Former head of PlayStation WorldWide Studios Shuhei Yoshida has shed light on why Wild Sheep Studio and Ubisoft Paris’ survival game, Wild, was canceled.
During an interview on the MinnMax YouTube channel, former head of PlayStation WorldWide Studios Shuhei Yoshida recalled the canceled projects that were announced back in his time. Despite showing multiple trailers from these titles across various presentations, Sony Interactive Entertainment was unable to complete their development. He expressed that the cancellation of these games really hurt him personally, as they had begun with a lot of hope and excitement. Yoshida said that he really wanted some of these titles to see the light of day.
Yoshida was asked about the most heartbreaking game cancellation during his time at Sony Interactive Entertainment. In response, he brought up Michel Ancel’s Wild. The former head of PlayStation WorldWide Studios recalled working with Ancel and his team on an “amazing” vision. He worked with the team for a long time, moving from one console generation to the next. In the end, much to his disappointment, Wild had to be canceled.
According to Yoshida, the reason behind Wild’s cancellation was that a lot of great ideas didn’t materialize into the actual game structure. He recalled that one of the earliest pitch for the title was that its world map would be the size of Europe. It was this sort of over-ambition that ultimately led to the survival game’s cancellation. The game was also planned to feature dynamic weather with seasonal changes, online play, and the option to play as various wild creatures, including wolves, sheep, fish, ants, cats, and birds. The player would control a human character and would be able to use smaller animals for spying or larger animals to assist in battles against other humans. By using shamanic powers, the player could “possess” animals, shift to the perspective of the controlled creature and use its specific skills and characteristics.
In August, 2024, Steven ter Heide, creative director at Wild Sheep Studio, confirmed that WiLD was no longer in active development. Read about it here.
