PlayStation to close Manchester VR studio

PlayStation will close its Manchester games studio.

The firm confirmed to GamesIndustry.biz that it intends 'to close it as part of our efforts to improve efficiency and operational effectiveness'.

Sony's Manchester team was formed to create VR games back in 2015. The firm had been working on an unannounced VR project.

It is the third UK studio PlayStation has closed over the course of this generation, with Guerrilla Cambridge closing in 2017 and Evolution in 2016. Both studios had also worked on PlayStation VR projects before being closed.

[TGGJustin]

Well that is a bummer. I've been waiting to see what this PSVR game was. They were just tweeting last week that they were hiring so this must've been a sudden thing.

[crazyCoconuts]

That really sucks. I really hope they're not second guessing their investment in VR

[travestyj]

No they haven't. They have been supporting PSVR really well. This one studio that didn't manage to make anything in 5 years isn't indication of anything. Most of you didn't even know they existed before this article.

[crazyCoconuts]

I guess we'll see for sure if/when they announce PSVR2. If they weren't committed they certainly wouldn't bother with the next generation of it. I'm still very optimistic that they're all in...

[travestyj]

It is the first VR dedicated studio they closed and they didnt even announce a game. And they just bought a Insomniac who recently made a VR game.

[rainslacker]

I thought part of their dev team was being absorbed into SWS. Kind of like Japan Studio. Wasn't the job posting for that? Or maybe I have it mixed up with another job posting. Guerilla Cambridge was absorbed by both GG and SWSE, and Evolution was just shut down, rather unceremoniously. Ironically, Evolution had also just delivered probably the best VR racing game on the market before they closed.

[Obscure_Observer]

Third studio shut down. All of them worked on VR games.

That´s how Sony believe in VR?

[TK-66]

Cant really believe in a developer with no games can you?

[generic-user-name]

Cambridge and Evolution made one single vr game, Manchester made zero, the Drive club fiasco was evolution's undoing. Cambridge deserved another chance but their closure is no indication of Sony's faith in vr.

Sony London and Japan studios are both their vr studios now and they haven't been shut down, London are already working on a new PSVR title.

Then there's the fact that PS5 supports psvr and that psvr 2 is almost a sure thing.

I'd say Sony are doing a lot more believing in VR than their rivals.

[frostypants]

Hiring, after five years, and still no game announcement...doesn't paint a good picture. PSVR is doing great, but that studio was clearly dead weight. Cutting bait on hopeless sunk costs is good business.

[frostypants]

(for people who disagree, go lookup "sunk cost fallacy". Also see: Crackdown 3.)

[THC CELL]

I'm sure they made a move to Liverpool what's not far from Manchester
https://www.liverpoolecho.c...

[traumadisaster]

Damn it, I don’t want anything reducing vr tech. Nor software development of games. I realize there is a business to manage but I just want R&D and devs to continue.

It wouldn’t surprise me if there is a weird quietness from Sony about psvr2 over the first 18 months of ps5. I bet they try to ride out back compat psvr1 to see where the market goes.

At the most they could sell some nice new vr controllers that are over priced to gauge the market. Now I think about it didn’t move/Kinect sell 8m and they just released psvr sold 5m, maybe they are seeing that as a loss.

I just bought a oculus quest and want vr to keep growing.

[xX-oldboy-Xx]

Kinect was sold with fake marketing and also bundled later on.

PSVR is the market leader and clearly has the advantage over other headsets. It's just hitting it's stride and PS5 will produce an even better experience with the current headset.

Can't even imagine how nice PSVR2 will be

[Gunstar75]

Ps3 was sold on fake marketing as well. Let's not be hypocrites

[xX-oldboy-Xx]

What was the game marketing? Are you talking about Krazy Ken and his hyperbole?

BluRay, WiFi, full B/C with PS2 on fat models, Bluetooth controller and Tekken TT helped sell PS3's.

Let's use our brains.

[Gunstar75]

@oldboy watch the DF retrospective on the PS3 reveal. Fake gameplay a go go

[xX-oldboy-Xx]

Target renders of an internal demo? KZ2 ended up looking better than the demo, except for the facial animations.

Really grasping at straws mate - how long ago was all this malarkey?

I won't watch your little video - just be direct in your comments.

[rainslacker]

They've been moving their VR development to their Worldwide studio publishing houses for quite some time now. Japan Studio and WWS Europe are already set up to do VR stuff, so I imagine this move is them absorbing this studio into that, because they were hiring out of WWSE recently.

Insomniac also has a pretty good VR portfolio, and seem to be well set to take up some VR games since they are quite a large publisher.

[Battlestar23]

Have they even made a game cause i looked them up and couldn't find anything since the studio opened up.

[jukins]

No and it's probably one of the reasons they were closed. Whatever they we are making was taking to long and costing too much and sony just cut their losses

[rainslacker]

They were developing a VR game last I heard. Most of that development has been moved over to their Worldwide studios over the past couple years, and I imagine that's what's happening here. Although, it is possible they scrapped the project, and the studio along with it.

