Not much was known about this PlayStation VR-focused studio and now it is being closed.
What you need to know
- In 2015, Sony quietly announced North West Studio (later named Manchester Studio).
- This team was being built to focus on the development of PlayStation VR titles.
- Sony confirmed today that Manchester Studio was being closed.
- Media Molecule and London Studio are the only remaining UK studios in Sony Worldwide Studios.
In 2015, Sony opened a new studio in the UK. First titled North West before being changed to Manchester Studio, the team was to focus on building PlayStation VR titles. We’ll never get to see a game from this studio as today, Sony announced that Manchester Studio is being closed. Sony told GamesIndustry.biz that the plan is ‘to close it as part of our efforts to improve efficiency and operational effectiveness.’
Our thoughts are with all of the developers and staff affected by the studio closure. We hope they all manage to find new jobs soon.
This leaves Media Molecule and London Studio as the remaining UK teams in Sony Worldwide Studios. Sony has something of a history of shutting down UK-based first-party developers. Over the course of the PlayStation 4’s lifecycle alone, Guerrilla Cambridge and Evolution Studios were both closed, while Studio Liverpool and BigBig Entertainment were both closed in 2012.
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