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[The_Hitcher89]

Lame

Get the impression that Sony don't give their devs second chances any more. Could be wrong, but feels like aside from maybe 5 studios, the rest of them are one commercial disappointment away from being shut down.

 

[Daffy Duck]

Not surprising after the launch debacle.

Sad for those that lost their jobs and for the game because it was getting a lot of good updates recently.

 

[Von Krukru]

WHAT?! NO!

Driveclub is one of my favorite racing game ever! I was looking forward Season 2. First Studio Liverpool, now Evolution? Seems like Sony hates good arcade racing games...

 

[Raylan]

I wonder if Sony will now open a studio somewhere cheaper or if they are downscaling their first party output, I mean we didnt get a replacement for Liverpool, Zipper Interactive and BigBig.

They ARE opening a new studio in Manchester. A VR-only studio. You know... PlayStation's future. The future of gaming.

 

[Kayant]

Lame

Get the impression that Sony don't give their devs second chances any more. Could be wrong.

As far as Driveclub is concerned they gave them quite a few chances.

 

[joanot]

Woah : (

Driveclub is so awesome...

 

[Demanufacture]

Seems like Sony hates good arcade racing games...

They like what makes them money.

 

[Sword Of Doom]

Need more big budget mmo-lite shooters instead of purely skill!based racing. Should have slapped slapped RPG mechanics, guns, microtransactions, and loot grind into the game...maybe roulette wheel treasure chests and burnable cards as well as a story.

Yup, sounds about right. Forgot open world cause that's a must

Motorstorm was a great franchise. Simple and fun games that we're seeing less and less of from major developers and publishers.

This news really has me rooting for Dreams. One game could tank a studio. Couldn't do without Media Molecule's charm...

Such a beautiful studio. I don't even want to think about them closing

 

[jjonez18]

This news really has me rooting for Dreams. One game could tank a studio. And I couldn't do without Media Molecule's charm...

 

[Lingitiz]

Lame

Get the impression that Sony don't give their devs second chances any more. Could be wrong, but feels like aside from maybe 5 studios, the rest of them are one commercial disappointment away from being shut down.

Didn't the Motorstorm games sell poorly?

 

[Gestault]

Wow, at this point, who have more Developers' deaths on their hands, EA or Sony?

Studio closures aren't done flippantly. No company wants to make that sort of decision, even if you're looking at it with jaded eyes. Closures mean the loss of investment, and in cases like Evo, it was a long-time investment. People know what job losses mean, and people run these companies.

 

[Wax Free Vanilla]

And iirc they aren't exactly a huge studio.

Polyphony so small they need four studios scattered around the world. Kaz has got Yoshida in his pocket.

 

[KORNdoggy]

They ARE opening a new studio in Manchester. A VR-only studio. You know... PlayStation's future. The future of gaming.

You're like one of those people who see a raincloud and declare it the end of times for all of humanity, lol

This isn't the rapture. It's business as usual. Nothing has changed.

 

[ArgyleGamer]

This is a damn shame, Driveclub was fantastic and I really wanted to see a PS4 version of Motorstorm.

 

[potatohead]

This does need to be fixed. It shouldn't cost 10 Million $$$ to make a game. Let alone 20/30/40 million+.

Salaries must be incredible? Or is it CEOs? Board members? Outsourcing?

WTF is costing so much?

I could pay a team of 50 people 60k a year and only drop 6 million in 2 years. Heck, everyone work from home, or we'll build a "cheap" 50k metal office building and meet up there, lol.

Seriously though, games are costing too much to make.I understand one wants to pay the best and there's probably some expensive competition salary wise, but something is just off now.

(You have studios with like 200+ employees too!)

Ah so this is the real America I've been hearing about....

No one pays for electricity or computers or software or business space rent or business tax.

That's a really good idea, some people should try that, making games outside with no computers.

 

[Omnistalgic]

Lame

Get the impression that Sony don't give their devs second chances any more. Could be wrong, but feels like aside from maybe 5 studios, the rest of them are one commercial disappointment away from being shut down.

But Sony gave the team a lot of chances.

I mean I know it's PR and everyone has contracts on what they can and can't say, but this doesn't seem like some terrible unexpected closure.

 

[Ray Down]

As far as Driveclub is concerned they gave them quite a few chances.

Plus, Sony let them develop Driveclub after the bomb that was MS:A.

 

[Steiner84]

what in the fuck? what are you doing sony? is this the turning point where sony looses it again?

