Author Topic: God damn it, Sony (Read 2280 times)

duckman2000 · « **on:** January 29, 2010, 12:31:58 PM »

Wipeout :'(

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Studio Liverpool Internal Development shut down by Sony
January 29th 2010

It's with a heavy heart I report that Sony Computer Entertainment has taken the decision to terminate almost everyone at Studio Liverpool Internal Development today.

This essentially brings to an end a long history of game development at Studio Liverpool, formarly Psygnosis.

http://wipeoutzone.com/

Not surprising, but god damn it. It took a whole generation for Wipeout to recuperate after the last major loss of talent, so I'm guessing this is it for Wipeout.

Howard Alan Treesong · « **Reply #1 on:** January 29, 2010, 12:34:50 PM »

FFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

duckman2000 · « **Reply #2 on:** January 29, 2010, 12:35:32 PM »

Some of the team was supposedly moved to Evolution, though, so maybe the next MotorStorm will be MotorStorm Rollcage.

Or something

Bebpo · « **Reply #3 on:** January 29, 2010, 12:36:22 PM »

I thought yesterday's news was that liverpool and evolution teams merged into 1 studio, but no one was fired and Wipeout/Motorstorm series will continue.

Third · « **Reply #4 on:** January 29, 2010, 12:36:50 PM »

There goes my Kula World 2. Fuck you, Sony.

HyperZoneWasAwesome · « **Reply #5 on:** January 29, 2010, 12:37:42 PM »

Now they weren't the guys who made the completely lousy Getaway games, right? What else did they do besides Wipeout.

duckman2000 · « **Reply #6 on:** January 29, 2010, 12:39:08 PM »

Quote from: Bebpo on January 29, 2010, 12:36:22 PM

I thought yesterday's news was that liverpool and evolution teams merged into 1 studio, but no one was fired and Wipeout/Motorstorm series will continue.

That's what it sounded like, but the stuff coming out today suggests that Evolution is largely untouched, and that Psygnosis, er, Studio Liverpool got the boot, with team members being moved to Evolution instead.

I guess Wipeout has been on life support for a while, but damn it damn it damn it.

duckman2000 · « **Reply #7 on:** January 29, 2010, 12:41:22 PM »

I'm going to slap anyone I know who bought GT5 Prologue over Wipeout HD.

duckman2000 · « **Reply #8 on:** January 29, 2010, 12:43:46 PM »

Some dude who seems to know more than the rest is claiming that it's not a full studio shutdown by any means, just a trimming.

I WANT TO BELIEVE

Third · « **Reply #9 on:** January 29, 2010, 12:45:13 PM »

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/sony-to-restructure-liverpool-studio

It's just a restructure.

duckman2000 · « **Reply #10 on:** January 29, 2010, 01:17:23 PM »

The "handling" of the PS3, disastrous though it may have been, has little to do with Wipeout. It was a pillar franchise for the PS1, essentially dumped for an entire console generation (with a shit version published in the US by a third party because stupid Americans don't like Wipeout), brought back to life on the PSP and converted to a PS3 downloadable. I fear that any "project prioritizing" would axe a retail version immediately.

Historical footnote: I was once real mad at the Sony suits for chasing away tDR and a few of the lead talents after (during) development of Wip3out. I was surprised that it even appeared on PSP, let alone the PS3.

duckman2000 · « **Reply #11 on:** January 29, 2010, 01:38:41 PM »

Not that the position of the PS3 as a once very expensive system has helped, but I'm sure any restructuring is based on Wipeout and its studio more so than console and software performance. Like I said, given the history of things, it is amazing that we even have a Wipeout HD. This type of racer isn't very popular these days, was never very popular outside of Europe, and getting only

Fusion

during the PS2 era certainly hasn't helped it.

TEEEPO · « **Reply #12 on:** January 29, 2010, 01:46:53 PM »

cool breeze · « **Reply #13 on:** January 29, 2010, 02:05:30 PM »

so the people who made some of the best Sony games in the past couple years are gone? ok. use that money saved to fund MAG2

duckman2000 · « **Reply #14 on:** January 29, 2010, 02:08:13 PM »

That's the rumor, but the OP article isn't official PR or anything, and some insider dude on GAF is apparently driving himself mad trying to inform people that it's not as severe as the article suggests. But all things considered, I wouldn't be surprised to see Wipeout get canned. :'( Best case scenario would be that the next Motorstorm is a lot more like Rollcage.

Anyone know a dude called Kenny Linder?

