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Sony closes Evolution Studios (Motorstorm, Driveclub)
- Thread starter Finaj
- Start date
Papacheeks
Banned
It's budget doesn't matter. What matters are the amount of sales, people playing your game. Their product looked like a AAA product. That's what matters. SHADOW WARRIOR had a modest budget would you not call that AAA? Killing Floor 2 had a modest budget would you not call that AAA looking?
Racers are dead dude. Go look up all the companies who were making racers in PS3/360 and see how many are still around, and still making racing games. The guys who made feul make Hololens/VR games.
Bizarre Creations who made BLUR are no more. Project gotham guys which were same as BLUR. Gone.
Go look at sales for Project cars, not too great for something on 3 different platoforms. Racing games are on the decline still because of so many last gen. There are a few here and there that find success on PC.
But on console good luck with Forza, NEED FOR SPEED, GT series, that's enough to scare away other competitors.
Man you are letting this affect you when it really shouldn't...
Doug Heffernan
Member
I hope they form an indie studio and create a spiritual successor to Motorstorm and release it on all platforms.
ShutterMunster
Junior Member
This is so upsetting...fuck, man.
EdReedFan20
Member
Really they had a pretty rocky go now that I think about it:
- Motorstorm 1: initial trailers oversold what the game ended up being, I believe having a big impact on it's reception. The game was still great though. Still the best car destruction of the franchise.
- Motorstorm 2: had the worst demo of all time... simply awful. Made the game look like ugly hot garbage. Then they released an updated demo and the final game ended up being one of the best looking games of all time. Yet the damage of that initial demo was done...
- Motorstorm 3: Pretty sure it sold quite badly... possibly due to the loss of interest after MS2 (similar to what happened with Resistance trilogy)
- Driveclub: The launch...
It's undeniable that they had some great talent, but just some bad luck and perhaps some bad decision making by some higher ups / Sony. (That Motorstorm 2 Demo should not have been released, Driveclub PS+ may have been a terrible idea overall, etc)
I mean seriously... LOOK AT THIS
Part of me believes that this single demo was what triggered the slow death of Evo.
Edit: Sorry... I don't mean to derail and bring upon more negativity. I with everyone at Evo the best and look forward to more Driveclub as it sounds like support will indeed continue.
No, that was not it. They decided to delay after the awful 2011 Japanese earthquake/tsunami happened. The game's setting was supposed to be after a similar disaster (in San Francisco). Also, the PSN hack happened around the same time.
The perfect Dark
Banned
Yes. I do think that this will be the last console generation for me. I'm going back to PC (and Nintendo maybe). So many dumb decisions.
OccamsLightsaber
Regularly boosts GAF member count to cry about 'right wing gaf' - Voter #3923781
I hope the rest of your day is as pleasant as you are.
Shao Kahn Brewing a Stew
Banned
If you guys really want to discuss what went wrong with Driveclub, it's the following:
1. Releasing on October 7, 2014 instead on November 15, 2013.
2. Releasing Driveclub PS+ Edition on June 25, 2015 instead of October 7, 2014.
3. Having a rocky launch and suffering from network issues.
It's that simple. After these issues were fixed, it had the best post-launch support but unfortunately was a little too late.
1. Releasing on October 7, 2014 instead on November 15, 2013.
2. Releasing Driveclub PS+ Edition on June 25, 2015 instead of October 7, 2014.
3. Having a rocky launch and suffering from network issues.
It's that simple. After these issues were fixed, it had the best post-launch support but unfortunately was a little too late.
olitheoblong
Neo Member
FFS sony driveclub is literally one of my favourite games on ps4 thanks to it fantastic post launch support and no driveclub VR, cant believe it.
I said earlier in the thread. The current business model for AAA games is unsustainable. You either make a hit or perish. Essentially just about every studio is only a game or two away from perishing.
People buy PS4s despite having just awful exclusive titles and outside of Microsoft's holy trinity of Gears, Halo, Forza their exclusive titles don't seem to be making much of an impact.
So why bother paying to keep these studios afloat?
sankt-Antonio
Banned
Wasn't that for Armageddon?
Niteandgrey
Neo Member
Wow, this sucks. LOVED (and continue to love) Drive Club.
Look on the bright side, people aren't shitting on the devs like they did in the Lionhead thread.
Aizu_Itsuko
Member
Of course, but there are better options than pulling the plug on an entire team of talented people.
Actually the very definition of AAA gaming is high cost to build. Selling a lot of copies doesn't make the game AAA.
Calm waterfall
Banned
Your lack empathy is disgusting.
EdReedFan20
Member
Apocalypse. That was the third MotorStorm game (not counting the PSP game, Arctic Edge).
It's really unfortunate about the studio closure. I think they shot themselves in the foot by promising a free version. The game is quite good.
About the VR thing, I really can't blame Sony for converting their studios to VR. They get credit from me for taking some risks at the tail end of the PS3 cycle and those games just don't sell. Tearaway, Puppeteer, Rain, Knack... etc just aren't enough to sustain a studio nowadays.
