Sony has cancelled an undisclosed number of projects at its UK game studios, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe confirmed in a Wednesday email to Gamasutra.
"It has been decided that production on a small number of projects within London Studio, Studio Liverpool, and Evolution Studios will be cancelled or streamlined due to project prioritization," said SCEE's Nick Caplin in a statement.
"This decision was made following an internal review of all games and it was deemed that with the incredibly strong list of exclusive first party titles coming up both this year and in the near future, resource should be focused on the strongest projects," he continued.
The three affected studios are home to recognizable and successful video game series. London Studio is developer of the SingStar franchise, Studio Liverpool develops combat racer Wipeout and Evolution Studios is creator of the MotorStorm racing franchise.
The spokesperson did not disclose how many jobs will be affected by the project cancellations. But SCEE's statement added that "The affected first party studios have been and will continue to be vital assets within the [World Wide Studios] family."
"...This decision will have no impact on the vital role that our first party studios will play in the future of all PlayStation platforms," the statement said.
Yeah ... not really buying it Sony. It's one thing when 3rd parties like ATVI or EA are downsizing. When 1st party starts doing it, it's time to man the lifeboats. Sorry to everyone affected by Sony's inability to invest in their own future.
Sony has always had an incredible first party lineup in terms of quality and quantity. But it makes me wonder if that was possible because of the fact that the PS1 and PS2 had incredibly large userbases that could support a wide variety of titles. So while your last statement could be right, perhaps this inability arose due to a poor forecast of the situation.
With a smaller userbase, and more competitive 3rd parties that work on ultra-successful multiplatform projects, high quality Sony titles can cannibalize other high quality Sony titles.
Hopefully Sony can use their resources in the UK to focus on platforms beyond the PS3...namely PSN and PSP2.
With a smaller userbase, and more competitive 3rd parties that work on ultra-successful multiplatform projects, high quality Sony titles can cannibalize other high quality Sony titles.
Hopefully Sony can use their resources in the UK to focus on platforms beyond the PS3...namely PSN and PSP2.