Demon’s Souls is a game that has been long requested from fans to get a proper remaster on PS4 since it originally released back in 2009 exclusively for the PS3 and after gaining cult classic status, it never made its way to any other platform.
Demon’s Souls was developed using the award winning multiplatform engine from Sony called Phyre Engine. Update: Jason Doig, who is the head of Phyre Engine has approached me via Twitter to confirm that Demon’s Souls doesn’t utilize Phyre Engine, which means this could be any of the other Phyre Engine game as per the list on Wikipedia aside from Demon’s Souls. Keep in mind that this is just a partial list of games as stated on Wikipedia and there are more multiplatform games out there utilizing the engine. The rest of the story follows below.
This engine was recently used to develop Unravel, which is a gorgeous looking indie platformer. According to the upcoming project list of a China based developer Virtuos, who have previously worked on porting games like Heavy Rain and Final Fantasy X|X-2 HD Remaster to the PS4, they have an unannounced Phyre Engine project currently in development.
Since Virtuos are mostly known for their HD ports and recently worked on two HD re-release for the PS4, it won’t be surprising to see them working on Demon’s Souls HD remaster as they already have the experience for it. The listing even specifies that this project is exclusive to the PS4 while they also have two more unannounced Unreal Engine 4 projects but they are listed for the PS4 and Xbox One. What makes it more likely is the limited list of games that utilize Phyre Engine and majority of them are PlayStation platform exclusives. Some more Phyre Engine developed games include Gravity Rush and Journey, both of whom have already been ported to the PS4.
Digging deeper, we can find out that it is indeed a port as seen on the linkedin profile of Dow Gong, one of the game producer at Virtuos. He lists an “unannounced porting project on PS4” on his resume suggesting that the Phyre Engine PS4 project might be a port. Both Gravity Rush and Journey ports were handled by separate developers so it is highly unlikely that it is simply an outdated information.
We did get a glimpse of Demon’s Souls during a short demo reel before the Sony E3 2015 conference, which was a surprising addition to the video since the game is a PS3 exclusive. Maybe Sony was hinting at a remaster at that time. In any case, it is entirely likely that if there is indeed a Demon’s Souls remaster, we will find out about it at the upcoming E3.
Let us know if you are interested in replaying Demon’s Souls on the PS4 in the comments below.