 

[DBT85]

This is clearly an April fools that leaked early (like The Night Manager). Only dumb cunts would close Evolution AND Liverpool.

Fml.

 

[Into]

They initially sold this game as being some sort of "social racer", its how it was presented before the PS4 even launched. Wake up tomorrow and notice your friend beat your score! Wow!

It might have sounded good in theory, but its not what i as a sim and racing game fan wanted.

Motorstorm was great however, that had a much clearer vision that worked as a theory but even more importantly in practice.

 

[Ray Down]

what in the fuck? what are you doing sony? is this the turning point where sony looses it again?

How can you even come to this?

 

[DR2K]

PD makes them loads of money .
Even there worst selling GT sold over 4.5 million and i bet it was cheaper than DC .
Plus they also do other stuff and they are not a huge studio .

How do they make loads of money when they don't even release games? I seriously doubt GT games are cheaper to produce considering how long they spend in development.

 

[The_Hitcher89]

I thought Motorstorm sold okay?

Very odd to give it 5 iterations if not

 

[Crayon]

Sony NOOOOOOOO!!!! You bastards!!! They were doing the vr stuff....

Sad.

 

[hydrophilic attack]

Plus, Sony let them develop Driveclub after the bomb that was MS:A.

Well, they were very unlucky with the release timing of that game what with the earthquake that killed a lot of people, which caused Sony to sit on the game for quite some time. That's not really Evolution's fault at all.

 

[John Wick]

EDIT: Confirmed. A title update would be appreciated.

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

Damn that's a real shame! Driveclub was amazing for me and the post dlc content was staggering. Hope they get taken on by Polyphony Digital.

 

[AstroNut325]

Polyphony so small they need four studios scattered around the world. Kaz has got Yoshida in his pocket.

And frankly, I like it that way.

 

[Akronis]

Does paying for electricity or computers or software or business space rent or business tax not exist in your universe?

You're also not accounting for infrastructure, IT, etc.

All of it is necessary. You need computers working and developers are NOT IT techs. You need excellent NAS infrastructure for maintaining backups and other data. You need TFS (or Git) for storing code.

A lot of people don't realize how expensive it gets with AAA development.

 

[Empty]

that's a shame.

motorstorm franchise was truly wonderful. the physicality and weight of the vehicles, the wide open tracks which you really had to learn to master, balanced by the immediate pleasures of the constant sense of being about to spiral out of control and just holding on, the drama of the races where it felt like something exciting happened every lap and the beautiful tourism of the settings.

could never really get into driveclub

 

[Omnistalgic]

what in the fuck? what are you doing sony? is this the turning point where sony looses it again?

Or maybe you have already lost it. The last few games from the studio have not been commercially successful. DC had a bad launch and probably lost money as well, it got to its userbase because of all the discounts and ps+ version.

And the market isn't that big anyway for racers. It's hard out there

 

[Steiner84]

How can you even come to this?

well they closed the studio that made one of the best exclusives for the ps4

 

[Brian_FETO]

Lame

Get the impression that Sony don't give their devs second chances any more. Could be wrong, but feels like aside from maybe 5 studios, the rest of them are one commercial disappointment away from being shut down.

Second chances? You mean like when Driveclub missed the PS4 launch and was delayed for a year, only to come out with horrible network issues (with the game's most advertised feature being it's network integration), followed by the botched PS+ version that was delayed, delayed, accidentally released before finally being released?

I give my sincere condolences to the Evolution staff and I hope everyone lands on their feet, but don't act like Tyrant King Sony just shut down a premier studio in cold blood. Driveclub was a huge PR blunder for them. They definitely turned it around and the people who love Driveclub love Driveclub. With Gran Turismo eventually coming out in some form Sony probably doesn't see the need for something like Driveclub.

Hopefully they feel the tech wizards behind the visuals will be better suited in other places in the company

 

[Ray Down]

Well, they were very unlucky with the release timing of that game what with the earthquake that killed a lot of people, which caused Sony to sit on the game for quite some time. That's not really Evolution's fault at all.

I'm not saying it was Evolution fault but the game did bomb, I wish it didn't cause I have friends who raved about the game when it finally released.

 

[DirtyLarry]

Damn. A sad, sad reminder that the business of making video games is in fact just that, a business.

Damn shame as both Motorstorm and Driveclub are brilliant, and I mean brilliant, games.
It is however a crowded market, and unfortunately it is also a market that includes game studios that have history on their side and not necessarily evolution. I am looking at you PD.

