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Sony Closes WipEout Developer Studio Liverpool
RogueyWon writes "Eurogamer is reporting that Sony has closed its subsidiary developer Studio Liverpool. Beginning its life in 1984 under the name Psygnosis, the development house has played an important role in the history of computer and video gaming, publishing classics such as the Lemmings series. Since its acquisition by Sony in 1993, the studio has been best known for its work on the WipEout franchise, which helped to establish the PlayStation console as a successful brand. Sony's statements indicate that it will seek to find positions for staff in its other development houses, but that some redundancies will be necessary."
Eurogamer posted an update, indicating that the studio was working on WipEout for the PS4.
It's Psygnosis.
"Lemmings" seems appropriate when you think about Sony executives.
Well that's where they went wrong. Whenever these things happen, developers leave in droves anyway and start new development houses, until they're bought again. Most game developers have some sort of idea for a game, and this is usually how it happens.
I wrote my first program at the age of six, and I still can't work out how this website works.
Shadow of the Beast, The Killing Game Show, and Awesome were my favorite Atari ST and Amiga games ever. Stunning graphics (for the time), unparallelled music, great game play out of their games. RIP to the greatest studio of my youth. ... BTW, has anyone ever completed Shadow of the Beast 2 WITHOUT using the "ten pints" cheat?
Fifty watts per channel, baby cakes.
How many of my game development heros must die before this acquisition madness is brought to an end?
Oh no! *BOOM*
Not Psygonis or Psygnonis.
Please shows some respect and check spelling of last names and company names at the very least. Basic Editor skillz, rigot?
Ahhh, original Lemmings. Was proud I finished all 120 levels without looking up solutions.
Actually, finished 121 levels if you count figuring out how to hack the binary startup file that limited demo startups to 10 starts. Made the "You impressed us by finishing all 120 levels!!" screen all the sweeter.
Had I known they were from Liverpool, land with avowed, literal communists on the city council, I wouldn't have let the guilt rot my gut all these decades. QQ me.
(-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
Such a shame, I wanted to see and buy all of their WipeOut-games on Steam, but I guess I will never see that happen now. Quite ironic that they were making such futuristic games yet did not live to see the future...
I purchased a Playstation because of that series.
I purchased a Playstation 2 because of that series.
I purchased a PSP because of that series.
I purchased a Playstation 3 because of that series.
Are you seeing a pattern, Sony?
Psygnosis deserves much more than this. Shadow of the Beast, WipEout, Lemmings. These are all iconic games which I remember VIVIDLY, much more than most other games. Sad day indeed. :'(
in girum imus nocte et consumimur igni
Now they kill Studio Liverpool it's almost like the companys are being rewarded for bad games and punished for good ones.
We can't afford to give money to innovators to create new and exciting games which push the envelope. That money is already earmarked for the outrageous licensing fees for the constant iterations of the Madden franchise, et. al.
I have wonderful memories from high school of playing Shadow of the Beast for hours while listening to the Pet Shop Boys on autoreverse.... does that date me much?
It was amazing that such a frustrating game could hold my attention for so long, but it did. I highly recommend trying it out in an emulator if you have a chance. It was so, so far ahead of its time.
"Some redundancies will be necessary"
You mean, those redundancies will be deemed unnecessary, and therefore eliminated. Hate to be a wording nazi, but that's bad.
Will Sony ever make a decision or policy that doesn't seem akin to bamboo shoots under the fingernails?
Rollcage was one of the best fast racing games I ever played.
Which for my purposes was the early 90s. DMA Design (the developer of Lemmings, Hired Guns) had a not always amiable relationship with Psygnosis, who was our publisher at the start. I visited it only a couple of times, but it always felt like an important place, like going to visit the emperor. Best memories were of the largest, tastiest pizza I'd ever had and of being crammed into the back of Ian Hetherington's Porche as a bunch of us were taken out for a meal. So, sad day.
