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SCEA acquires Zipper Interactive

Jim

Member
Bravo! I love Zipper, and with SCEA's full attention, I can imagine how SOCOM 4/PS3 may turn out.

Sony Computer Entertainment Acquires Zipper Interactive, Developer of Top Selling SOCOM: U.S. Navy Seals Franchise

Leading Online Console Game Creators Join SCE Worldwide Studios Network

FOSTER CITY, Calif., Jan. 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) announced today that leading game developer and long-time partner Zipper Interactive, creators of the top-selling SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs franchise, joins its newly formed global development operation, SCE Worldwide Studios. In an effort to further its commitment to long-term creative excellence in game development on PlayStation(R) platforms, the addition of Zipper Interactive marks the second studio acquisition by SCE following Guerrilla B.V. in December 2005.

Based in Redmond, Wash., Zipper Interactive is the award-winning developer of the SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs series for both the PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system and the PSP(TM) (PlayStation(R)Portable) system, with franchise sales of all SOCOM titles surpassing seven million units worldwide. As the breakthrough online franchise on PlayStation 2, the critically acclaimed SOCOM series has consistently ranked number one within the platform portfolio across all global markets.

Building on an already strong and close working relationship between Zipper and Sony Computer Entertainment America, the two companies have signed an exclusive development agreement in January 2006. This move brings a studio well known for technology innovation formally into the PlayStation family and becomes a key creative force of SCE Worldwide Studios. Its day-to-day operations will continue to be run by the current management team and company founders in conjunction with SCE WWS Foster City Studio. Financial terms of this arrangement are not disclosed.

"Zipper Interactive is one of the most well-known and respected development teams in the industry and we have enjoyed a great working relationship with the company since July 1999," said Phil Harrison, president, SCE Worldwide Studios. "Zipper's tremendous achievements and expertise in creating top-selling games with fantastically loyal online communities is a great addition to our development organization. We are delighted that Zipper Interactive is now a core member of the SCE Worldwide Studios network."

"We were first drawn to Sony Computer Entertainment by their vision for growing the videogame industry," said Jim Bosler, president and CEO, Zipper Interactive. "We've enjoyed an incredible relationship with SCE for more than six years. This has allowed us to combine our cutting edge technical and design capabilities with SCE's creative insights and extraordinary support to become the leader in the online console multiplayer field. As a part of the Sony Computer Entertainment group we can look forward to introducing innovative titles that push online functionality and community experiences even further."
 

DarienA

The black man everyone at Activision can agree on
Long overdue... Zipper has been SO good to them..... congrats guys u deserve it.
 

Panajev2001a

GAF's Pleasant Genius
Great move.... their SCE WS stable IS impressive even if you count 1st parties alone now, then you can count the 2nd parties (like Ninja Theory, Insomniac and that team from that ex-Team Soho... Team Bondi is it ?).

Can someone post here a full list of 1st and 2nd parties inside SCE WS (counting Japanese studious too :)) please ?
 
kaching said:
IT BEGINS.

Next up:

Insomniac

Sucker Punch.


Sony is not fucking around this time. They have got to be getting close to having the absolute fucking largest development capability of any publisher. They're freaking huge in every region and a ton of them are premier developers.
 

Wario64

works for Gamestop (lol)
hie said:
what a coup...locking up devs that were already pretty much exclusive.

I was actually under the assumption that Zipper was a part of SCEA before this news
 

Panajev2001a

GAF's Pleasant Genius
sonycowboy said:
Next up:

Insomniac

Sucker Punch.


Sony is not fucking around this time. They have got to be getting close to having the absolute fucking largest development capability of any publisher. They're freaking huge in every region and a ton of them are premier developers.

Yes, that is very true and quite interesting: they got near them as 2nd parties some of the best developers you could find in the market and if/when the relationship got close (and showed potential and profitability for both parties) and you wanted to make it permanent you could proceed with talks to get them to be 1st parties.

So far they have handled the acquisitions really well: having chosen excellent developers with proven capabilities (game design, game implementation, well done fore-planning and observance of deadlines this fore-planning establishes without detriment to the game's quality) allowed them to feel comfortable spending money to acquire them and assure them funding.

SCE has chosen, during these years, a Google-like approach (to make a modern day example): hiring some of the best development studios money can buy.

Having awesome development studios in your stable of 1st parties also helps you to build a greater and greater platform as these developers (if you are smart and the move to SCE WS means to me that SCE is pushing in the right direction) can provide lots of help, tools and solutions to share between each other very quickly: 2nd parties today get basically near 1st party access to dev. tools and technologies developed inside SCE and can make contributions too (an advantage for both the second party and for SCE both gaining advantage from each other's collective brains).
 

