Sony shuts down WipEout dev Liverpool, relocating some of the staff

It’s a sad day today in video gaming and especially for WipEout fans as Sony has announced that SCE Studio Liverpool is being shutdown. Apparently, as part of Sony’s regular project review process the decision was made to cancel all of Liverpool’s projects and to close the studio.

Word around the studio’s closure came out earlier today on GRCade forum, as user Shadow wrote:



They got rounded up this morning and Michael Denny [Senior Vice President of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios] explained the company was being ‘reorganised’.

This news was shortly confirmed by SCE Studio Liverpool’s Facebook page which read:


As some of you may have heard Sony have chosen to close Studio Liverpool as of today.
This page will no longer be maintained by the WipEout Team.
We have loved making every game, every minute and every one of you. Keep the faith, keep loving WipEout.
Thank you for everything, Pilots. It’s been an amazing journey and we’ll miss you.





As reported by Eurogamer, Sony has issued a statement explaining the reason for the closure of the veteran studio. According to Sony as part of a regular review process, decisions were made to make some changes to the European Studios after assessing all “current and planned projects for the short and medium term.”


As part of SCE Worldwide Studios, we do regular reviews to ensure that the resources we have can create and produce high quality, innovative and commercially viable projects in an increasingly competitive marketplace. As part of this process, we have reviewed and assessed all current and planned projects for the short and medium term and have decided to make some changes to our European Studios.

It has been decided that Liverpool Studio should be closed. Liverpool Studio has been an important part of SCE Worldwide Studios since the outset of PlayStation, and have contributed greatly to PlayStation over the years. Everyone connected with Liverpool Studio, past and present, can be very proud of their achievements.

Sony revealed that while the team Liverpool will be disbanded the Liverpool Facility will continue to operate as it houses other vital World Wide Studios Europe and Sony Computer Entertainment Departments in the building.

A Sony spokesperson stated that the company will work with the team to try to relocate those affected to other studios.


We will be looking to relocate the team members throughout the studios, but unfortunately some redundancies will be necessary and in those cases we will assist staff in any way we can.

According to Eurogamer’s sources, Liverpool was working on WipEout and a Splinter Cell style game for the PS4. The source revealed that the WipEout game has been in development for 12 to 18 months and the Splinter Cell style game started out as a gangster game but later evolved. Apparently the Splinter Cell style game was using similar tech used by Team Bondai for LA Noire.

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gamescom 2012: Sony wrap-up: Cross-Buy, PS Plus for Vita, PlayStation Mobile and more

Sony’s press conference is now behind us with everyone now crawling around the show floor to get their hands on the goods. However, there were some interesting announcements at Sony’s presser that does deserve mentioning.

Sony has been dancing around this idea of the PlayStation Mobile (formerly Suite), but took it one step further by revealing more details about the app during the press conference. The company announced that PS Mobile will be available for ASUS and Wikipad in addition to the select Android devices and PS Vita.


This app will tie your PSN ID across multiple devices allowing you to access your games between platforms. This is fantastic news as this means that you will now be able to start playing a game on your vita and resume on your smart phone or tablet. Sony revealed that 30 new titles are being developed for the platform by various studios and publishers.

Apparently studios invested in PlayStation Mobile include SEGA, THQ, Necrosoft, Tecmo Koei, Q? Entertainment, D3 Publisher and more. The list of partners that will be creating content for PSM top out at 38 international companies and 46 Japanese companies.



Sony also announced a new Cross-Buy program that should have many PS Vita and PS3 owners excited. This is a new initiative that Sony is backing as a major feature that will offer a free Vita version of the game if you purchase a PS3 copy and vice versa.

The Cross-Buy program will kick off this November starting with PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale and will include other titles such as Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time and Ratchet and Clank: Full Frontal Assault. This is a brilliant idea as PS3 owners will already have a library of PS Vita games before even owning the handheld.

In addition to the Cross-Buy program, Sony also unveiled the all new PlayStation Plus subscription for the PS Vita as well. The company indicated that this program geared towards the mobile handheld will follow in the footsteps of the PS3 PS+ program. In addition to this exciting news, Sony announced that Europe will receive Red Dead Redemption for free as part or PS+ next month. There is no announcement for NA yet.

