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[Tapejara]

This is awful news. Loved MediEvil back in the day and really enjoyed Killzone Mercs. Was hoping they'd be able to bring MediEvil back or at least continue the Killzone franchise. Hope everyone lands on their feet soon.

Sony's been closing a lot of studios. Lot of talent with a lot of PlayStation history has been lost these past few years. I don't know how stressful it must be to worry that the same thing might happen to you.

 

[Triggerhappytel]

Man, I never played any of their games! Not one. >__>

I played:

Medievil 1
C-12: Final Resistance (terrible name)
Primal
Ghosthunter
Medievil PSP
Killzone Mercenary

Very consistent studio. Fucking Sony

 

[outunderthestars]

I guess large development teams means you have to shut non profitable studios down a lot quicker than in the past. It drains $$$

That is my takeaway as well. Probably makes more sense to contract studios to work with older AA ip than to own half a dozen studios to make them.

 

[Loris146]

I guess large development teams means you have to shut non profitable studios down a lot quicker than in the past. It drains $$$

Yep. One other reason is that Sony does not have extremely popular which can be used to do low/mid budget spin off. Killzone , Resistance etc... are not popular enough.

Anyway best luck to the team.

 

[jmaine_ph]

Looking at the games Cambridge developed in the past 5-10 years all of them could've been out sourced. No need to have a first party studio for them.

 

[Alienous]

I am concerned about Media Molecule. Can a game like Dreams be enough of a commercial hit for Sony to stick with them?

 

[randomengine]

Blame Brexit look for more UK developer closings

 

[EmiPrime]

Absolutely fucking awful, hope everyone there finds employment quickly.

This gen has been a disaster for British game development, and it pisses me off that we have such a technophobic, private capitalist driven government that doesn't do as much as so many other countries to work with studios and publishers to ensure these jobs stay in the UK and thrive like they even used to.

Says it all that even with our declining currency video game companies still don't think it's worth retaining their existing studios here let alone further investing in development here.

This won't be the end of it, I'm worried for media molecule and rare now.

 

[El Topo]

I am concerned about Media Molecule. Can a game like Dreams be enough of a commercial hit for Sony to stick with then?

Is that game ever even going to come out?

 

[GeordieMark]

I hope the human beings affected by the decision of the shitty manager land on their feet and find work elsewhere.

Come on. Nobody makes these decisions lightly. Remember that that this is the games industry.

 

[EdwardTivrusky]

Yeah, our government is woefully out of touch and just don't understand the modern world.

Most of our country seems to want to go back to the 1950s so that makes sense to me

 

[Putty]

A real shame and also not a complete shock...We are most certainly in a tricky position in the UK at the moment.

 

[wapplew]

Anyone have a list of U.K. based studios closure?

 

[Blackleg-sanji1]

Mm are the iceteam as well for the most part right? Dreams is day 1 for me but I can't deny it probably won't do well

 

[nynt9]

Shame. At least the game came out before the studio was shut down instead of cancelling it before release

 

[Occam]

Sony closing their UK studios has been a decade long trend, it has very little to do with Brexit at this point.

Of course Brexit has an effect, it gives Sony an incentive to leave the UK rather sooner than later.

 

[Hasney]

Looking at the games Cambridge developed in the past 5-10 years all of them could've been out sourced. No need to have a first party studio for them.

To who? Nobody did a better game of that genre on the Vita than Killzone Mercenaryand no-one has done a better online VR FPS than RIGS, so I'm not sure you can without sacrificing quality.

 

[Pai Pai Master]

Fuck

 

[Bony Manifesto]

UK market going down the drain like Australia's did. Surely due in part to Brexit.

Actually, the irony is that one of the few (some might say only) benefits of the crash in the value of the Pound is that it's more attractive for overseas companies to set up in the UK as it'll be cheaper for them.

 

[Nicktendo86]

Hmm makes me wonder how long Rare will keeps its door open, till Microsoft decide to shut them down.
.

I'm shocked they are still open. If (when?) Sea of Thieves flops you would think they would be in big trouble. Playtonic still seem to be picking up ex Rare devs though, thankfully.

 

[CassidyIzABeast]

Rough times ahead. If you aren't pumping out a smash hit they're closing shop on you.

 

[maverick40]

Terrible fucking news.

Media Molecule will be next

 

[jet1911]

Sony is ruthless with their own studios this gen.

 

[GeordieMark]

Of course Brexit has an effect, it gives Sony an incentive to leave.

You can't prove that link. Studios were being closed in the UK long before Brexit.

 

[Newtype-001]

Rip
Hope these guys find work soon.
Thats 2 sony UK studios gone

 

[Fularu]

UC4 massively outdid the previous UC games just at launch.

You're stretching real hard and it's transparent as hell.

The uncharted series sold 28 million units before the release of UC4. (this obviously includes all the packed in versions, either with systems or controllers like UC1 (I don't remember if UC2 got a controller pack).

I'll need receipts on UC4 outselling UC2/3 without packins because you'd have to go out of your way to not get UC4 while purchasing a PS4 (at least in Europe, again).

 

[CouchMaster]

Yeah close down PD because GT6 'only' did 5 million on PS3 after PS4 came out.

I swear Gaf sometimes..

