Jak and Daxter Games Getting Limited Physical PS4 Release

Sony, Naughty Dog, and Limited Run Games are collaborating to release physical PlayStation 4 versions of the original four Jak and Daxter games from the PlayStation 2, according to a post on the PlayStation Blog.

It appears that the PlayStation 4 physical releases will contain the PS2 Classic versions of the games, which are currently available for download on the PS4. Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy, Jak 2 and Jak 3 all received PlayStation 3 remasters, but it doesn't appear at this time that the remasters will be part of the PlayStation 4 physical releases. The fourth game, Jak X: Combat Racing, was not remastered for the PS3.

Jak and Daxter PlayStation 4 Physical Releases

The Precursor Legacy will be the first game re-released, and those who pre-order it through Limited Run’s website will receive the game by Feb. 28, 2019. 5,000 copies of the Standard Edition are being sold for $25, while 2,500 copies of the Collector's Edition are also available for $75. A second run of 2,500 Standard Editions and 1,250 Collector's Editions will go on pre-order tomorrow at 3 pm PST.

Included in the Collector's Edition is a decorative metal Precursor Orb, a PS2 memory card-shaped USB drive, a trading card pack, an exclusive poster, and a CD soundtrack. It's the first time the Jak and Daxter soundtrack will be officially released. Additionally, never-before-released documents of the series' history will also be included in each game's Collector's Edition.

"For each game, we will be producing a hardback foil-stamped book containing images from Naughty Dog’s original Jak and Daxter production binders," explained Limited Run Games CEO Josh Fairhurst. "These binders dive into the world and characters in a depth fans have never seen before and offer a glimpse into how the games were formed."

Fans who purchase either version of all four games will also receive another bit of Jak and Daxter nostalgia: a mocked up case for Jak 4, a game that was never completed. Fairhurst was careful to note that this in no way means Jak 4 is being resurrected and being given a proper release. It also won’t have anything to do with Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier released for the PSP and PS2.

"We’re including this case as part of these releases because our main goal here is to preserve and celebrate the history and legacy of the Jak series — even the parts of that history that never came to be!" exclaimed Fairhurst.

Included in each case will be a code for redeeming an exclusive PlayStation 4 system theme modeled after Naughty Dog's original concept art for Jak 4 from the late 2000s. For those who buy all four physical games at some point, the case will be mailed after June 30, 2019.

Physical versions of Jak 2, Jak 3, and Jak X: Combat Racing will be released by June 2019 at the latest, though will possibly be released earlier.

To promote the PlayStation 4 physical releases, Sony is also releasing a new classic Jak and Daxter PlayStation 4 theme, Jak and Daxter stickers for Apple devices, and a Jak and Daxter t-shirt via Fangamer.

Last year, Sony and Naughty Dog re-released all four Naughty Dog PlayStation 2 Jak and Daxter games as PlayStation 4 downloads. Back in 2012, IGN awarded the PlayStation 3 Jak and Daxter remasters a 9.0, calling them "an awesome way to get rewarded for nostalgia."

Nick Santangelo is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia. He loves video games and sports, but not sports video games. Follow him on Twitter.