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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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I know, but we have another insiders like Verendus, maybe some one of them can tell us what's going on.
Wishmaster92
Member
The hate here for another God of War is frightening.
DO WE NOT WANT MORE OF THIS? TELL ME DAMMIT!!!!!!!!!!!!
DO WE NOT WANT MORE OF THIS? TELL ME DAMMIT!!!!!!!!!!!!
Browsers be damned LOL
You dont know what the IP or the reason why it was cancelled.
ionicbluebird
Member
HellBlazer
Member
Wow, that came out of nowhere. Maybe it was a decision that came down from Sony corporate? Because it seems to make no sense from SCE's perspective; they've just released a new console that's selling like crazy, they need games and new ideas to support it. Considering the other piece of news about Sony Stores closing down, it feels like maybe Sony's executive branch instructed its sub-divisions to reduce costs, and SCE / WWS had to cut somewhere.
BlackBuzzard
Banned
Lets look at the main output of some of Sony's other studio's.
Naughty Dog
-Uncharted 2007
-Uncharted 2 2009
-Uncharted 3 2011
-The Last of Us 2013
Guerilla Studio's
-Killzone 2 2009
-Killzone 3 2011
-Killzone SF 2013
Evolution Studio's
-Motorstorm 2006
-Motorstorm Pacific Rift 2008
-Motorstorm Apocalypse 2011
-Motorstorm:RC 2012
-Driveclub 2014
Suckerpunch
-InFamous 2009
-InFamous 2 2011
-InFamous Festival of Blood 2012
-InFamous SS 2014
Media Molecule
-Little Big Planet 2008
-Little Big Planet 2 2011
-Tearaway 2013
Now lets look at Santa Monica
-God of War 3 2010
-God of War Acension 2013
Maybe it was time for a shake up.
Naughty Dog
-Uncharted 2007
-Uncharted 2 2009
-Uncharted 3 2011
-The Last of Us 2013
Guerilla Studio's
-Killzone 2 2009
-Killzone 3 2011
-Killzone SF 2013
Evolution Studio's
-Motorstorm 2006
-Motorstorm Pacific Rift 2008
-Motorstorm Apocalypse 2011
-Motorstorm:RC 2012
-Driveclub 2014
Suckerpunch
-InFamous 2009
-InFamous 2 2011
-InFamous Festival of Blood 2012
-InFamous SS 2014
Media Molecule
-Little Big Planet 2008
-Little Big Planet 2 2011
-Tearaway 2013
Now lets look at Santa Monica
-God of War 3 2010
-God of War Acension 2013
Maybe it was time for a shake up.
famousmortimer
Banned
SSM is usually helping with multiple projects. I know they have people on hohokum, the order, and Everyone has gone to the rapture. I also assume that some of the people that Barlog tagged for his team was from the ascension staff. They also lost some good people to Respawn.
I'm guessing. I can't be an insider, I don't even have a twitter account.
Just because he made GoW2 doesn't mean he can't do anything else for the rest of his life.
If I was Sony I would want him to revolutionize the God of War series. They certainly could give him a new IP, but I think they have enough people internally worthy of spearheading such projects.
The studio hired the ex-director on the first 2 GOW games and he was allowed to create his own team:
"What am I working on, you ask? Good question. Sadly, I cannot tell you...yet," Barlog wrote in a lengthy PlayStation Blog entry. "But I can say that it is freaking huge, and it will live up to the standards that I helped establish here at SMS. We're putting together a team as I type this, an Ocean's 11 kind of thing. We are searching the world high and low for the best of the BEST to come and be on the ground floor of this endeavor."
Edit: What famousmortimer said. We're likely to get a new God of War and this new IP that Corey is working on.
Reallink
Member
It's unbelievable these companies will fund a project for that long, with that many people, for untolds amounts of money only to just up and drop it full stop. Why not cobble together the sections/mechanics that work, cliff notes the story, and sell it as a short $20-$30 PSN title. It doesn't seem to make logical or rational sense to handle things the way these studios and pubs do. Shit even a $5 - $10 "demo scene" release would be better than just completely cutting the losses.
RamzaIsCool
The Amiga Brotherhood
Sony getting Nintendofied. GoW and Uncharted games till the end of times! A shame imo. 
Yep,wait didnt ND release the Last of Us last year?Sony getting Nintendofied. GoW and Uncharted games till the end of times! A shame imo.
UC4 is a safe bet for them,starting the gen with a new IP is risky.
redblack85
Member
how many people were working on this new IP? there are other projects underway at Santa Monica for PS4?
Dr. Kitty Muffins
Member
Wouldn't it be ironic that some of these people get picked up by Ready at Dawn and then Sony buys the studio?
And there we are. It's unfortunate for the devs loosing their jobs but SSM seems to lack with productivity maybe because this studio was overseing too much external projects ?
Add to this context development problems with Stig's IP and here's the result...
I would not be surprised to learn afterwards that this management act was decided to allow this studio to re-focus on its own projects and give it a new departure.
famousmortimer
Banned
Sony getting Nintendofied. GoW and Uncharted games till the end of times! A shame imo.
