Melancholia would make a terrible video game.*Sad face* We'll never know what this means, will we:
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IGN: ~50 Layoffs at Sony Santa Monica, Project Canceled [Up2: Was Stig's New IP]
- Thread starter Jonboy
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Isn't the rumor that they're working on two games now? (DriveClub and Wipeout)
They got beefed up with some of the Liverpool devs when that studio shut down.
Yeah, this. The worst part is that it'll just be a lot longer until we get a new SSM game.
I'm not sure how you measure the success of a game like driveclub though tbh. Since day one it was set to be a PS+ freebie. So sony must have factored that into sales predictions? I do think evolution will be closing doors soon though, which sucks, but racers are a bit of a dying genre. Unless you're GT or to a lesser extent, forza, you're not going to be selling crazy numbers. It'll be a shame to lose these studio's though, if only for the potential of delivering something great.
We know a few of those people don't we? Sounds like some pretty high level individuals.
davepoobond
you can't put a price on sparks
hm. it sucks when we cant even know what the freakin game was.
Yeah Sony does have a bad habit of this,Agent,Bioshock Vita,Resident Evil PS,and Agency.
Not their fault though really,announcing games that are vaporware is.
TheSpaceBetween
Member
A couple months ago someone from SSM said they hoped to show the game soon. And then this dude now saying how crushed he was about the situation and that the game looked awesome. But then again these were people working on the game. But still I would like to think they have some degree of objectivity on it.
PachinkoChampBruh
Member
lol, when you put it like that it's pretty funny.
Right, that's why I don't feel there are any current signs of them going down.
I mean usually studios get shutdown for failure of process as opposed to failure of product.
If you take four years to make a game and it comes out buggy and bad, even if it had mediocre sales, you're way more likely to get the axe than if you took three years and launched a highly rated game that sold badly, since your publisher can think "Well if we have them make something more marketable, that could be a huge hit."
Thus, to me, I can't really evaluate Evolution until I see how DriveClub turns out critically and in terms of completeness, even if it were to tank financially.
Why? Do you know if what he was creating was any good?
dragonbane
Member
NO, that sucks ass!! I really like Stig and a vehicle sci-fi game sounded so freaking cool 
I mean, there is probably a good reason why they cancelled it and games like this often get too ambitious, but still...
Now SSM has nothing to announce at E3 and Barlog probably needs years to get the next GoW up and running, since he just started. Damn...
I mean, there is probably a good reason why they cancelled it and games like this often get too ambitious, but still...
Now SSM has nothing to announce at E3 and Barlog probably needs years to get the next GoW up and running, since he just started. Damn...
Neuromancer
Member
Two of my least favorite series in all of videogamedom. =(
Man-is-Obsolete
Member
That sucks, though I did find it weird we got a lot more news about Ready at Dawn's new game and we even got a teaser and announcement for a new Uncharted while it was crickets at SSM. Always wondered why we hadn't heard anything, now perhaps I know.
Agency was the only sony made title in that list, and it looked awful. The issues in regards to the other 3 fall squarely on rockstar/irrational and capcom respectively.
Maybe the problem was it was awesome, but needed a hundred million dollars to turn it into a finished game, and the risk is unacceptable.
A game can be great, and still be commercially untenable.
tbh i think there is too many games that are gonna hit the new gens around 2015-2016.
i just don't like the constant rehashes of the same ips without even the charm to back it up , and the problem is that the console industry surviving on those .
and this is not like some genre of music like jazz where few people can do better stuff than duke eli and his ensemble back in the days , certain experiences (AAA) needs bigger budgets .
next 10 years we will see if this industry is going anywhere , and btw i also blame yoshida, don't green lit something if you are not 100% sure that you have the resource to follow through ,a lot of those ips that got mentioned lack the polish and marketing to push them to be big sellers .
i hope everyone who got laid off can find better opportunities in the future .
i just don't like the constant rehashes of the same ips without even the charm to back it up , and the problem is that the console industry surviving on those .
and this is not like some genre of music like jazz where few people can do better stuff than duke eli and his ensemble back in the days , certain experiences (AAA) needs bigger budgets .
next 10 years we will see if this industry is going anywhere , and btw i also blame yoshida, don't green lit something if you are not 100% sure that you have the resource to follow through ,a lot of those ips that got mentioned lack the polish and marketing to push them to be big sellers .
i hope everyone who got laid off can find better opportunities in the future .
ionicbluebird
Member
What the F is going on here?... was a new IP really cancelled for another GoW?
Actually, some do. Activision canceled Sleeping Dogs, for example.
Regardless of the status of the project, the people that were making it were incredibly talented and worked on some of Sony's best first party games to date. If the new IP that was greenlit by Shuhei Yoshida wasn't working they should have regrouped and started work on a different project rather than what happened.
The fact that they lost that development team completely after the other half of SSM delivered the very poor God of War Ascension makes me lose any faith in that name. One of Sony's strongest studios of the past generations is in shambles, and it's management's fault.
Infinite Justice
Member
interesting
and wasn't The Agency finally cancelled after all that "hype then changes then no-show" stuff.
New IP was canceled, because unknown reasons.
famousmortimer
Banned
If driveclub bombs they could be in trouble. That's true of most studios though.
I know the human element of it sucks but if you make games that don't sell well you usually don't get to keep on making games.
If chubigans here puts out cook, serve, delicious 2 and it's hot garbage and sells like shit, he suffers. If he tries to make a new IP and it's not fun so he keeps reiterating it and it keeps being not fun he would likely shit can it. This all makes sense, right? Well the same is true of bigger studios.