Panajev2001a

GAF's Pleasant Genius
Pedigree Chum said:
Sony's definitely beefin up their 1st party studios...hey MS, take some notes here.

7.jpg


"Yes ?"
 

Jim

Member
Well they did develop both Mechwarrior 3 PC and Crimson Skies PC before SOCOM, and they were wholly independent.

It was always possible that a larger publisher (Activision/EA) or even Microsoft Game Studios could have snatched them up a la RARE. So it was a good idea that SCEA made it official.
 
The first thing I thought was "PS3 CRIMSON SKIES BITCH!", but I forgot that MS has that license. Oh, SCE, allow Zipper to make a Crimson Skies-like game after SOCOM.
 

jarrod

Banned
Actually, can we round up all the 1st party studios?

Sony Computer Entertainment
-SCEJ (??? teams)
-989 Studios (??? teams)
-Sony Studios Santa Monica
-Sony Studios Soho
-Sony Studios Liverpool
-Sony Studios Cambridge
-Polyphony Digital
-Clap Hanz
-MuuMuu
-Naughty Dog Software
-Incog Inc
-Guerilla Games
-Zipper Interactive

Microsoft Game Studios
-MGS (2 teams)
-MGS Japan (2 teams)
-Rare (4 teams)
-Bungie Software
-FASA Studios
-Ensemble Studios

Nintendo
-Nintendo EAD (6 teams)
-Nintendo Software Technology (2 teams)
-HAL Laboratory (2 teams)
-Intelligent Systems (2 teams)
-Retro Studios
-Game Freak Entertainment
-Brownie Brown
-Genius Sonority
-Ambrella
-Noise

...anything I've missed?
 

element

Member
Zipper has been in SCEA pocket for a couple years now. Sony pays their lease/rent, treats them really well. I was just talking to some friends that Sony might buy them, but he wouldn't say anything. Which means they have or will :lol
 

Lord Error

Insane For Sony
Logical and useful for Sony, but can't say i care. Socom (much like other similar games like GR, R6, Battlefield) is one of those games I just can't get into for whatever reason. I did like Zipper's Crimson Sky on PC though, so I hope they make something different than Socom on PS3 (I know, I know, there's no chance...)
 

jarrod

Banned
Solid said:
Still cant believe Sony didnt buy Criterion Games.
Yeah, one of their dumber moves imo. Reminds me of SEGA letting CORE Design and Lobotomy Software slip through their fingers... speaking of which, when's Sony gonna pony up for Snowblind?
 

jarrod

Banned
ram said:
Sony London Studios
Sony Camden (Dropship)
Guerrilla
Evolution Studios? (WRC)
London and Camden were closed down/absorbed into the other Studios. Guerilla isn't Sony owned (yet) and neither is Evolution.
 

Panajev2001a

GAF's Pleasant Genius
jarrod said:
Guerilla isn't Sony owned (yet)

Jarrod, whoa... what is up ? You are showing weaknesses... I know... when these things happens the forums turns into a hole of Vultures/Piranhas...

OH NO...


THEY SMELL BLOOOOOOOD!!!!!





:p.
 
Nintendo doesn't have many first party studios outside of EAD, NST, Retro Studios and Brownie Brown. However, Nintendo has a multitude of studios like Camelot Software Planning and AlphaDream who develop games exclusively for it.
 
Solid said:
Still cant believe Sony didnt buy Criterion Games.

That was a big mistake. Renderware would have really helped out some of their weaker in-house devs and helped basically all of their devs churn out games faster.
 

jarrod

Banned
ironichaos said:
Nintendo doesn't have many first party studios outside of EAD, NST, Retro Studios and Brownie Brown. However, Nintendo has a multitude of studios like Camelot Software Planning and AlphaDream who develop games exclusively for it.
Yeah... Sony has the same in developers like Insomniac and Sucker Punch. Strange they don't have any JP partnerships like this though.
 

kaching

"GAF's biggest wanker"
typo said:
Oh, SCE, allow Zipper to make a Crimson Skies-like game after SOCOM.
Better to just have them collaborate on the triumphant re-emergence of Warhawk with Incognito.
 

jarrod

Banned
Elios83 said:
Sony should buy Insomniac and Level 5.
Level 5's out of the question I think... Sony doesn't need to swipe the new DQ developer out from under Squeenix and drive them even further into supporting the competition.
 

Elios83

Member
jarrod said:
Level 5's out of the question I think... Sony doesn't need to swipe the new DQ developer out from under Squeenix and drive them even further into supporting the competition.

Uh?I don't see the problem.
Level 5 could still develop Dragon Quest 9 since it will be on Sony's console as the previous episode :D :lol :lol
 
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