PlayStation London Studio has issued a heartfelt farewell following the closure of a veteran developer amid significant cutbacks at Sony’s games business.
In February, Sony announced a major round of layoffs affecting around 900 employees, or around 8% of its global PlayStation workforce. The layoffs affect a number of PlayStation studios, including Insomniac, Naughty Dog, Guerrilla and Firesprite, but PlayStation’s London studio was hit hardest by the closure announcement.
Now, the official PlayStation London Studio X/Twitter account has released a statement thanking players for their support:
“For over 20 years, London Studio has been home to some of the most exceptionally talented and amazing people in the games industry. As we close our doors and all move on to new adventures, we wanted to extend a heartfelt thank you to all our past and present players and colleagues who have supported us over the years. We had one wild and amazing trip! 👋💙”
For over twenty years, London Studio has been home to some exceptionally talented and amazing people in the games industry. As we close our doors and all move on to new adventures, we wanted to extend a heartfelt thank you to all our past and present players and colleagues… pic.twitter.com/gXe4MnU6SI
— PlayStation London Studio (@LondonStudioHQ) May 21, 2024
Formed in 2002 from the merger of Psygnosis’ Camden studio and The Getaway developer Team Soho, PlayStation London Studio is perhaps best known for developing the SingStar series and working on experiences for PlayStation peripherals such as the EyeToy camera and the PlayStation VR headset. The studio has had a number of notable games canceled over the years due to the changing demands of parent company Sony, including Eight Days and the sequel The Getaway. In 2019, PSVR released the exclusive shooter Blood & Truth. Sony has yet to announce the cancellation of the London studio a co-op PlayStation 5 game set in a modern fantasy Londonbut it seems likely.
IN blog post after outgoing Sony Interactive Entertainment chief Jim Ryan announced the cuts, he issued an update on what he called “a difficult day at our company.”
“They are incredibly talented people who are part of our success, and we are very grateful for their contributions,” Ryan said. “However, the industry has changed immensely and we need to prepare for the future to prepare the business for what lies ahead. We need to meet the expectations of developers and players and continue to push future technologies in games, so we’ve taken a step back to ensure we’re ready to continue to bring the best gaming experiences to the community.”
In a separate blog post, the head of PlayStation Studios at the time, Hermen Hulst, confirmed that some games had been canceled as part of a “re-evaluation of how we operate”, but could not name them. “We looked at our studios and our portfolio, we evaluated projects at various stages of development, and we decided that some of these projects would not move forward,” Hulst said.
“I want to be clear that the decision to end work on these projects is not a reflection of the talent or passion of the team members. Our philosophy has always been to allow creative experimentation. Sometimes great ideas don’t become great games. Sometimes, a project is started with the best of intentions before shifts within a market or industry will lead to a change in plan.”
Sony’s cuts come during one of the toughest periods the games industry has ever faced, with mass layoffs throughout 2023 and continuing into 2024. Earlier this year Microsoft has cut 1,900 video game jobs following the acquisition of Call of Duty owner Activision Blizzard for $69 billion and the subsequent closure of Tango Gameworks and Arkane Austin. IGN recently spoke with the developers about these layoffs try to explain what caused them.
Image credit: Sony Interactive Entertainment.
Wesley is the UK news editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. Wesley can be contacted at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.