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Psygnosis (developers of wipEout) shut down by Sony
Posted:
Wed Aug 22, 2012 5:39 pmby QWERTY
Pretty gutted about this tbh. wipEout was responsible for a lot of people switching their attentions from the Saturn and N64 to the Playstation in the UK. End of an era.
http://www.siliconrepublic.com/new-medi ... legendary/A 30-year pedigree in video game creation is hard to beat but sadly the Psygnosis development studio – Liverpool Studio – which has brought iconic games like the Wipeout series and Lemmings to the world is to close.
The closure of the studio is considered a major loss to the UK gaming industry in terms of its legacy of achievements and the talented creators who were based there.
The last game produced by the studio was Wipeout 2048 for the PlayStation Vita.
“As part of SCE Worldwide Studios, 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,” according to a Sony statement published on gaming site Kokatu.
“As part of this process, we have reviewed and assessed all current and planned projects for the short and medium term and have decided to make some changes to our European Studios.
“It has been decided that Liverpool Studio should be closed. Liverpool Studio has been an important part of SCE Worldwide Studios since the outset of PlayStation, and have 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.
“Our Liverpool Facility will continue to operate, housing a number of other vital WWS!E and SCEE Departments,” Sony said.
Re: Psygnosis (developers of wipEout) shut down by Sony
Posted:
Wed Aug 22, 2012 5:42 pmby Crimson Ryan
Damn shame since I grew to be a big WipEout fan since HD. I also remember Psygnosis from the Amiga days. Were some of their games published by Ocean Software?
Also thank god someone realises it's spelt WipEout with an E and not an O!
Re: Psygnosis (developers of wipEout) shut down by Sony
Posted:
Wed Aug 22, 2012 5:42 pmby south carmain
no more wipeout? damn I didn't play it much but it was an iconic game
Re: Psygnosis (developers of wipEout) shut down by Sony
Posted:
Wed Aug 22, 2012 5:44 pmby Crimson Ryan
south carmain wrote:no more wipeout? damn I didn't play it much but it was an iconic game
Evolution Studios will probably make another one.
Re: Psygnosis (developers of wipEout) shut down by Sony
Posted:
Wed Aug 22, 2012 6:25 pmby Henry Spencer
Seems like developing for Vita is a death sentence.
Anyway, Colony Wars, G Police, Overboard!, Formula 1 series, Wipeout - they were masterful at Sony and a juggernaut for the Amiga system also.
They'll always be remembered as "Psygnosis" to me (Puggsy). A shame so many UK developers are dropping like flies, the tax certainly isn't helping things either, damn government.
Re: Psygnosis (developers of wipEout) shut down by Sony
Posted:
Wed Aug 22, 2012 6:27 pmby Segata Sanshiro Jr.
Henry Spencer wrote:Seems like developing for Vita is a death sentence.
Oh god, please don't say that
Re: Psygnosis (developers of wipEout) shut down by Sony
Posted:
Wed Aug 22, 2012 6:29 pmby Henry Spencer
Sorry, I meant for Sony's internal devs, three of them shut down very recently, back to back, all of their last games was for Vita.
And if it makes any difference, I'll buy your game.
Re: Psygnosis (developers of wipEout) shut down by Sony
Posted:
Wed Aug 22, 2012 7:14 pmby Yama
Iew. I loved Wipeout, was one of the first games I got for my PSX.
Re: Psygnosis (developers of wipEout) shut down by Sony
Posted:
Thu Aug 23, 2012 1:16 amby OL
If Ryudo were here he'd just tell you how WipEout sucks and F-Zero is better, but I always loved WipEout. One of the first games I marvelled at on the original Playstation. Never had a full copy myself, but it's a series I always made a habit of playing the demos for.
Never payed much attention to the name Psygnosis myself I guess, but apparently they also published Lemmings, which was huge back in the day. Loved that game so much. Such a classic.
And yeah, Overboard and G-Police were great as well.
