It isn’t uncommon for a developer likeSonyto test the waters for new features on hardware or an IP under its publishing umbrella through social media outreach or observing market behavior. However, a recentsurvey by the Sonyis asking about a game that hasn’t traditionally been a PlayStation exclusive and hasn’t released a new title in quite some time.
A screenshot has begun making the rounds among fans, with Reddit user Laurence-UK having recently presented screenshots of two different questions involvingBurnoutappearing. This has fans wondering if this might mean that Sony is looking to either purchase the IP from EA, or make some sort of deal for a new PS5 title.
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The questions related toBurnoutseem to be appearing among questions about several modern titles likeMiles Moralesas well, which is what has fans speculating about Sony looking for new titles. At the moment,EA still owns the rights to the IPand doesn’t often go the route of limiting the release of titles as exclusives for any one console at a time. So, if Sony really is looking at developing a PS5Burnouttitle, then this would require some sort of production deal with EA, especially if the goal is console exclusivity.
These questions come off as especially strange considering that it’s been almost ten years since the last originalBurnouttitle launched, thoughBurnout Paradisedid get a remaster in 2018 andSwitch port in 2020. Barring this recent remaster and port, the series has been mostly dormant sinceBurnout Crashreleased to less than stellar reviews way back in 2011. That doesn’t necessarily mean that developer Criterion Games has nothing prepared for the series that hasn’t been announced yet, but the long period of silence has left most fans assuming that the franchise will be on ice for a while.
Considering that Sony doesn’t currently have a major, exclusive racing title after having shut down the servers forDriveclubin 2020, it is possible that the publisher is in the market for another foothold in the market. The fact that EA owns bothBurnoutanddeveloper Criterion Games, is the major complication to getting a PS5 entry with backing from Sony as a publisher. So, it’s difficult to really speculate on what might actually be happening with the franchise behind closed doors, but fans might have a chance of a new game coming to next gen consoles in the next few years.
