Sony Interactive Entertainment and Team ICO’s action-adventure game, Shadow Of The Colossus, was originally conceived as an online game.
On the occasion of its 20th anniversary on October 27, 2025, creator Fumito Ueda reflected on the game’s development, its lasting influence, and surprising origins in an interview with Denfaminico Gamer. Though now regarded as a single-player experience defined by its solitude and scale, the creator revealed that Shadow Of The Colossus actually began as an online multiplayer game concept.
According to Ueda, the project first took shape under the codename NICO, a successor to ICO. Using ICO’s cutscene engine, his team created a concept video showing multiple players on horseback working together to battle towering creatures. The first thing that comes to mind is Monster Hunter, though this concept predates the 2004 release of the first entry in Capcom’s popular series. “Players could team up online, with one distracting the monster using a bow while another climbed its back,” Ueda recalled. However, due to limited technical resources and the constraints of the PlayStation 2 hardware, the team eventually abandoned the online aspect, refocusing on a single-player experience that preserved the feeling of facing the impossible alone.
Ueda explained that while the theme of “fighting giant enemies” wasn’t new, Shadow of the Colossus explored it through a uniquely physical and emotional lens. Its mechanics i.e. grabbing, climbing, and managing stamina, transformed momentary collisions into sustained, tactile struggles, deepening the bond between player and world. “I don’t think ICO or Shadow of the Colossus do anything special in terms of theme,” he said, “but [it’s] the micro perspective – the way we handle touch, weight, and presence – that defines them.”
Reflecting on its enduring appeal, Ueda expressed gratitude to fans who consider the 2005 PlayStation 2 title a classic. “The things that only we could have done 20 years ago are clearly engraved in it,” he said. “I’m very happy that they remain to this day.”