 

[jmaine_ph]

To who? Nobody did a better game of that genre on the Vita than Killzone Mercenaryand no-one has done a better online VR FPS than RIGS, so I'm not sure you can without sacrificing quality.

In terms of quality you may be right and I can't answer that but from a business perspective it's probably cheaper to out source especially with the returns from both of those games at the moment.

 

[dh4niel]

That sucks. I'm really worried about Media Molecule now.

 

[Fularu]

Of course Brexit has an effect, it gives Sony an incentive to leave the UK rather sooner than later.

Sony has been getting out of the UK for over 10 years no, why would this one specific occurence be linked ot Brexit of all things?

 

[Guymelef]

I'll need receipts on UC4 outselling UC2/3 without packins because you'd have to go out of your way to not get UC4 while purchasing a PS4 (at least in Europe, again).

This is completely false.

 

[Acquiescence]

The MediEvil developer.

Oh man, this fucking blows. Has Sony been replacing all the studios they've axed over the past few years with new ones? Doesn't seem like it. Their first-party output is going to take a substantial drop at this rate.

 

[koutoru]

Terrible fucking news.

Media Molecule will be next

This is what I'm afraid of.

Also, how well Days Gone does will pretty much decide the fate of Sony Bend.

 

[Novocaine]

Man this sucks. They did godlike work with KZ Mercenaries. I hope they can find jobs soon.

 

[Fat4all]

That's too bad.

I think the only game I played of theirs was MediEvil PSP. Didn't really like it all that much, but I know they were really in there when it came to Sony's handheld stuff.

Hopefully the employee's land safely in other jobs.

 

[Loudninja]

The uncharted series sold 28 million units before the release of UC4. (this obviously includes all the packed in versions, either with systems or controllers like UC1 (I don't remember if UC2 got a controller pack).

I'll need receipts on UC4 outselling UC2/3 without packins because you'd have to go out of your way to not get UC4 while purchasing a PS4 (at least in Europe, again).

What are you even going on about.

 

[AnthonypUK]

The uncharted series sold 28 million units before the release of UC4. (this obviously includes all the packed in versions, either with systems or controllers like UC1 (I don't remember if UC2 got a controller pack).

I'll need receipts on UC4 outselling UC2/3 without packins because you'd have to go out of your way to not get UC4 while purchasing a PS4 (at least in Europe, again).

You going to deduct UC2 packins to?

and the uncharted 3 bundles?

Every big game gets bundled.

 

[autumnleaf]

PSVR has been in development for ages so some of the games have probably been in development for a fairly long period of time as well. Even if its a success the units shifted probably don't equate to profits.

 

[Primethius]

The uncharted series sold 28 million units before the release of UC4. (this obviously includes all the packed in versions, either with systems or controllers like UC1 (I don't remember if UC2 got a controller pack).

I'll need receipts on UC4 outselling UC2/3 without packins because you'd have to go out of your way to not get UC4 while purchasing a PS4 (at least in Europe, again).

...?

UK chart data. UC4 did 190k launch week. The next highest launch is UC3 at 115-120k.

 

[Fularu]

Yeah close down PD because GT6 'only' did 5 million on PS3 after PS4 came out.

I swear Gaf sometimes..

How did you even reach that conclusion is beyond me. Who asked for PD to be closed here?

 

[DHC-Shannow]

I think they are stoping every VR project coming from UK.

They have a relatively new studio in Manchester making games for the PSVR that's looking for staff....

 

[Luigiv]

What does Sony have against British studios? Psygnosis/Studio Liverpool, Evolution and now Guerilla Cambridge. I'd be very worried right now if I were working at SIE London.

Edit: And Media Molecule. Forgot them.

 

[Newtype-001]

Sony has been getting out of the UK for over 10 years no, why would this one specific occurence be linked ot Brexit of all things?

But they opened up North West for vr games a little while back in the uk ?

 

[krang]

It's a shitty place for this to happen - not much else around there wrt game development, I don't think. Hopefully they get a job in the tech industry there if they don't want to move.

 

[Takao]

Of course Brexit has an effect, it gives Sony an incentive to leave the UK rather sooner than later.

What's left to lose? Media Molecule, North West and London are their last 3 studios and none of them seem large. If any of them get shut down it'll be because their stuff bombs.

 

[Yautja_Warrior]

Good luck to the talented people affected by this, hopefully they can get jobs with other studio's.

Killzone Mercs and Rigs were awesome games and I used to love the MediEvil games back in the PS1 / PSP days. Shame they had to go.

 

[LegendofDragoonLives]

This is depressing. How could you Shu? Shoves the team to 2 platforms and then closes them for not selling as much because both platforms have terrible hardware sales. Pathetic.

 

[maverick40]

This is what I'm afraid of.

Also, how well Days Gone does will pretty much decide the fate of Sony Bend.

Guerrilla Cambridge put out Killzone mercenary and a brilliant VR game.

Media Molecule can't even explain to people what Dreams is and it is months or even a year out.

The game will sell nothing and the studio will be closed. I am surprised media Molecule is still open compare to Guerrilla Cambridge

 

[Nachtfalke]

That sucks.

And somehow I get the feeling that the support for PS VR declines pretty quickly. It's like back in the days when Sony closes some studios after the developement for a bunch of Vita launch games.

 

[Harlequin]

Way to piss people off, Sony. Bravo.