modern consoles.

The game is actually being made with the PlayStation 1 as the targeted launch platform.

I have to applaud this endeavour. For me, no other console oozes nostalgia quite like the PlayStation 1.

It’s tied to my very earliest memories.

I vividly remember commandeering my brother’s console as I’d load up Crash Bandicoot, Croc: Legend of the Gobbos or Spyro The Dragon.

I know I’m not alone in adoring this bit of hardware.

To prove that, I need only point to the PlayStation 1-inspired PS5 30th Anniversary Collection which sold out in record time, despite everyone declaring that they didn’t want nor need a PS5 Pro.

But I digress. If you do still have your OG console lying about, you’ll hopefully soon be able to hop into a brand new game.

ICYMI: LEGO Horizon Adventures has confirmed that it’ll launch on PS5 and Nintendo Switch on 14 November.

The project remains unnamed but it’s the work of solo indie developer Elias Daler.

Daler took to Twitter to announce the news, writing, “Huge news. I’m making a game for PS1. It runs on a real console.”

The delightful accompanying screenshot showed a cat standing in front of a TV, boasting an Animal Crossing-inspired art style.

Daler went on to provide a brief clip showing the game running on the PS1.

Here it is running on my PS1 pic.twitter.com/eGSvoBK76C

— Elias Daler (@EliasDaler) October 2, 2024

We only got to see a short zooming motion as opposed to any real gameplay, but it was certainly enough to whet our appetite.

The dev went on to reveal that he’s writing the game in C++20 and if there’s enough interest, would consider porting it to modern platforms via an emulator.

Describing the vibe of the game, Daler said it “will be as if AC [Animal Crossing] and Silent Hill had a baby”, which has left me very curious.

At the moment, the game is just at the tech demo stage but this is a wonderful project that we’ll be keeping an eye on, and I’m sure more than a few of you will also find joy in following along.