It is very sad news for retro gamers, and Amiga gamers especially, that Sony has finally decided to close down Sony Liverpool, formally the famous developer Psygnosis.
Their last game release was Wipeout 2048, released earlier this year for the Sony Playstation Vita.
Psygnosis were one of the oldest games developers still in operation. Originally dating back to 1984 and releasing classic titles such as Barbarian and Shadow of the Beast on the Amiga. And, after being purchased by Sony in 1993 and renamed studio Liverpool, Sony utilised them to create some great games for their new Playstation console, including the famous Wipeout series.
The announcement posted by Sony to the Games site Kotaku reads as follows:
Originally Posted by :
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 market place.
It has been decided that Liverpool Studio should be closed. Liverpool Studio has been an important part of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios since the outset of PlayStation, and has contributed greatly to PlayStation over the years. Everyone connected with Liverpool Studio, past and present, can be very proud of their achievements.
However, it was felt that by focusing our investment plans on other studios that are currently working on exciting new projects, we would be in a stronger position to offer the best possible content for our consumers.
Other parts of its Liverpool campus are said to remain unaffected by this closure, but it is unclear if any of the 100 staff from Sony Liverpool will be offered alternative posts.
Personally I think their days were numbered when Sony lost their rights to the Formula 1 game license.. signing the end of any future F1 games from the studio. Very sad as those, along with Wipeout were 2 great franchise.
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