A listing on an animator's LinkedIn profile seems to suggest that Sony is developing a sequel to the 2013 platforming game Knack as a PlayStation 4 exclusive.
In the early days of the PlayStation 4, exclusive titles were slim pickings. Besides a poorly-received new Killzone game and The Playroom mini-games for the PlayStation Camera, the only other exclusive title was a quirky platformer called Knack. Knack served as a throwback to the mascot platformers that once defined the PlayStation brand, like Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon, but unfortunately released to mixed reviews. Regardless, it appears as though Sony has decided to move ahead with Knack 2, presumably for PS4.
This is due to (since removed) information on an animator's LinkedIn profile that stated that she worked on Knack 2. Sony has yet to officially announce such a followup, so take this with a grain of salt. However, the fact that the information has been removed from the page so quickly seems to suggest that Knack 2 does indeed exist and Sony is hoping to keep the game a secret for the time being.
If Knack 2 does exist, one has to wonder when the game will see its official announcement. After all, the original Knack released as a PS4 launch title back in 2013. If development started shortly thereafter, that means that Knack 2 has been in development for over two years at this point. Perhaps an official reveal could come as soon as Sony's press conference during this year's planned E3 event.
That being said, one has to wonder why Sony would even bother pursuing a sequel to Knack. The company has hardly mentioned it since launch, except when Sony president Shuhei Yoshida expressed disappointment in its review scores. Since Knack is a game that didn't enjoy critical acclaim, it must have sold well for Sony to entertain the idea of producing a sequel. While Sony hasn't shared much concrete sales data regarding the title, Knack was one of the most pre-ordered games of 2013, so it wouldn't be surprising to learn that it was a sales success.
Now the question is, which studio has Sony assigned to the project? The original Knack was developed by Japan Studio, with PS4 architect Mark Cerny serving as director. It's certainly possible that Cerny and Japan Studio are working in tandem again to develop Knack 2, but we're not sure that Cerny's global high-end technology search with Hideo Kojima would allow him enough time to develop a game as well.
As we pointed out in our Knack review, the original game had some good ideas, despite its issues. Whichever studio is behind Knack 2, hopefully it fixes the flaws of the original game and delivers a truly compelling platforming experience for PlayStation 4 gamers to enjoy – provided the job information was indeed accurate while it was up.
Knack 2 is not officially confirmed, but it's a safe bet that if it exists it will release for PlayStation 4.
Source: LinkedIn
Special thanks to reader 'Master Oroko' for the tip.