Re: Psygnosis (developers of wipEout) shut down by Sony
Posted:
Thu Aug 23, 2012 7:53 amby QWERTY
OL wrote:If Ryudo were here he'd just tell you how WipEout sucks and F-Zero is better
F-Zero is good but I think I prefer WipEout tbh. Each to their own and all that but WipEout had a classier design and felt more like a proper futuristic racing sim rather than have the arcadey feel and terrible character/ship design that F-Zero had. Plus the soundtracks for the WipEout games are immense.
OL wrote:I always loved WipEout. One of the first games I marvelled at on the original Playstation.
True dat yo.
OL wrote:Never had a full copy myself, but it's a series I always made a habit of playing the demos for.
I would highly recommend getting hold of WO 2097 (XL in the States), WO 3: Special Edition and the WO HD/Fury combo for PS3. All great games and the one thing I like about WipEout is the learning curve; it's not too steep. F-Zero felt like it was a bit of a breeze for the first few races or so and then BAM - it would get pretty difficult. Where WipEout takes things slowly but once you're near the end of the games the speed on the later classes is ridonkulous.
Re: Psygnosis (developers of wipEout) shut down by Sony
Posted:
Thu Aug 23, 2012 7:56 amby Riku Rose
I would never have been able to tell you the makers of the Wipeout series but it's a series that sticks in my mind. When I think of the Saturn it's always one of the first games I think about.
I've got the PS3 version free after the PSN hack I might finally give it a go.
Re: Psygnosis (developers of wipEout) shut down by Sony
Posted:
Thu Aug 23, 2012 8:15 amby QWERTY
Riku Rose wrote:I would never have been able to tell you the makers of the Wipeout series but it's a series that sticks in my mind. When I think of the Saturn it's always one of the first games I think about.
Yeah they were a big name in the 90s. They also made Destruction Derby, Colony Wars, Puggsy, Wiz N Liz, Shadow of the Beast, Rollcage, Krazy Ivan and obviously Lemmings as previously mentioned. I'll always remember them for a lot of their Amiga output too.
Riku Rose wrote:I've got the PS3 version free after the PSN hack I might finally give it a go.
Get involved.
Re: Psygnosis (developers of wipEout) shut down by Sony
Posted:
Thu Aug 23, 2012 8:18 amby Segata Sanshiro Jr.
QWERTY™ wrote:F-Zero is good but I think I prefer WipEout tbh.
Just generally or the nintendo made ones, personally I wouldn't take anything over the Sega made one. Other then that I'd take wipeout.
Re: Psygnosis (developers of wipEout) shut down by Sony
Posted:
Thu Aug 23, 2012 8:21 amby Crimson Ryan
QWERTY™ wrote:Riku Rose wrote:I would never have been able to tell you the makers of the Wipeout series but it's a series that sticks in my mind. When I think of the Saturn it's always one of the first games I think about.
Yeah they were a big name in the 90s. They also made Destruction Derby, Colony Wars, Puggsy, Wiz N Liz, Shadow of the Beast, Rollcage, Krazy Ivan and obviously Lemmings as previously mentioned. I'll always remember them for a lot of their Amiga output too.
Riku Rose wrote:I've got the PS3 version free after the PSN hack I might finally give it a go.
Get involved.
I'll give you guys a race. May be a bit rusty though..
Re: Psygnosis (developers of wipEout) shut down by Sony
Posted:
Thu Aug 23, 2012 8:26 amby QWERTY
Segata Sanshiro Jr. wrote:QWERTY™ wrote:F-Zero is good but I think I prefer WipEout tbh.
Just generally or the nintendo made ones, personally I wouldn't take anything over the Sega made one. Other then that I'd take wipeout.
Generally. I've spent a lot of time on F-Zero GX but the whole shebang isn't up there with the best WipEout games imo. WipEout feels a smoother experience when moving your ship whereas F-Zero feels more erratic and the lack of dedicated weapons means there is far less tactical play in comparison to WipEout. Plus as I said previously, WipEout's art direction and soundtrack far exceeds anything that F-Zero has to offer. I'm a
slight Nintendo fanboy, but when it comes to futuristic racing sims I think Psygnosis are unparalleled.
Crimson Ryan wrote:I'll give you guys a race. May be a bit rusty though..
Yeah, I'm up for that. I haven't played it in a while so will get some practice in beforehand!