Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. News

The Banner Saga's PS Vita port resumes development with Sony's backing

By

the banner saga ps vita port resumes development thanks to sony bannervita header
Sony announced that it has partnered with indie publishing label Versus Evil to save the troubled PS Vita version of developer Stoic’s strategy-RPG The Banner Saga, ending months of speculation regarding the port’s status.

Stoic technical director John Watson previously stated that the PlayStation Vita edition of The Banner Saga had been “put on the back burner” due to the collapse of its initial porting studio.

Recommended Videos

Released for PC platforms in 2014, The Banner Saga is a graphically rich tactical RPG that features branching narrative paths, giving players control over the storyline’s direction and tone. Ports for multiple consoles were announced in the wake of the game’s launch, but to date, the game remains a PC exclusive.

Related

“Our console and Vita porting has been more expensive and time consuming than we had originally expected,” Watson admits. “We started the porting process only a few months after the initial launch of Banner Saga on PC. […] The porting company made good progress at first, but suffered some internal personnel turnover which slowed the project. The first deadline was missed, but progress steadily continued.”

Despite a promising start, the project soon stalled due to continued staff turnover and an inability to meet established milestones. These issues compounded until The Banner Saga‘s porting studio at last went bust in May.

“In January, the porting company hired additional programmers and took on the contract for performing the Playstation Vita port,” Watson explains. “The deadline for completion was July 2015. Over the subsequent months, the porting company suffered more personnel turnover, and the project limped along. Finally, in May 2015, the company folded, went out of business, and failed to complete the project. All of the expenses sunk into that project were lost, with no realistic way for us to recover them.”

Saddled with a costly but unfinished port of The Banner Saga, Stoic and publisher Versus Evil turned to Sony for assistance with the project. While a release date for the PS Vita version of The Banner Saga is not yet known, Sony’s Gio Corsi notes that fans can expect “more news in 2016.”

In addition to its resurrected PS Vita port, The Banner Saga is also in development for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. A sequel, The Banner Saga 2, has entered production for the PlayStation 4 and PCs.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Danny Cowan
Danny Cowan
Contributor
Danny’s passion for video games was ignited upon his first encounter with Nintendo’s Duck Hunt, and years later, he still…
How to revive dead companions in Baldur’s Gate 3
Withers offering services to the player in Baldur's Gate 3.

You're given a good bit of leeway during battles in Baldur's Gate 3 before you or a companion actually bites the dust for good. While in battle, if a teammate does take enough damage to drop, they aren't dead then and there. Instead, they will be downed with a chance to roll every turn to get back up. If they roll successfully three times, the battle ends, or you use another character to pick them up, they're good. If they fail that roll three times, however, they will be completely dead. That can be harsh when you've become attached to certain characters and want to further their stories, so you'll be looking for any way you can to bring them back. Thankfully you do have a few options for reviving companions in Baldur's Gate 3, but just like respeccing, they aren't so obvious.
Pay Withers to bring them back

Withers is a friendly undead you can find in a secret room in the Dank Crypt found inside the Overgrown Ruins. After finding and speaking to him in his sarcophagus, he will offer you various services, one of which is bringing back any dead companions. He won't do this out of the kindness of his heart (probably because it isn't beating) and will charge you a heavy fine of 200 gold to do so. Still, that's a small price to pay to bring back a beloved character. Once paid, that character will appear in your camp where they would normally be, so there's no need to go back to their corpse and find them.
Use a scroll of Revivfy or learn it

Read more
Every video game delay that has happened in 2023 so far
The player skates toward the moon in Skate Story.

Few things feel as inevitable in the video game industry as delays. Ever since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, game delays have only become more and more common as developers find previously set timelines unrealistic and adjust their release plans accordingly. More than halfway through 2023, we've already seen some notable AAA games like Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, Skull & Bones, and Pragmata delayed pretty heavily. Because video game release date delays are so common, it can be tough to keep track of every game that has had its launch date shifted in some way.
That's why, just as we did in 2021 and 2022, Digital Trends is rounding up every game delay that's announced throughout 2023. Here are the high-profile ones that have happened so far, listed chronologically by their new intended release dates.
The Dark Pictures: Switchback VR (March 16)

As Until Dawn: Rush of Blood is one of the best games for PlayStation VR, The Dark Pictures: Switchback VR, Supermassive Games' PlayStation VR2 successor, is a highly anticipated launch title for the upcoming VR headset. Unfortunately, it will no longer make PlayStation VR2's February 22 launch and will instead be released on March 16. On Twitter, a message from Supermassive Games says this delay will ensure that players "receive the most polished, terrifying experience possible" at release. The game was released on that date to mixed reviews.
Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key (March 24)

Read more
Is Remnant 2 cross-platform?
Three characters shoot at a boss in Remnant 2.

Aside from the focus on firearms and integrating some randomly generated environments, the Remnant series sets itself apart from other souls-like games mainly with its focus on co-op. Both titles encourage you to team up with two friends to fight your way through the mutated monsters that await. After so many years of progress in terms of multiplatform games incorporating full cross-platform support, you might assume Remnant 2 will follow suit and let you make a group with anyone regardless of what platform they're on. However, the truth may be a bit more disappointing. Before you make plans with your squad, here's what you need to know about Remnant 2's cross-platform support.
Is Remnant 2 cross-platform?

Unfortunately, Remnant 2 does not have cross-platform play between PS5, Xbox Series X or PC -- and there's no word about it being added in the future.

Read more