Sony Interactive Entertainment has decided that enough is enough for a studio that has been around for over two decades.
Sony Interactive Entertainment is shutting down the PlayStation London studio completely, so they’re not just letting some people go, they’re closing the studio after twenty-two years (!). Sony also announced in February that the team was finished, as they said they would lay off about 8% of their workforce, 900 people worldwide. And now the moment of closure has arrived: PlayStation’s now defunct London studio has taken to Twitter to announce its farewell.
“For over twenty years, the London studio has been home to some exceptionally talented and wonderful people in the games industry. As we close the doors and move on to new adventures, we wanted to say a big thank you to all of our past and present players and colleagues who have supported us over the years. It’s been a wild and wonderful journey,” PlayStation London Studio wrote.
For over twenty years London Studio has been home to some exceptionally talented and wonderful people in the games industry. As we close the doors, and all go forward to new adventures, we wanted to say a heartfelt thank you, to all our past and present, players and colleagues… pic.twitter.com/gXe4MnU6SI
— PlayStation London Studio (@LondonStudioHQ) May 21, 2024
Also affected by the cuts were Insomniac Games (Marvel’s Spider-Man, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart…), Naughty Dog (The Last of Us) and Firesprite (Horizon: Call of the Mountain). Hermen Hulst, who has since been promoted to co-head of PlayStation, explained the layoffs by saying that the company was re-evaluating how it operates and that the canceled projects were the reason for the layoffs.
The PlayStation London studio was established in Soho in 2002. The in-house first-party team worked on The Getaway and Singstar franchises, and went on to develop several games for the PS2’s EyeToy camera. Wonderbook was one of their projects, as well as several PlayStation VR titles such as Blood & Truth and PlayStation VR Worlds. Before their closure, they were working on an online co-op fighting game set in a fantasy world in London.
It’s never good news to hear of a closure. Whoever it is, there is nothing worse than when management completely shuts down everything and everyone.
Source: VGC
