New Ape Escape Game Leaked

According to a fairly reputable industry insider, a brand-new Ape Escape game could be in development. It’s currently unclear who’s developing this rumored Ape Escape game, but there’s one studio that the insider says is definitely not working on the project.

A series of 3D primate-collecting platformers, the Ape Escape franchise made its debut in 1999. The very first Ape Escape entry received universal acclaim from critics, with the game’s innovative use of the PS1’s DualShock analog sticks being a common point of praise at the time. In the 27 years since its debut, the Ape Escape franchise has received two additional mainline entries, both on the PS2, and an assortment of spinoffs that range from portable platformer titles to PS3 party games. But while the franchise saw great success in the decade following its inception, there hasn’t been a brand-new Ape Escape game since 2010.

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Insider Teases a New Ape Escape Game

Ape Escape’s long-term dormancy may finally be coming to an end, if a recent leak is to be believed. Over on ResetEra in a thread discussing upcoming PlayStation releases, one user asked if industry insider NateTheHate knew anything about the existence of a rumored new Ape Escape game. On Thursday, October 1, NateTheHate replied to the user with a series of side-eye emojis, accompanied by the statement, “As I said a while ago, Sony is looking to bring back some dormant franchises.”

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Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.

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While this technically isn’t a direct confirmation that the leaker has heard there’s a new Ape Escape game in active development, the implication is clear. NateTheHate was then asked if developer Team Asobi is working on a new Ape Escape. Team Asobi’s most recent release, 2024’s Astro Bot, included a level that paid homage to the Ape Escape franchise, borrowing its core mechanics and referencing the series’ character designs. In response, NateTheHate plainly stated, “Not Asobi.”

The final query that NateTheHate replied to came from one user that asked if Bandai Namco was involved in the project at all, in a similar fashion to how they were involved in the 2025 revivals of Everybody’s Golf and Freedom Wars. NateTheHate replied that, to his knowledge, Bandai Namco is not involved in this rumored Ape Escape project, but that he’d need to check again to be 100% certain as it’s “been a while” since he lasted checked in on its development.

Nowhere in the thread does NateTheHate shed any light on what this new Ape Escape project could be or when it might release. It’s currently unclear if it’s a brand-new mainline Ape Escape entry, some kind of Ape Escape remake, remaster, or reboot, or something else entirely. Of course, all leaks and rumors should always be taken with a hefty pinch of salt, even if they’re coming from a source that’s had a decent track record so far.