Evolution Studios, the developers behind Motorstorm and Driveclub, have been shut down, Sony confirmed to GamesIndustry.biz
Sony told the publication the decision came after a regular review of every developer within Sony to ensure “a competitive landscape can create and produce high quality, innovative and commercially viable projects.”
“It is regrettable that this decision will lead to compulsory redundancies,” the company said as part of a statement. “We accept that this decision will mean that we risk losing high calibre staff but by focusing on other Studios that already have exciting new projects in development we believe we will be in a stronger position going forward and able to offer the best possible content of the highest quality for our consumers.”
It’s unclear what this means for the future of Driveclub, the studio’s last game. Only hours ago, game director Paul Rustchynsky was retweeting screens fans had taken in-game. Driveclub has still regularly updated with new content, and Evolution was working on a VR version.
@boersc We've yet to announce our plans, expect more details at E3.
— Paul Rustchynsky (@Rushy33) March 18, 2016
Evolution even showed off Driveclub VR at GDC last week.
Watch #DRIVECLUB VR in action at GDC https://t.co/hwpyjq87Dm pic.twitter.com/4ogXTtiiTe
— Paul Rustchynsky (@Rushy33) March 18, 2016
We’ve asked Sony for details on the future of Driveclub, as the company’s current statement doesn’t include details on possible future development.
Update 12:46 pm: Evolution says the game is “in the hands of PlayStation,” suggesting an internal team may continue work on it.
It’s the end of an incredible era for #EvolutionStudios. Thanks to all of you: https://t.co/YYPJNvbMxd #DRIVECLUB pic.twitter.com/ERQiQ48SGR
— Jamie Brayshaw (@PhenomEvolution) March 22, 2016
A little over a year ago, roughly half the studio was laid off, following the game’s shaky launch
Ugh, how good would Motorstorm have looked on PS4??