Quote

I've said a number of times now what is actually happening to the studio, yet it seems everyone is ignoring me. I'll try one more time:

Sony Liverpool is NOT closing down, but several developers were made redundant today. I don't know how many, but it was not the entire studio.

duckman2000 · « **Reply #15 on:** January 29, 2010, 05:22:30 PM »

Seems to be all but confirmed now that they eliminated a lot of jobs, but nowhere near the majority of them. Which would be bad of course, but a lot better than the alternative. Wipeout bounced back (sort of) with Pure after losing one of its leads following Wip3out, so I guess it's all down to whether or not Wipeout itself got cut now.

pilonv1 · « **Reply #16 on:** January 29, 2010, 06:05:28 PM »

amazing, im not the biggest wipeout fan but psygnosis made some fucking awesome games.

saggle claims another one

treythemovie · « **Reply #17 on:** January 29, 2010, 06:51:10 PM »

You got rid of the wrong UK studio, Sony! $:-\$

chronovore · « **Reply #18 on:** January 29, 2010, 11:17:24 PM »

Quote from: dcharlie on January 29, 2010, 04:47:53 PM

Couldn't they have trimmed the fat at Polyphony who are CLEARLY taking the piss now?

If Wipeout is gone then FUCK YOU, Sony.

This is as bad a decission as putting your MAG daily maintenance at a time that falls at 7pm - 9pm japanese time (AKA the time people get to play games)

In the end, isn't it really a question of sales? Gran Turismo sells really well, and Wipeout has sold for crap this generation, after being mishandled last generation. I don't get it either, and I imagine Polyphony's burn rate, as well as what must be a really overwhelming licensing environment to be significantly more substantial than Liverpool's. So it must be a branding and marketing move.

Psygnosis was a fabulous developer in the PS1 early PC days. Look at that list! That 3D Lander game they did, a tribute to that old lunar lander game? It was great, but I don't think it ever came out in North Am. or was widely distributed.

The spin they're putting on it, and whatever guy is trying to say "it's not dead!" over there at GAF, the point is if you disassemble a team, there's no putting it back together.

duckman2000 · « **Reply #19 on:** January 30, 2010, 02:15:37 AM »

Well now, this really isn't the first crisis to befall Wipeout. Around Fusion, no one thought the franchise had any future whatsoever. Assuming the crisis is as severe as initially reported, maybe Wipeout will be back in top form for the Xstation 3. Give it a generation, and then when you least expect it... Wipeout. New team, with oldies in it. Like it is right now.

As for being mishandled, has Wipeout really been all that popular since 2097? I remember Wip3out (my personal favorite) being reported as a bit of a disappointment, and I don't think it has ever been popular outside of Europe.

GoofyGoober · « **Reply #20 on:** January 30, 2010, 02:36:45 PM »

R.I.P. Psygnosis :'(

Damn we so need a "pouring a beer out" emoticon.

duckman2000 · « **Reply #21 on:** January 30, 2010, 04:10:44 PM »

Psygnosis has been in the grave for a while, dude. Plenty of very important personnel has left the "team" since Wipeout, with the most critical loss occurring after Wip3out (and that one was directly linked to Sony corporate). I've held on to some faint hope that we would get some new iterations of Psygnosis classics from the Playstation era, but I think Wipeout was the anomaly.

demi · « **Reply #22 on:** January 30, 2010, 04:18:40 PM »

the only good wipeout was on a nintendo system anyway

tiesto · « **Reply #23 on:** January 30, 2010, 05:54:13 PM »

This fucking sucks so bad. I wanted a disk-based sequel to WOHD in the worst fucking way.

Racing game of the generation

GoofyGoober · « **Reply #24 on:** January 30, 2010, 05:55:12 PM »

I know they had been dead for years. But some of the most fun I ever had gaming was the amiga days with Psygnosis games.

ManaByte · « **Reply #25 on:** January 31, 2010, 11:12:37 AM »

Coming in 2011:

David Jaffe Presents: Wipeout eXteme

duckman2000 · « **Reply #26 on:** January 31, 2010, 05:09:53 PM »

Quote from: dcharlie on January 31, 2010, 05:08:00 PM

Quote
As if Japanese are the audience for an online FPS.

true, but it's still dumb timing. And 2 hours DAILY maintenance?!

That's nothing compared to the beta I was in. Two sets of 3 hours of server time per day.

demi · « **Reply #27 on:** January 31, 2010, 05:12:52 PM »

Quote from: dcharlie on January 31, 2010, 05:08:00 PM

Quote
As if Japanese are the audience for an online FPS.

true, but it's still dumb timing. And 2 hours DAILY maintenance?!

Maintaining servers requires a lot of time and money, P2P is old hat

maxy · « **Reply #28 on:** February 01, 2010, 04:04:17 AM »

Quote

Thanks people.. I dodged the bullet...

Im safe.. but that doesn't mean I'm happy...far from it. There is hardly anything left now... the amount of good people that went yesterday is disgusting... and some of the names that have gone is beyond a joke.

We haven't merged with Evo... they have came in and just bulldozed us. They don't care about our history and what we stand for.. making QUALITY games..that score 90+% on metacritic.. rather than generic shovel ware.

Or management went.. our projects, now 50% of the staff.. we find out our 'future' on Monday... but I fear a knock out punch is coming.

http://www.assemblergames.com/forums/showpost.php?p=399523&postcount=8

News:

Author Topic: God damn it, Sony (Read 2280 times)