Despite the franchise’s last mainline entry releasing all the way back in 2005, Naughty Dog’s Jak and Daxter has remained a series with a passionate following. While the series has made its way to modern consoles in the form of an HD re-release, many of the game’s biggest fans have always hoped that Naughty Dog would revive the long-dormant action-platformer. While there's no news on that front, it seems Limited Run Games are allowing fans to have a slice of an alternate reality where Jak and his rodent sidekick were finally coming back to the PS4.
Announced via Limited Run Games’ Twitter account, the distributor will be gifting a commemorative case sporting Jak 4 concept art to any players who purchased all four Jak and Daxter games (Jak and Daxter, Jak 2, Jak 3 and Jak X Combat Racing) via the site. This also comes with an exclusive Jak 4 theme, which will come with the case for viewers to enjoy.
The only catch with this new PS4 theme and its collectible case is that fans looking to pick up the bundle will need to have purchased their Limited Run copy of all four Jak and Daxter games from the distributor itself. Customers who picked up the copies from a third-party selling the same product will be out of luck.
If you’re unacquainted with the history of Jak And Daxter’s abandoned fourth entry, the box art used for this collector’s case comes from a canceled sequel to Jak 3. It was infamously leaked to the public long after the cancellation of the game, showing off a vastly more realistic interpretation of the game’s world, with darker visuals and more lifelike character designs. It was ultimately scrapped by Naughty Dog due to the company believing it wouldn’t be the game players wanted, citing the new visual design and tone being contradictory to what made the series’ so special. The studio went on to develop The Last of Us instead, which wound up becoming one the most universally praised video games of all time. Limited Run Games are clearly keen on imagining an alternate reality where this reboot of the franchise came to fruition.
As it turns out, fans were unanimously behind Naughty Dog’s decision to cancel Jak 4 after seeing the concept art, which is often a rare case when seeing pre-production materials make their way onto the internet. The canceled Batman: Arkham Knight sequel is a prime example of fans disagreeing with a studio after seeing concept art from a canceled game emerge online, with many stating that the designs signified an interesting new take on the universe. Let's hope when the next Jak and Daxter game does come around, its style can garner the same reaction.
The Jak and Daxter Collection is available now on PS4.