Drive by trolling at two different platforms. Well played.
Yeah, Respawn has some GoW3 staff for sure.
Oh well, A Barlog helmed GoW is more than prize enough.
Now you mention the assistance aspect, most of the games they'd helped with of recent years have been poorly received, I'm surprised they didn't get hit sooner.
Nah I'm good. I'm not sure who else Kratos can recklessly slaughter for almost no reason.
Jigolo
Member
Actually it's the best God Of War to date.
These guys that have been let go are talented people. They should find jobs sooner rather then later.
Lol did you forget about GOW2? 2007
That fucking game rivaled most next gen launch titles.
Sony doesn't have one of those at this time. Of which they are grateful.
I'm guessing they still have a new IP in development from Barlog. I doubt he came back for GoW 4, but I could be wrong.
Sony getting Nintendofied. GoW and Uncharted games till the end of times! A shame imo.
When they launch their new IPs this gen, and those become secured and popular, then they will direct their attention to those.
Nintendo is the way they are because they lack 3rd party support, and they struggle to launch new IPs which reach mass acclaim anymore.
BadAss2961
Member
So wait... Stig's new IP is dead, but Cory Balrog is back with SSM and is creating another game, probably God of War?
Sucks that SSM won't be expanding with another IP, but I definitely don't mind more God of War -- especially from the director of GoW2.
Sucks that SSM won't be expanding with another IP, but I definitely don't mind more God of War -- especially from the director of GoW2.
We only really know for sure that they're working on one game (GOW 4 and Corey's team oculd be the same project). They're also publishing the Order 1886 and a few digital titles.
They had 3 teams internally, I'm pretty sure there is still another new IP.
dragonbane
Member
-Ascension shipped
-People move on to Stig's game
-Barlog builds up his GoW team
-After almost one year of full-production Stig's game still looks like shit and doesn't look like it will be finished soon
-His initial team gets fired
-The rest moves on to Barlrog and maybe some of them begin pre-production for a new title (with Stig)
-Barlog just got a bunch of new members for his team and doesn't need to staff up anymore
Would be my guess.
Your hyperbole spins out of control my friend.
Well, he wasn't working at Sony just a short time ago, but doing okay. So they hire him back and give him huge amounts of discretion to lead one of their most important studios? No way that's a new IP. That's bringing back someone who contributed to a solid entry in the series and has ideas for where it should go next.
Jigolo
Member
Sony getting Nintendofied. GoW and Uncharted games till the end of times! A shame imo.
This post is dumb. Suddenly SP, GG, Studio Japan, Bend, MM all disappeared. That or they are all suddenly working on Uncharted and GoW games now.
Ok.
Vets command more money. You should get rid of them first, if you can afford to not have their experience around.
CassidyIzABeast
Member
lol that game came out and I don't believe did very well.
You're not taking into account that they're also a publishing house and help to develop some other Sony games. Somebody already posted a full page of the work they've done, but you can check on Wikipedia yourself.
It came out, it's trash.
gundamkyoukai
Member
GOW 2 came out march 13 2007 next month will be 7 years .
Those small projects I imagine only had a few people on them since the studios they were helping did most of the work.
CassidyIzABeast
Member
Oh. I only remembered it because it was titled as a SSM game when that footage first surfaced.
smh...
Marc
Member
Why???
The PS4 is selling like hot cakes, why not try and get the new IP out the door. Ship it as best you can and make some money back on it at least. Maybe it sells really well, who knows?
Very sad news, good luck to those affected. Could at least give them the new IP and assets and maybe they can kickstart it or find their own funding.
Really not liking current Sony at this rate, gone back to arrogance for me.
The PS4 is selling like hot cakes, why not try and get the new IP out the door. Ship it as best you can and make some money back on it at least. Maybe it sells really well, who knows?
Very sad news, good luck to those affected. Could at least give them the new IP and assets and maybe they can kickstart it or find their own funding.
Really not liking current Sony at this rate, gone back to arrogance for me.
Justin Hendry went from the GoW3 team to Respawn, as the Lead Designer of Titanfall.
That's what came to mind when I saw the news. And it happens all the time. Except this time, it also means firing 50 people. Which is a lot. Which is why this is a big (and sad) story.
paradise_circus
Member
There was a interview once with the battlestar galactica writer who was working on a script for a new ip for years and that the whole 150 dev team started the full production.
I can't find the interview though.
I'm guessing everyone is just doing God of War now or helping out with smaller projects that SSM is associated with. 220 - 50 = 170; which isn't absurd for huge title like GoW. I doubt there was a big new IP in between.
Everyone assumed that was Stig's game. Sounds like it.
Kazuma Kiryu
Member
Pros:
We didn't get to see what it was.
Cons:
What the fuck, I wanted a new IP from those guys!
We didn't get to see what it was.
Cons:
What the fuck, I wanted a new IP from those guys!
Oh my...
I'm willing to bet the next game will not be the lightening in a bottle TLOU was.
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