By his admission, it was a “deep cut” by PlayStation Studios to close the studio behind Concrete Genie.

While we often hear from Sony Interactive Entertainment that they have closed another acquisition, the opposite is not so often said. It’s rare when a studio can go independent (Bungie, for example, split with Activision Blizzard King once upon a time but managed to retain the rights to Destiny, and now they want to strengthen PlayStation Studios’ transmedia ambitions under Sony’s wing), and unfortunately, it also happens that a studio ends up being closed down by its owner.

It’s been official for several days now that PixelOpus will be going out of business in early June, and for Shawn Layden, former PlayStation US head, it was sad news. PixelOpus was founded in 2014 and was an in-house studio. It was led by Carnegie Mellon and staffed by San Jose State University students. The team was launched shortly after Layden took over from Jack Tretton at Sony Computer Entertainment America.

“I’m not going to lie. This is a deep cut. I loved working with this team and watching them level up to deliver the genre-busting Concrete Genie while maintaining a culture of support, inclusion, and challenge. Now a new adventure awaits. Only the best to every team member!” Layden wrote on Twitter.

Of course, Sony has not explained why the studio is closing. A statement sent to IGN says nothing: “PlayStation Studios regularly evaluates its portfolio and the status of studio projects to ensure they meet the organization’s short and long-term strategic objectives. As part of a recent review process, it has been decided that PixelOpus will close on June 2.”

The studio may have been surprised by the closure, as one of the new hires, Mark Vernon, spoke out: he started at PixelOpus in January and was probably not planning to offer a job to anyone for such a short period…

Source: PSL