About the VR thing, I really can't blame Sony for converting their studios to VR. They get credit from me for taking some risks at the tail end of the PS3 cycle and those games just don't sell. Tearaway, Puppeteer, Rain, Knack... etc just aren't enough to sustain a studio nowadays.
pixelation
Member
Bad move Sony.
Papacheeks
Banned
How about it's production quality? Because Rocket league sits in the league of titles you would see next to need for speed or splatoon.
It has high production values. Budget shouldn't matter there are many successful AAA games with modest budgets that would be considered money wise almost indie.
so ignore the facts about the studio's you listed not even making "normal" games anyway, yet still being pissed off that they're not making normal games? oookay.
the ratio between "core" experiences and "secondary" experiences hasn't changed. only instead of eyetoy, or vita, or microphones. or singstar. or HOME, or move. or playTV etc...we now have VR.
Mass_Pincup
Banned
Honestly if Sony keeps focusing on 3rd party deals and shutting down their studio I don't see a lot of reason to buy they next console.
They're doing the exact opposite of what I liked about them.
They're doing the exact opposite of what I liked about them.
makingmusic476
Member
Terrible news. =(
NullPointer
Member
Evolution was God Tier, and they blew my mind with Motorstorm and DriveClub. They did some absolutely amazing work.
So many good times and great memories of mud-spattered stampedes of bikes and semis and ATVs, super-jumps across volcanos and through waterfalls, OMFGWTFBBQ apocalyptic hurricane warzone destruction derbies, and nailing seemingly impossible times in a hypercar in the heart of a stormy night.
I've got no time for business realities and 'shit happens' and an examination of their financials. This news sinks my gaming heart and represents a huge loss of what brought me to the Playstation in the first place: The games, and the studios working their ass off to create them, Evolution Studios notably among them.
I hope nothing for the best for the Evo guys and gals moving forward. You kicked ass.
So many good times and great memories of mud-spattered stampedes of bikes and semis and ATVs, super-jumps across volcanos and through waterfalls, OMFGWTFBBQ apocalyptic hurricane warzone destruction derbies, and nailing seemingly impossible times in a hypercar in the heart of a stormy night.
I've got no time for business realities and 'shit happens' and an examination of their financials. This news sinks my gaming heart and represents a huge loss of what brought me to the Playstation in the first place: The games, and the studios working their ass off to create them, Evolution Studios notably among them.
I hope nothing for the best for the Evo guys and gals moving forward. You kicked ass.
SargerusBR
I love Pokken!
WTF, DriveClub's post-release support is one of the best i have seen in years. This is sad 
Likely 100% true, that is normal procedure for these types of scenarios.
davepoobond
you can't put a price on sparks
like fire everyone and then re-hire? may as well close the studio.
the studio was done, it couldn't create a product efficiently anymore, heads already rolled initially, we don't know who else might have been leaving that would have been detrimental to the operation of the studio
KingpinZero
Member
De-evolution.
I've been a fan of Evolution works since forever, even if i didn't got Drive Club. Here's my hope to see the dev developing multi platform games, down the tube.
Best wishes and luck to all the peoples involved in the studio, they work was amazing, and i think that WRC EVO is one of the best rally games ever made.
I've been a fan of Evolution works since forever, even if i didn't got Drive Club. Here's my hope to see the dev developing multi platform games, down the tube.
Best wishes and luck to all the peoples involved in the studio, they work was amazing, and i think that WRC EVO is one of the best rally games ever made.
So why close the studio 16months after all those problems?
I still think that just Sony does not want another racing dev on their rooster and that is one of the main reason, which is sad because Evolution made awesome games.
CollectedDust
Member
Wow- I was hoping for a new Motorstorm after Driveclub. So sad...
One was more successful/less of a fail than the other...
I think you and I are using a different definition of AAA. I don't think any of those games can be considered AAA. They are all great games but that is not what most people refer to AAA. When we are talking about AAA games we are talking about big budgets, advertising and highly anticipated games by the masses.
Agreed but you were arguing that indie studios were replacing all this studios that have closed down but that simply is not the case. That was the point of my argument. Also, the racing genre is dying/dead outside of Europe.
SpideySenses
Member
Can't wrap my head around this, Sony going into VR big, racing games being one of the easiest genres to translate and then they dump the studio who might be able to release one in a timely manner.
aygomyownroad
Member
I love Driveclub.
What ashame I hope the staff find jobs soon.
It was a terrible launch but is a very good game. Sony should have given them another chance as a lot of people would have killed for a Motorstorm sequel.
What ashame I hope the staff find jobs soon.
It was a terrible launch but is a very good game. Sony should have given them another chance as a lot of people would have killed for a Motorstorm sequel.
Viveks always the insider. Give us a hint.
Little Monser
Banned
Where are the lies?
Granted, Motorstorm RC was actually fun and so was Apocalypse... But the rest? Especially DRIVECLUB? Utter trash