GameStop sparks Last Guardian cancellation scare

Source: Message boards like NeoGAF lit up Thursday afternoon with reports that GameStop had called customers who preordered Sony's The Last Guardian on the PlayStation 3 to tell them the game was canceled.

What we heard: While retailers often inadvertently break news of a game's existence, they are rarely the most reliable source when it comes to a game's cancellation. However, it has been a tumultuous time for The Last Guardian of late, with the departure of Team Ico studio head Fumito Ueda, followed by news that executive producer Yoshifusa Hayama had left as well.

Even though Ueda had reportedly been committed to finish up work on the game on a freelance basis, the game's secretive history and virtual disappearance from the public eye (Sony last showed the game off in March) made a complete collapse and cancellation conceivable.

Although The Last Guardian was shown in trailer form for the first time at the 2009 Tokyo Game Show, Ueda had been working on Team Ico's PlayStation 3 debut since 2005. At the time, he said that the three years it took to make Shadow of the Colossus was too long and that he hoped to release his next game in less time. At the 2010 Tokyo Game Show, a late 2011 release window was attached to The Last Guardian, but that was retracted the following spring.

Fortunately, Sony representatives were quick to address the rumor almost as soon as it sprung up.

The official word: "It's not true. The game is still in development. It hasn't been canceled."--A Sony representative.

Bogus or not bogus: Bogus, thankfully.