To top things off Sony also revealed that PSOne titles will now be available for purchase over the PS Vita store as well.

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gamescom 2012: new Sony IPs Part 1: Tearaway for PS Vita and Until Dawn for PS3

Sony’s gamescom press conference is the talk of the town receiving glowing praises from various media outlets. With all the recent talks of the industry going stale with sequels, Sony is still bringing new and experimental IPs to its platforms.

The first new IP Sony showed off during the presser is Tearaway, a new title by Media Molecule, creators of LittleBigPlanet. Tearaway puts you in control of Iota, a paper messenger living in a paper world. You set out with Iota to help him deliver an urgent message meant for you. However, in order for Iota to deliver this message, you must navigate him to his destination.


Along the way you will encounter enemies and obstacles that can only be overcome by your “interference” in the Paper World. According Media Molecule’s great description of the game on its Blog, you will be given god-like powers to interact with the Paper World as you see fit. You will be able to poke your fingers into the world from the back of the PS Vita, breathe into the mic to cause a storm or just turn the world upside down.




0Sony also unveiled a new PS3 IP titled Until Dawn, developed by Supermassive Games set for release in 2013. The game will utilize the PS Move and is inspired by classic teen horror movies.

According to the studio, this game has been in development for quite some time working with Hollywood writers and TV talents to craft the title. The studio wants to create a unique experience that harkens back to the days of campy but suspenseful horror flicks.

You will play through the story as seven different characters to unravel a mystery surrounding the disappearance of friend.



On the anniversary of their friends’ disappearance, a group of classmates visit the site of the mystery to bury their ghosts and get some closure. Little do they know, they’ll end up burying each other instead.

It’s teen horror so obviously it’s isolated, the power’s out and the phones don’t work! You’ll play through the story as multiple characters, sometimes with a friend and sometimes on your own to discover who it is that’s intent on killing off you and your friends. It’s up to you how you play, so we don’t know how your story will go or who’ll be there with you at the end.

The game definitely looks interesting as the gameplay mechanics have you using the PS Move controller naturally like shining a flashlight or interacting with the world as you normally would.

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gamescom 2012: PS Vita – Killzone Mercenary, Call of Duty Declassified and new Assassin’s Creed Liberation trailer

During Sony’s gamescom press conference the company unveiled a slew of PS Vita games at the show. Sony released the debut trailer for Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified, Killzone: Mercenary and more.

Activision’s Call of Duty game for the PS Vita was MIA during E3 which lead many to speculate that the game may be delayed. However, Sony debuted the official trailer for the game during the presser.


According to the trailer Declassified will offer four versus four multiplayer on the go over Wi-Fi with new maps never seen before as well as fan favorites such as Nuketown. The game is set in-between the first Black Ops game and the sequel, meaning that the game will likely take place during the modern era.


The game will feature single player missions, and everything you have come to love about Call of Duty such as progressive leveling to Prestige, perks, and ability to create-a-class.

The most visually stunning PS Vita game at the show was the unveiling of Killzone Mercenary. The game is being developed by Cambridge Studio in coordination with Guerrilla Games. The trailer shows off a dark and grittier side of the Killzone universe as the game focuses on mercenaries.


You earn currency for the way you execute your enemies as well as how the objective or mission was accomplished. Sony hasn’t revealed much details about the story or multiplayer aspect of the game, but you can expect more details this week.

Sony also released a new trailer for PS Vita exclusive, Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation at gamescom during the presser which showed off the game’s unique gameplay mechanics using the touchscreens on the PS Vita. Liberation is definitely shaping up to be a visually impressive and fun game. Check out the new trailer below:

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PlayStation boss: Social gaming “difficult to sustain,” satisfied with PS Vita sales

Jack Tretton, Sony president and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America shared his thoughts on the whole social and freemium gaming scene. He also spoke a bit about the state of the PlayStation Vita.

In an interview with GI.biz, Tretton revealed that he feels much better about the PS Vita currently then where it was four months ago. When asked about the low sales figures for the handheld, Tretton pointed out that the handheld business is similar to the console business in that it’s a marathon and not a sprint.



