Sony is renowned in the gaming world for their impressive roster of developers. Currently, they own a total of 13 studios. Unfortunately, due to financial troubles, they’ve had to shut down three studios since the beginning of 2012. Those studios were Zipper Interactive (SOCOM series,Unit 13) SCE Liverpool (Wipeout series, Colony Wars) and BigBig studios (Little Deviants, Pursuit Force series).
The only other studio shut down (or rather most people just left the studio after Warhawk) was in 2009, Incognito Entertainment (Warhawk, Calling all Cars!, Twisted Metal) but the members who left formed the studio’s Eat Sleep Play and Lightbox Interactive who respectively made Twisted Metal (2012) and Starhawk (sequel to Warhawk).
Generally the studios who were shut down had their latest game perform far below average, and Sony just couldn’t support them any longer. Condolences to those who were laid off.
Today though, Sony still bolsters a strong and healthy roster, and we don’t know what half of them are currently doing. Let’s take a look:
1. SCE San Diego: They do the MLB: The Show series, and are currently working on Sports Champions 2 with Zindagi games, and MLB: The Show 13.
2. SCE Sance Monica Studio: Notorious for the God of War series, they’re currently working on God of War: Ascension, helping SuperBot entertainment with PS All-Stars Battle Royale, and helping Team ICO with “The Last Guardian”…. supposedly.
3. Naughty Dog: A while back it was announced it split up into two teams, one that did Uncharted 3, the other is now doing The Last of Us. The one that did Uncharted 3 is either working on more DLC for it, or possibly Uncharted 4.
4. Guerilla Games: Killzone: Mercenary for Vita, they also said another title, presumably Killzone 4 due to Killzone 3’s ending.
5. Media Molecule: Tearaway for Vita, also an unannounced game.
6. SCE Japan Studio: Rain, Puppeteer, they are home to Team ICO (an internal development team) which is doing The Last Guardian. Also working with Marvelous AQL for Soul Sacrifice on Vita.
7. SCE Camridge Studio: Helping with Killzone: Mercenary. Most likely working on something else as well.
8. SCE London Studio: Playstation Home Tycoon and an unannounced project.
9. Evolution Studios: They just finished with Motorstorm RC, since the “Motorstorm” games are the only ones they have ever developed on PS3, and World Rally Championship on PS2, they’re probably working on another racing series for the PS4.
10. Polyphony Digital: They do the Gran Turismo series, rumors suggest Gran Turismo 6, maybe a version for the Vita as well.
11. Sucker Punch Productions: Lots of speculation about these guys due to the recent PS3 ads “The Arrival” and “The Reload”. Although those ads probably have something to do with PS All-Stars, it’s possible they might mean a new InFamous for PS3, Vita, or maybe both. They’re probably doing a new InFamous either way. We do know though they’re helping Sanzaru with the latest Sly Cooper game.
12. SCE Bend Studio: One of the hardest studios to tell. They do spin-offs of existing franchises (great spin-offs that is) but the also did the Syphon Filter series. They might be bringing it to Vita.
13. SCE Foster City Studio: They don’t do much development but instead “oversees” the development of most first-party games. They contribute a lot as well. Probably overseeing the Sly Cooper game.
For the studios we don’t know, it’s only speculation on what they may or may not be doing, but we can always ponder.
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