Sony helps bring 'Banner Saga' to PS Vita

It seems like the holidays are a time for miracles, as the PlayStation third-party production team will be helping the developers of Stoic bring “The Banner Saga” to the PlayStation Vita. Prior to the announcement, the game was postponed for the Vita, with many fans dreading that it would eventually be cancelled.

The news was confirmed on Twitter when Gio Corsi, the head of third-party production and development relations, stated that the PlayStation team would be working on the Vita version of the acclaimed strategy game. Not much else was announced, but Corsi stated that more news regarding “The Banner Saga” would be coming in 2016.

Seeing one of the development teams from Sony step in to help a developer is a rare feat, though it’s one that handheld gamers are probably thankful for. No particular reason was given for the sudden need to help the developers of Stoic, so one can assume that the company was in the Christmas spirit.

What makes the news even more surprising was a previous announcement when Sony stated that the company wouldn’t be working on too many Vita games in the future. That’s not to say that production for the handheld has stopped completely, as Sony will still let third-party developers work on the platform, but it seemed like the days of the Vita were almost over.

As mentioned previously, the Vita version of the game was on the verge of cancellation. Polygon stated that the Vita version was originally put on the back burner, due to budget problems and the size of the Stoic development team, which has been described as fairly small.

Now that Sony has pitched in, it seems like things can only go up for the Vita version. While Sony helping out a developer is rare, it’s not as impossible as it sounds. The third-party Sony developers had previously worked on “Borderlands: The Handsome Collection” and “Ultra Street Fighter IV.”

“The Banner Saga” doesn’t have a release date for the Vita just yet, but it looks like it will be coming out in 2016. In the meantime, console users will be able to enjoy the game on PS4 and Xbox One on Jan. 12. PC users on the other hand can enjoy the game right now.