In this industry, you can’t get too high or too low, because it moves very quickly. I think there’s an acceptable number – and [the number] we’ve sold: That’s acceptable. If it was triple that, I’d be happier. If it was one-third, I’d be disappointed.

Tretton believes things will start trending up for the PS Vita, as the support for the device is there as there is a PS Vita exclusive Call of Duty (Declassified) and Assassin’s Creed (Liberation) game set to launch this holiday. Sony is still projecting to sell 10 million units by end of fiscal calendar year despite the slow start the handheld experienced this year. Could Sony have something in the pipeline that we aren’t aware of?


Anything with great rewards is going to come with great challenges. We felt if the tech was there, and the game support was there, then the audience would be there. … I feel much better about it now than I did four months ago.

Tretton is also excited about where the PlayStation division is positioned within Sony, especially with Kaz Hirai taking the top CEO spot of the entire company. The PlayStation division is now aligned with the mobile and digital imaging divisions as the three pillars of Sony. This is dramatically different than from when TV and music dominated the company.


When I joined Sony Computer Entertainment, I’d meet people from other Sony divisions. I’d be at an industry event and they’d read my name badge and say ‘Sony Computer Entertainment? What the hell is that? I work for Sony music.’ Sony Computer Entertainment was very much an offshoot and not an intimately familiar division of Sony. … To go from there, where you’re a science experiment, for lack of a better word, to one of the three major pillars of the corporation is great.

Tretton was also asked about Sony’s strategy of focusing on core gaming experiences while social media and free-to-play models dominate the mobile landscape.


[Social and free-to-play] is a business I think a lot of companies are learning is difficult to sustain for the long term. It’s an adjunct or it’s an add-on, but it’s not where gaming is headed. It’s an additive diversion. There’s a place for social and freemium, but it’s not going to replace the business models that are out there.

The crisis Zynga currently faces may be telling of Tretton’s belief as social media gaming seems to be on a sharp decline. The industry faced a crash back in the late ‘70s due to over commercialization of video games but was saved by Nintendo. There may be some merit to Tretton’s point, as core gamers are probably much more loyal than social gamers and in turn will help keep your business sustained for the long haul.

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Sony’s gamescom press conference next week – “future of PlayStation" to be revealed

gamescom is just four days away now as Sony prepares its press conference to kick things off at the biggest trade show in the world. gamescom for Sony is turning out to be an exciting event as various rumors of new announcements have been swirling around the Web.

Sony has setup a page dedicated to gamescom on the PlayStation site. Gamers can tune in August 14th at 1pm EST or 19:00 CET / 18:00 BST / 03:00 Sydney (Wed) as the entire presser will be streamed here.


The company will be going right into a Q&A session right after the press conference, which may mean that whatever Sony is announcing will have everyone buzzing.

After the Q&A session there will be a ‘Games as Art’ debate with several panelists which include: Shuhei Yoshida, SCE Worldwide Studios President, Kellee Santiago, co-founder of Thatgamecompany (Journey), Alex Evans, co-founder of Media Molecule (LittleBigPlanet) and Ian Dallas, co-founder of Giant Sparrow (The Unfinished Swan).

It will be interesting to see if Alex Evans will be announcing his new project in the works at Media Molecule.

The most interesting comment on the PlayStation page is the heading:


Join us live from Cologne on 14 August 2012 when we’ll be revealing the future of PlayStation as well as hosting a live panel with industry experts.

It makes you wonder as to what Sony means by the future of PlayStation, as the company could be talking about the PS4, or its future plans for Gaikai or the next iteration of the PS3.

The biggest rumor going into gamescom for Sony is definitely the super-slim PS3 and a price drop for the console. With leaked pictures and speculation from industry experts, it looks likely that Sony will be unveiling the next model of the PS3.

The other rumor is around two unannounced games Sony will be revealing at gamescom. The games are rumored to be “Rain” and “Until Dawn” as Sony trademarks the names right before gamescom.

What else would you like to see at Sony’s press conference?

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