I know the human element of it sucks but if you make games that don't sell well you usually don't get to keep on making games.
If chubigans here puts out cook, serve, delicious 2 and it's hot garbage and sells like shit, he suffers. If he tries to make a new IP and it's not fun so he keeps reiterating it and it keeps being not fun he would likely shit can it. This all makes sense, right? Well the same is true of bigger studios.
Such a shame, but there must have been some real issues with the game. I highly doubt Sony would cancel a game if it looked good
If it has been going for four years, and has only just been cancelled, it wouldn't surprise me if Sony had given this team more than one chance to get the game to the level they required and they just couldn't make it. Four years is an awfully long time for a game never to leave the insides of SSM, especially considering the size.
Good luck to everyone who lost their jobs.
If it has been going for four years, and has only just been cancelled, it wouldn't surprise me if Sony had given this team more than one chance to get the game to the level they required and they just couldn't make it. Four years is an awfully long time for a game never to leave the insides of SSM, especially considering the size.
Good luck to everyone who lost their jobs.
Doc Holliday
SPOILER: Columbus finds America
My own theory based on nothing but my experiences in this industry.
It could be the project wasn't cancelled for being a bad game but for having the wrong business model. Sony might be in need of steady cash streams and wants to start heading in that direction. So they cancel the project and only keep a few key people to start working on a game that has microtransactions/dlc at it's core.
No point in keeping a full staff when you're in the beginning of a project. They moved around people they needed and laid off the rest. This is the new world folks, we need to start getting used to it.
Or the game was in development hell and they decided to cut their losses
It could be the project wasn't cancelled for being a bad game but for having the wrong business model. Sony might be in need of steady cash streams and wants to start heading in that direction. So they cancel the project and only keep a few key people to start working on a game that has microtransactions/dlc at it's core.
No point in keeping a full staff when you're in the beginning of a project. They moved around people they needed and laid off the rest. This is the new world folks, we need to start getting used to it.
Or the game was in development hell and they decided to cut their losses
If they've let the development go on for 3-4 years and then suddenly cancel it out of the blue it probably was not because the concept was broken or the game sucked. If that's he case you pull the plug much earlier, without sacking tons of senior talent. And it seemed like the devs were excited for the project, though that doesn't necessarily prove anything. But people going, "oh well, it must have sucked" is kindof disrespectful to the devs. (though it's equally silly to assume it would have been the best game ever).
Most likely, given the timing and scope of the layoffs, it was canned for financial reasons. Maybe it was going over budget or maybe Sony is cutting expenses and will focus on more safe cards or downsize their first party efforts in general.
Most likely, given the timing and scope of the layoffs, it was canned for financial reasons. Maybe it was going over budget or maybe Sony is cutting expenses and will focus on more safe cards or downsize their first party efforts in general.
This just happened with Bioshock Infinite. They made a good game, it didn't sell, they got shuttered. I don't think the industry particularly likes when it takes 4+ years to make a game and it's not up to snuff. It's likely that team was going to get shuttered even if the game came out.
Oh. Did you edit that? Or did I read it wrong the first time. Oh well.
According to how SSM operates by Mort, you want to talk to Shannon Studstill.
Man-is-Obsolete
Member
Also just because there is no release date does not mean they are behind. For all we know Evolution is ready to go now, but Sony is plotting a release date. Why release it now with no consoles to sell?
Neuromancer
Member
Yeah it's possible the quality of the game may not have been the issue; could have been purely a financial decision based on sales forecasts.
It made for a terrible movie.
EmptySpace
Banned
oh so now it is sony instead of yoshida? mkay.
famousmortimer
Banned
You were getting another gow with or without what just happened to stig's game.
THESE THINGS ARE NOT CONNECTED!!!!
IAmRandom31
Banned
With it being the only racing title on the market at the time though, besides need for speed, I highly doubt it will bomb.
Killzone did 2,000,000+ though and Knack has done relatively well sales wise, probably close to 750,000 at this point with the Japan launch. So I dunno ... seems like the first party games are doing ok at this time for next-gen sales.
I think Infamous easily does 2,000,000+ and DriveClub could likely expect the same. Everyone loves racing games.
gundamkyoukai
Member
As i say again SSM management is to blame for this .
2 games is 7 years is not going to work for a 220 man team that makes games for 1 system.
2 games is 7 years is not going to work for a 220 man team that makes games for 1 system.
Metalingus5150
Member
What's the point of another god of war?
Seriously?
Where would the story even go?
Seriously?
Where would the story even go?
I would fire myself and form a new studio in the other corner of my house.
No.
1. Somebody on here said it like it was a fact without sourcing and a bunch of sheep followed suit.
2. They were probably already working on a God of War game.
Neuromancer
Member
Why are we talking about Evolution going under all of a sudden.
Phoenician_Viking
Banned
Wow at all the talents that were laid off. That´s the real loss here.
Doug Heffernan
Member
Another new IP scrapped in favor of an established one.
I'm sensing a pattern here...
I'm sensing a pattern here...
dave is ok
aztek is ok
what is this i dont even
Nah they will never work on their very successful IP again.
SniperHunter
Banned
i knew it was going to be stig's ip. been in development for way too long and we didn't hear a single thing about it.
who is sting anyway? never heard of him
who is sting anyway? never heard of him
Anywhere they want, with any character they want.
As long as it's a very pretty character action game from SSM, it doesn't really matter what it contains.
And if it is Barlog's team, GoW2 was really exceptional, that series was in desperate need of an injection of serious talent to stop it burning down completely.
I really like it.
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