Sony San Diego's not the only team in the platform holder's stable to sadly lose staff this week, as London Studio has also been struck by a round of layoffs. The first-party team has led the charge on PlayStation VR over the past few years, and it's behind one of the peripheral's showpiece launch titles: PlayStation VR Worlds.
However, in a statement sent to GamesIndustry.biz, the Japanese giant explained that it's reducing the team's workforce while it prepares for its next project: "The team will take all their learnings and experience as they move forward, however in order to achieve its ambitious goals, the studio will need to restructure around the needs of the new projects."
The silver lining is that Sony is at least trying to reallocate some staff to different projects, so fingers crossed everyone lands on their feet. Either way, we'd like to wish everyone affected our very best.
[source gamesindustry.biz, via eurogamer.net]
Comments 8
Yeah...VR is totally not too expensive to produce!
Isn't this what usually happens when a project is completed?
I hope london studio make the london heist in to a full game.
@viciousarcanum Yes, unfortunately. Some devs have found a way to avoid it with DLC and stuff, but PlayStation VR Worlds isn't going to be one of those games.
I hope they all find new work obviously, but is this really so different to, say, film production? Or most creative projects for that matter? You're hired for your particular skill set for the duration of the project, which could be anything from days to years, and when it's completed you move on to something else, your team having achieved its goal. It's freelance essentially. I work in film and that's one of the reasons I enjoy it like I do - the variety provided by not being in one place too long.
(this isn't meant to be a gripe btw, just a point of discussion)
This sounds more like people who were hired on for this project and, they probably knew that. Kinda like how stores hire holiday help around the holidays and after the holidays let the people go. Companies disclose that when they hire these people and they know that their jobs may not be permanent.
@viciousarcanum Absolutely. This is what those developers sign up for when they get hired on for the job. Why is this a story? This happens to nearly every major studio when every major title is completed. Its part of being a game developer just as much as "not working during the summer" is part of the job of being a teacher.
It's a shame this is the norm in the games industry...
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