Sanzaru Games, which was obtained by Meta in February 2020 and shuttered by the company in January 2026, reveals that it had worked on a Jak and Daxter remaster pitch for Sony. With permission, a former developer of the studio has shared what the opening cutscene for that remastered Naughty Dog game would have looked like (early on in development, at least).
For what it's worth, this is not the only Jak and Daxter remaster/remake to reportedly or knowingly be pitched in the past few years. Rumors have suggested that, between its time working on a canceled live-service God of War game and its more recent closure, Bluepoint Games had pitched a Bloodborne remake, a Jak and Daxter remake, and several other works. While that should be taken with a grain of salt, those rumors themselves highlight how much fans would love a proper Jak and Daxter remaster/remake.
Daxter Becomes Daxter in this Jak and Daxter Remaster Pitch
Sanzaru was aware of this when it pitched Sony on the game in 2019; for the uninitiated, Sanzaru has worked on several projects for Sony during its tenure: a port of Secret Agent Clank, remasters of the original Sly Cooper trilogy, and Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time. Developer Travis Howe, who worked as a senior animator at Sanzaru, recently revealed that the studio pitched Sony on a Jak and Daxter remaster in 2019. Howe makes it clear, however, that this was for a pitch and was never commissioned or ordered by Sony, and showcased an animation made for the opening cutscene where Daxter is turned into the fictional half-otter, half-weasel thing fans have come to know and love.
I would be the first in line for a Jak and Daxter remaster, with my love for the series turning into a tattoo down my leg (of Jak's faces in Precursor Legacy, Jak 2, and Jak 3, plus his Dark and Light Jak forms, and Daxter's). Unfortunately, the remaster didn't move forward, and Howe did not confirm or reveal why. At a glance, it looks pretty solid for a pitch. Jak's face is a bit too much uncanny valley, going from the PS2 graphics to the newer ones, with his eyes especially not translating too well, but this could have been refined in development. Daxter, however, looks perfect.
What stands out most about the footage, though, is how it tries to walk the fine line between nostalgia and modernization, something that is difficult even for classic PlayStation mascots. The lighting, environmental detail, and character animation all lean closer to modern standards, while the general framing fits the original game beat for beat. Sanzaru proved itself with Sly Cooper, and this opening cutscene seems to understand what fans would want in a remaster of the original Jak and Daxter games.
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This article originally appeared on GameRant and is republished here with permission.
