It goes without saying that The Last Guardian, the highly anticipated next art piece from developer Team Ico, is in a state of flux. After it was rumored that Creative Director Fumito Ueda left Sony it was assumed that it would be all downhill from here, but since then we've learned quite a few details that contradict that fact.

And now, Sony's Game Design Chief Shuhei Yoshida, who has quite the full plate with the release of the Vita, has taken some time to set the record straight on the whole Last Guardian situation, including Ueda's role with the project.

Though Fumito Ueda may have left Sony as a full time employee he is still contracted by the publisher to work on The Last Guardian, to see it through to completion. As Yoshida puts it, he might even be the last employee to leave the building.

But that doesn't mean that Ueda's Team Ico are the only developers taking a crack at The Last Guardian, which has been delayed far past its expected release window(s). Yoshida confirms that skilled developers from Sony's Worldwide Studios have come to Japan to work on The Last Guardian, and to help get it finished.

So where are they in the development cycle? Well, according to Yoshida, The Last Guardian is playable, but not nearly on the level that it needs to be for there to be talk of a release date. Obviously the title is getting there and is not cancelled, as the rumors suggested, but to think that a game that has been floating around for this long isn't nearing completion is upsetting.

It's one thing to announce a game far in advance of its launch, and to keep gamers' interested with a screenshot tease here or there. But to be outright secretive, and fail to show the game at key trade shows, and then come out to say it's "playable" makes one wonder what the status of The Last Guardian really is.

We want to play this game, badly, but the more Sony avoids showing it off, or sharing any meaningful details, the more that enthusiasm wanes. In our mind, there are two key trade shows for 2012, E3 and Tokyo Game Show, and if The Last Guardian doesn't make an appearance at either, it will be extremely disappointing.

How has your anticipation for The Last Guardian been affected by the numerous no-shows and Ueda's "departure"? Will this game ever see the light of day?

Source: Wired