[4kgk76]

I don’t care about Sony closing down a vr studio that didn’t even make a game yet. Maybe theses guys just wasn’t meeting Sony quality standards so Sony had to let them go. anyways I hope all theses guys can find new jobs.

[Kumakai]

yeah.. vr is killin... jobs

[Gunstar75]

When Sony closes another studio .... it's fine, good business sense. When Microsoft closes a studio. M$ are killing videogames.

If you cant see the hypocrisy, then you're blind or wilfully stupid

[AnubisG]

I don't think anyone is happy about this or thinks it is fine.

[rainslacker]

I think some people see close, then assume that means that's all there is to it. Sony has been making a lot of changes with their VR development the past 2-3 years, and most of that is moving that development to studio houses instead of individual developers. Basically the way Sony used to be set up before they had individual studios back in the PS1 days. Japan Studios and Worldwide studios europe are two of the largest individual publishing/development houses in the world.

[Az1ner]

How funny Sony closed a studio, it's a good decision. If it was MS, such horror! Such hypocrisy.

[isarai]

I don't see anyone using the word "good" except you and your friends.

[AK91]

:(

[1Victor]

Oh well at least Sony didn’t go on a rampage closing 3 studios and cancelled games in less than 2 months now that is hypocrisy/jk

Seriously people lost their livelihood and that shouldn’t be made fun of or be used as cannon fodder for a useless consoles war regardless of consoles or publishers

[Shane Kim]

That's business for you.

[Bennibop]

Probably brexit related

[isarai]

Sucks for the people losing their jobs, but from a business standpoint they formed them to make VR games and in 5 years they haven't so much as announced a single game so it makes sense.

[ShadowWolf712]

Kind of expected. It's been 4, almost 5 years without so much as a peep of an update out of there. Whatever they were working on either hit a wall or simply wasn't cost-effective.

Or both.

[Lexreborn2]

Doing some digging, it looks like the team might not have produced anything after 5 years being formed with Sony. I can understand that as a unestablished team to not have ANY THING ready within 5 years?

Sounds like they were just collecting checks, and with no content. I would make the same call

[iplay1up2]

PSVR had a great Holiday season. Hell I just got mine, and it is better than I expected! Super cool! It also delivers fantastic games!

[GOULDYBOBS]

Takes some serious fan boys to defend people losing their jobs

[TornRaptor]

FOR THE PLAYERS

[GOULDYBOBS]

NOT FOR THE WORKERS

[Rimeskeem]

For all those saying that Sony does the same as MS.

Sony has closed 7 studios in 25 years

MS has closed 12 in a shorter period of time.

So no they are not the same, MS closes studios more often than Sony.

[NeoGamer232]

Both Sony and Microsoft are large corporations.

In the end corporations will do what is best for the corporation and try to get away with as much as possible. Whether it is closing studios, monetizing games more, etc.

Any gamer that aligns them self saying one corporation is good while others are bad knows nothing about business. Businesses are trying to make more and more money to drive their stock price. And at the same time they gauge their customers on what they are and are not willing to do. The most successful corporations have this balance perfected. By by no means are they a friend of gamers.

Loyalty should be earned on each and every purchase.... Not, "If this company is doing it, it is automatically good".... And the other way, "If this company is doing it, it is automatically bad". The Star Wars Fallen Order game is a perfect example. Tons of EA is bad and the game will be garbage articles last year. But when it came out the game is actually pretty good and is a good roadmap for what EA should do going forward.

[Traingamez]

just think if they had been as wise as Nintendo and charged you money for leftover cardboard

note to self...

always sell the cardboard SEPARATE

[terstomp]

That's not a good sign.

[Spero]

Do they have any other VR exclusive studios? This worries me that PSVR will not be making it into next gen.

[mkis007]

Personally, I wonder if this is due to the other studios like Guerrilla growing past 500. First party dev teams have never gotten as big as 3rd parties like Rockstar or Ubisoft. With all the sequels coming out on ps5, we all know the bar is going to have to be raised.

[Bennibop]

Manchester was a new studio who have not produced a title. I am sure the money is being saved to use elsewhere perhaps an aquistion.

[Petebloodyonion]

Trimming fast and re-evaluating assets is a normal process for any big company.
Sony is not different. Instead of bickering about Sony's stance on VR we should be talking about the ppl just learned they were out of jobs. Let's hope they find work quickly with similar benefits.

[Imortus_san]

Sony keeps closing studios down,

[windblowsagain]

Sorry but I couldn't careless about VR ATM.

[NotanotherReboot]

How could you, Sony.........

[gangsta_red]

Oh no! PSVR is such a big hit for Sony, they should definitely try and keep as many studios open to support their device. Especially if they're going to be making a PSVR 2, why would they shut down a studio that would support their products??