 

[_machine]

Your math is off. Anyone who has run a business can tell you that a team of 50 people at 60K a year cost you as the employer a lot more than 6 million for 2 years. You would easily spend around 15 million when you include payroll taxes and overhead. Could easily be 20 million if you can't keep your overhead in check.

This, and 50 people is hardly enough to pull a competitive title at the current state of production value. Hell, it takes a 100-150 people studio about 3-5 years to ship a single AAA game, and that's including millions of dollars in outsourcing. I know it's hard to understand from the outside, but game development is a very long and even more expensive process, and usually our salaries don't even match most of the other opportunities outside the gaming industry (speaking as a product guy, but applies just as well to pretty much everything outside QA/junior/mid-level art). Still, as an indie, everything was and would've most likely been even worse.

 

[Ray Down]

How do they make loads of money when they don't even release games? I seriously doubt GT games are cheaper to produce considering how long they spend in development.

Main line entries outside of 6 sold over 10 million each, more than enough.

GT Academy, sponsorship etc, they make money outside of gaming too.

 

[Cuyejo]

I think PD still made a good amount of money though. And iirc they aren't exactly a huge studio.

Sucks but, im not sure it'll affect Sony ps4 lineup much. I think DC was supposed to be a bigger deal than it was, it isn't, and now devs merge into new projects or get lay offs.

Industry is streamlining and we need less big projects and more mid-tier ones, that's the answer here, no one has figured it out yet.

Wut...
Polyphony Digital is the only untouchable studio Sony has, they literally can put a turd encased and sell it at 60 bucks once every 10 years and Sony will just pat them in the back while saying good job guys wrap it up.

Mind you Polyphony Digital is about 80% the reason Sony consolidated as a first party game developer back then. Gran Turismo is their best selling series and there's a lot of sentimental value within the company I'm sure.

Kinda like Half life for Valve or Mario for Nintendo.

They'd rather close Naughty Dog than PD.

 

[Loudninja]

I really dong get the polyphony digital they are a huge brand.

 

[7DollarHagane]

This is really disappointing. I hoped that they might have turned things around with driveclub.

Seems a lot of racing only studios struggle to stay profitable and relevant these days.

 

[Mariolee]

I remember meeting one of the developers of Drive Club when they came to UC Davis. Man was so nice that I bought Driveclub for my little cousin. Sad to see them go, but I hope they can land on their feet.

 

[Alo0oy]

How do they make loads of money when they don't even release games? I seriously doubt GT games are cheaper to produce considering how long they spend in development.

GT Academy.

 

[Putty]

Heartbreaking stuff 8( Evo have written some ofthe finest racers during the past 15 years. Chances of a MS TRilogy Remaster seemingly dead in the water. I worry now for the state of GT. I'll defend PD to the moon and back but i'm now seriously concerned about the whole development within the studio. The beta as promised should really of hit by now, yet here we are...not a dime....not even a heads up...

 

[GhostWriter24]

They failed to deliver on Driveclub, and by the time they ironed out all its issues it was too late. I bet they take their talent and put them into other 1st party studios, though.

 

[Ad0ve]

First Microsoft with Lionhead and now Sony with Evolution, is the next one Nintendo closing Retro?!
No, but seriously, I really wanted a new Motormstorm, the first one was my first PS3 game :cc

 

[Dargor]

How can you even come to this?

I think its because sony is loose

 

[ukas]

well they closed the studio that made one of the best exclusives for the ps4

Can you understand that because you think it was one of their best exclusives doesn't mean that it made millions back? I love Driveclub and Evo, but money makes things run.

 

[thelastword]

Sorry about the devs at Evolution, DC is one of my favourite arcade racers of all time. It's a phenomenal racer that glues you into it's gameplay with amazing graphics. It's really disappointing that we won't see what they could do with DC 2.

I hope most of these guys stay in the industry, they're really talented and I hope Sony uses the DC engine another time this gen including 1886's engine.

 

[SalientChief]

ARE YOU KIDDING ME????

This is an amazing game and DriveClub VR is my #1 most looked forward to VR title...

I can't believe this. So no more content?????

Exactly!! I hope for the best for Rushy and crew. This sucks!!

Also seriously considering cancelling my PSVR pre-order. Ugh!

 

[Wagram]

That sucks. Luckily Sony seems to be helping them find new jobs.

 

[orochi91]

What a ruthless scene the AAA industry has become.

You either get that hit game, or you face a high chance of closure.

Sony must be seeing those 2+ million units sold as a failure.

Which begs the question, how big were their expectations for Drive Club this gen?