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[CapitalismSucks DonkeyBalls]

Looks like lay off and not closure.

55 unlucky guys got fired

That was last year. The studio is being closed now.

 

[trebbble]

I really enjoyed Driveclub. Shame to see the studio close, they had some very talented people working there, and supported their product very well.

 

[Zalman]

I wanted a new MotorStorm so bad. What a shame.

 

[Zukkoyaki]

So its true then .....

Well, guess I have a good reason to be bitter with Sony then. Just....first SuperBot, then Eat Sleep Play and now Evolution..........they just like closing studios .

Superbot and Eat Sleep weren't Sony studios.

 

[Hanmik]

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2016-03-22-sony-confirms-closure-of-evolution-studio

Confirmed

Don't mind this one bit, actually. With the mess up with DRIVECLUB and the annoyances of Motorstorm, I couldn't see them lasting.

wut`??? Driveclub is a brilliant racer.. motorstorm is also a brilliant fresh racer... you are strange.

 

[Leatherface]

Just great. This dev was awesome and gave us perhaps the best post launch content support of anyone in the business. lame.

 

[Monty Mole]

Sad. Sony keeps on closing studios and not doing much in regards to opening new ones. They have virtually no presence left in Europe at all now.

As far as Europe is concerned, they've only closed Sony Liverpool and Evolution, both of which were right next door to each other.

 

[bwahhhhh]

Well, the game did sell 2 million copies, but maybe that wasn't enough.

I'm pretty sure half or even most of those sales were at half price or less

and Motorstorm Apocalypse bombed

 

[JayWood2010]

Looks like lay off and not closure.

55 unlucky guys got fired

You're reading that wrong. it says 55 were laid off last year.

Evolution Studios, the developer behind franchises like World Rally Championship and MotorStorm, has been shut down by Sony, we've just learned. The company's most recent DriveClub was a troubled project for the studio and Sony, having seen delays and online problems - 55 people had been cut from Evolution just one year ago. Now, Sony has made the tough decision to make the rest of the Evolution staff redundant.

 

[BraXzy]

Really sad, I love Driveclub and I was looking forward to a sequel/something else from them.

 

[weemaster]

Oh shit...

 

[EvilKatarn]

No way.

God damn it.

What the fuck.

 

[Max_Po]

WOW, extremely sad situation.

Drive Club is awesome.

 

[Bedlam]

WHAT THE FUCK, SONY? I was hoping for another Motorstorm after DC.

Seriously, this was probably my favorite Sony-owned studio. I loved the Motorstorm games and Driveclub - those were definitely among the biggest reasons why I got my PS3 and PS4.

The shuttering of this studio, with the inevitable loss of talent and technology, the now existing gap of (arcade) racing games in Sony's line-up, is a huge blow. Big mistake by Sony, in my opinion.

 

[WhateverItTakes]

God DAMMIT. Driveclub was fun. I would have love a Motorstorm on this gen... Hopefully Sony will use the talent well, and everyone lands on their feet.

 

[UnluckyKate]

They were in gdc just last week to show driveclub vr wtf why close now

 

[T.O.P]

Well, the game did sell 2 million copies, but maybe that wasn't enough.

Tbf the game dropped in price incredibly fast, i bought it a month after d1 and it was already 25$ or something

Such a shame

 

[mcrommert]

Well obviously Sony is leaving the console business

Spoiler

I'm so sorry i couldn't help it

 

[Hugstable]

Sony seems to really not give any chaces to any of their racing devs except Polyphony it seems. I'm a huge fan of GT, but come on Sony give EVO more of a chance. Feels just like Psygnosis/Studio Liverpool again

 

[MaverickVII]

Damn, they were a talented studio. I wonder what this means for Driveclub VR.

 

[Shalashaska161]

Damn, that sucks. Good luck to those affected. Been a bad few weeks for UK dev houses.

 

[funkystudent]

No one wants to do AAA in the UK anymore.


Also it's seemed like evolution was on the chopping block since motorstorm 3 mega bombed. I am not shocked but this is a real shame since DC was eventually great.

