Sony closes Evolution Studios (DriveClub, Motorstorm series).

2 UK studios in as many weeks, has there been a change to any UK tax incentives with regards to creative industry such as games development?

Maybe they anticipate that UK will leave the EU ...

Doubt that though - Sony supported the team far longer than many other publishers would have considering the actual sales, I think. It's still a shame, but I hope the talent does not go to waste and they find great new jobs.
 
Making games in 1998. Bought in 2007, off the back of Motorstorm. Question - was it right of Evo to get bought? Should they have stayed independent like Insomniac? The 'security' that being owned affords isn't forever. Or is a few years of security worth rnough to go through with it?

At this point, I think it's important for any studio getting offered to be bought to have enough range. Single/limited genre studios are perhaps more likely to get axed save the big earners.
 
Making games in 1998. Bought in 2007, off the back of Motorstorm. Question - was it right of Evo to get bought?
If you look at Evolution Studios financials returns for 2006 they declared profits of £1.1m and £750k in 2005 which looks like they were just keeping their heads above water.
 
Isn't JLo's ass insured for $1 billion? All they need to do is take care of that and BOOM, $1B in the bank.

That was just gossip BS. I think or believe Dat'Azz was insured for 20ish million by an insurance company that deals with these types of foolishness.
 
This sucks. Maybe DriveClub had problems in VR, otherwise it makes no sense.
I don't think problems regarding the VR version of DriveClub has anything to do with it. It's most likely that Sony had higher expectations for DriveClub, and had hoped it was better received and more successful.

According to that tweet posted earlier, DriveClub itself will, fortunately, live on.
 
I wonder if it had anything to do with the lack luster launch of Drive club and the non existent Psplus version?

I haven't played driveclub, but I have heard wonderful things about it. I heard that they have constantly improved the title with post launch updates.
 
Hmm, I remember half expecting this shortly after DC released, because contrary to GAF hype, it had actually sold quite poorly around the time. It took a long time I guess! And I believe Sony had just laid some off from Sucker Punch around that time as well shortly after Infamous release.

I guess Triple A continues to contract...not necessarily a bad thing...you see Ubisoft used to release 45 titles a year and now it's 12 or something (but I'm sure those 12 are bigger/higher budget than ever as well)

Plus, PS4 sells explosively with a lot fewer triple A 1st party than XBO in recent holiday seasons. It has not hurt it at all and I guess Sony is noticing...
 
Hmm, I remember half expecting this shortly after DC released, because contrary to GAF hype, it had actually sold quite poorly around the time. It took a long time I guess! And I believe Sony had just laid some off from Sucker Punch around that time as well shortly after Infamous release.

I guess Triple A continues to contract...not necessarily a bad thing...you see Ubisoft used to release 45 titles a year and now it's 12 or something (but I'm sure those 12 are bigger/higher budget than ever as well)

Plus, PS4 sells explosively with a lot fewer triple A 1st party than XBO in recent holiday seasons. It has not hurt it at all and I guess Sony is noticing...
DC had decent legs judging by PAL charts. Can't find any credible source of sales, but according to VGC, DC sold more than all XB1 Forza games except Forza 5 (which was released a year earlier). 1.93M vs 2.05M is what they have. Maybe Zhuge has some actual numbers though.

edit: Sales surpassed 2M back in July 2015 apparently.
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2015/07/31/driveclub-sales-surpass-2-million-copies

Most likely shipped but still very respectable numbers for a new IP, in a genre that's been in a slump.
 
I always thought Motorstorm looked like a cool game. It's a bummer when you gotta face business realities.
 
so they are fired or transferred? Surely sony have other studious that can benefit from their talent

hmm, now want forza-horizon-like game from Sony.
 
What's left in the EU for Sony though? GG and MM right? So unless they want to transfer then........but then as someone else mentioned, what's left of UK game dev? Seems like a lot of unemployed devs chasing very few jobs so if they want to stay in the biz then transferring may be their only option..
 
I am afraid so. It helps the company but it hurts gamers. I don't even want to imagine how a motorstorm PS4 would have been..
Or an evolution rally game on PS4? They would have terrain deformation unlike anything ever seen :( Or some other rarely seen tech.

they gave us a trailer for that in 2005, re watching it it seems they already thought of adding VR to it.

 
What's left in the EU for Sony though? GG and MM right? So unless they want to transfer then........but then as someone else mentioned, what's left of UK game dev? Seems like a lot of unemployed devs chasing very few jobs so if they want to stay in the biz then transferring may be their only option..

Maybe these guys can attend Sony's Lionhead job fair ?
 
What's left in the EU for Sony though? GG and MM right?
Guerrilla Games operate from the Amsterdam in the Netherlands and Guerrilla Cambridge (formerly Studio Cambridge) operate from Cambridge in the UK, London Studio (London, UK), North West Studio (Manchester, UK) and XDev Europe (Liverpool, UK). There is also SN Systems, who do all the SDKs and tool chains (Bristol, UK) and SCEE R&D who are a bit all over the place across Europe as the name suggests. So one less active studio than all the North America.

As for the list of game companies operating in the UK, you'll fine a list here. In terms of the number game studios per capita, the UK is right up there for some reason and yet nobody has made a game about tea and biscuits. It's most perplexing.
 
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