When one thinks of Team Ico and its releases, ICO and Shadow of the Colossus (as well as the reportedly still-in-production The Last Guardian), the first name that comes to mind is Fumito Ueda. As the designer of both games, he was the driving force in their production and the creative conduit for the team. He also split from Sony late last year, though he has remained on board The Last Guardian under contract.
Now, though, his departure is joined by that of Kenji Kaido, who, prior to his time with Team Ico, worked on both Tomba! games and the original Ape Escape. As the producer for Shadow of the Colossus, it is another powerful blow to Team Ico’s once-stacked development team, which has now dropped two key members. Unlike Ueda, Kaido is not remaining on with Sony in any capacity, entering a (possibly temporary) retirement.
At this point, even if The Last Guardian sees the light of day, it is likely that Team Ico, at least as it has been known to fans in the past, shall cease to be.