 

[Yautja_Warrior]

Fuck !!! so no more updates ? No DriveClub VR ? More importantly no Motorstorm PS4 ?

Sony that really does suck !!!!

 

[RK128]

Superbot and Eat Sleep weren't Sony studios.

Well they still had a role in closing them, with either giving the former a pitiful budget for PSAS and the latter releasing a big tittle with poor launch.

 

[shadowsdarknes]

My hopes for a new Wipeout or Motorstorm have been crushed.

I don't even want to be a Sony fan anymore

 

[Ninja Scooter]

Not that surprising but always sad when so many lose their job. They definitely killed it with post release content to get DC back on track, unfortunately AAA gaming is so front loaded these days that so massively bungling the launch they way they did seems impossible to really come back from in any meaningful way.

 

[MMarston]

Is this a result of the Driveclub launch server issues?

As someone said earlier, it could be and thus, reflect some structural issues.


Also cost them money no matter what they did to make it up

 

[TimeEffect]

Whatttt?

Judging from the crazy impressive support for Driveclub, I thought they were just restructuring. Sorry to hear this, and hoping they land on their feet.

Did Driveclub just tank that badly? It's unfortunate that they had everything riding on this.

What's going to happen with the engine?

 

[Man-is-Obsolete]

Seems strange after the turn around of Driveclub and them working on Driveclub VR. Also weren't they just at an open job event for former employees of Lionhead?

 

[Lingitiz]

Wow what a shame, thought they were turning themselves around after the bad launch.

UK development is a real mess right now.

 

[Castef]

Too bad.

Sorry for the involved people.

 

[Vital Tundra]

But why? I don't get Publishers.

 

[Summer Haze]

Man...and I bet season pass 2 would have been fucking amazing. There goes my hope for a night time Tokyo city track.

 

[Acosta]

Such bullshit... Why?

Best wishes for the people involved.

 

[Radec]

Damn.

Terrible news.

 

[Karu]

You fucked up, Sony. big time.

 

[Cert.in.Death]

#ColinWasRight

 

[somecrazymember]

Really sad

 

[DeepEnigma]

This really sucks. The support for DC has been phenomenal, and their engine tech is amazing.

I hope they can transition to other places, and get back on the grind soon.

Hopefully Rushy posts here soon.

 

[CHC]

Whoa this is a HUGE surprise, and a terrible one at that. Really unfortunate especially given how dedicated they seemed to be to Driveclub. Can't believe it.

Where does this leave the future of Driveclub with regards to online play and future updates?

 

[Dr_LucienSanchez]

This is terrible news, really unfortunate.

 

[Willy Wanka]

Another UK studio shut down, not good. Hopefully the people affected aren't out of work for too long.

 

[benzy]

Bring everyone over to Polyphony. PD obviously needs help making their game.

Doesn't mean jack if the game didn't sell

It wasn't a poor seller though.

http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/07/31/driveclub-sales-surpass-2-million-copies

 

[Risette]

But they did bounce back.

Well, apparently not, or this thread wouldn't exist. The game seemed good after the launch disaster but that doesn't mean the damage wasn't already done. Game sales are front-loaded, you can't fuck up the launch. It's sad but yeah.

 

[SerTapTap]

WHAT?! With DCVR coming up this seems insane. That's easily one of their most immediately understandable/valued VR projects.

It seems like, despite the launch, Driveclub sold pretty well too??

 

[Javin98]

Shit, this is true?! Damn, that sucks. Evolution were constantly releasing free content for DriveClub, which is a great game BTW. I hope everyone from the studio can find jobs soon.

 

[Xun]

Brilliant stuff Sony.

#4theplayers

 

[RoyalLaFlame]

What the hell Sony?


I hope everyone at Evolution lands on their feet and thank you for one of the best (if not the best) racing games ever.

 

[SlipperyFishes]

How true is this?

As a UK company they're obligated to try and find places for those employees affected within the company.

 

[Abounder]

Driveclub was a fiasco in project management, shame to see a studio shut down but not surprising especially since there's Gran Turismo and third parties like Project CARS