The Dean Brothers and Hipgnosis produced some of the most iconic album cover art of the late 60's and 70's. Roger Dean brought his trippy style to game covers like "Shadow of the Beast" and early Pygnosis titles.
Great games complimented by great art design.
I dug Wip3out too.
Sorry to see the studio axed.
Direct link, http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=BqduhShyh0Y
Alas, making promo vids wasn't their finest talent, but it /is/ a review of their better years.
Time to fire up Wipeout 2097 for the very fond farewell.
They had a great eye for visuals all the way around. The Designers Repubic artwork really made those Wipeout games special (that and the amazing sound tracks). Hell, Wipeout Pure was the main reason I bought a PSP.
"My head hurts, My feet stink, and I dont love Jesus." -Jimmy Buffett
I put countless hours into Wipeout HD and Fury, not to mention many of the Psygnosis games long before that. Growing up, I was enthralled by their distinctive visual style. So this news comes as a massive disappointment.
Unfortunately, I'm not terribly surprised. This was a long time coming; since Wipeout HD nothing has really come out of Studio Liverpool. It looks like their resources were diverted to projects at other divisions. So at the end of the day, what was the point of keeping them around? What was the point of even acquiring them? They probably would have thrived if they hadn't been under Sony's heel.
Sony seems to be having a hard time getting a grasp on modern gaming. They're afflicted by the same kinds of tendencies endemic in the Japanese gaming industry; they don't get the DLC model, they're stuck in long-winded development cycles and they seem to be struggling with modernizing gameplay. I'm not a fan of the countless Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto clones, but too many Japanese games feel a bit stale. And worst of all, Sony seems incapable of nurturing studios with real potential.
RIP Psygnosis.
Wipeout and Wipeout 2097/XL was a groundbreaking title on the first PlayStation. Its stunning graphics and stellar soundtrack were way beyond what others were doing at that time. And the gameplay was dialed-in perfection. None of the followup Wipeout games I've played really matched up to it.
I worked with Sony back then, and I heard a lot of rumors through the grapevine about Psygnosis being arrogant and difficult to work with. This culminated in Sony completely swallowing them up so they could control the studio better. Well, many talented chaps left as they are wont to do, and it's been a slow-motion death for them ever since.
Hats off to Psygnosis for making such an impression on you and everyone else that played SOTB. Whether it infuriated you or simply challenged you like none other before it ('cause SOTB2 was infinitely harder), you still remember it well.
Fifty watts per channel, baby cakes.
www.psygnosis.org
I still terribly miss playing Drakan: Order Of The Flame. Was way ahead of its time.
best gave evar
I was bitterly disappointed when Sony bought Psygnosis and promptly declared that the sequel to Drakan would be PS2 only. Having bought (yes..as in paid for) every psygnosis game for my amiga (I still have the boxes) Drakan was my fave and I vowed never to buy Sony stuff again..poor marketing decisions and cutting out segments of the fanbase in the hope they'll buy a console to play the game doesnt work.
Screw you Sony.
This was a nice shooter. I think one of the last ones before they were bought by Sony (and went to develop exclusively for PS).
Out of interest, does anyone know how many of the original Psygnosis staff worked at Studio Liverpool till the end?
My gut feel is that all the people that really made it Psygnosis are probably long gone, which means the company (as we Amiga and Atari ST owners remember it) has actually been dead for a very long time.
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One of the things I liked about the WipEout games for Playstation was that all the music was on the game disks. There was some good stuff, and I started listening to more music from some of the artists. I'm glad I've kept the games all this time. Think I know what I'll be listening to on the drive home from work today.
I loved the series too. There was a lot to like. It was a well-made game, even if it was incredibly hard at times. Lots of fun, and great to play with friends. Considering how this predates the MarioKart games, with a lot of similar concepts, RESPECT YER ELDERS!
Not really that blown away by it.
'Psygnosis' disappeared when Sony took over, and all that Studio Liverpool did was make F1 and WipEout games, and I wasn't a fan of those.