Knack is a PS4 launch title for "the rest of the family", says Cerny

Knack is to fill a gap in the PlayStation 4's launch line-up, which is otherwise full of shooters and action games, according to designer Mark Cerny.

Speaking to IGN, Cerny described Knack as a "second urchase", after a new PS4 owner has picked up a game like Killzone: Shadow Fall or Watch Dogs.

“I knew there’d be a lot of core games at launch, but I just didn’t see there being softer titles at launch. So as a core gamer, certainly you’re going to buy PlayStation 4 and Killzone, Watch Dogs, Destiny. But what about the rest of the family? And that was kind of the first thought behind Knack," he said.

Cerny said we see fewer character action games these days because the audience that made them so popular - people who got into gaming with Mario, Sonic and Crash Bandicoot - have all grown up, but also that they were a product of their time.

“Crash Bandicoot was the top-selling brand for PlayStation One, but the world has changed. I think part of the reason we were creating mascot-type games in those days was that that was what the hardware could support. We made games with characters with big heads because we had pixels the size of your fist, and we just didn’t have very many of them as a result," he said.

Knack will be available on day one in November, one of 33 PS4 launch titles. Check out Knack's TGS 2013 trailer