On September 23, 2022, Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus was released for the PlayStation 2. Developed by Sucker Punch Productions, the masterminds behind the recent action-adventure juggernaut Ghost of Tsushima, the title would be lauded by critics and players for its cel-shaded style and fluid controls despite initially suffering from poor sales numbers. While overshadowed by two other major games released in 2002–Ratchet & Clank and Jack and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy–Sly Cooper quickly gained a following that still remains passionate to this day.
Today, the first title celebrates its 20-year anniversary, and the development team is looking back in a new blog post while also teasing some new merch on the way.
Dev Madan, the original art director for the Sly Cooper series, revealed a new piece of artwork packed to the brim with references to the series. Take a look below.
Fans will be able to purchase this incredibly vivid piece of art as a poster in two sizes, and preorders are currently open at the Cook & Becker website. The ultra high-quality print, on FSC-certified Radiant White 270gsm paper, is available in a 28″ x 40″ version, limited to 40 hand-numbered pieces, or a 20″ x 28″ version, limited to 150 hand-numbered pieces. The former will retail for $225 USD, while the latter will start at $120 USD. No matter which version you decide to purchase, the poster will include a Certificate of Authenticity signed by Madan himself. The posters will ship in early October 2022.
For those who don’t want to fork out quite so much cash, an alternate print will be available on the PlayStation Gear store for $24.95 USD. The print, on pound 100 gloss text paper, will be 18″ x 24″ and is scheduled to ship on December 2, 2022.
Madan has also designed a commemorative Sly Cooper 20th Anniversary T-shirt available for purchase on the PlayStation Gear store. The shirt, retailing for $33.95, features the 20th Anniversary logo on the sleeve and new art of Sly, Bentley Murray, and Carmelita Fox. This will also ship on December 2. Check out the slick new design below.
Rounding out the new merch is a 20th Anniversary Sly Plush. Created by Fangamer, the plush is about nine inches tall and includes Sly’s handy cane which can be attached to the raccoon’s hand using a magnet. This sneaky stuffed animal will ship in early 2023 and orders will open soon.
The development team behind the original title gave some thoughts on this auspicious occasion over on the official PlayStation blog.
“Favorite moment? The ending of Sly 1 – that’s gotta be one of my favorite sequences we’ve ever shipped,” said Brian Fleming, the studio’s co-founder. “Finally, I remember how small the team was! The 25 of us in the credits was the entire studio, including our testers and the office staff! Seems a long time ago!”
Earlier this week, The Sly Collection, Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time, and Bentley’s Hackpack were added to the Classics Catalog for those with a PlayStation Plus Premium membership. The Sly Collection includes the remastered versions of Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus, Sly 2: Band of Thieves, and Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves.
