Truly upset and disappointed here. Really wish these things didn't have to happen. Here is hoping that everyone who has sadly lost their jobs can move on to bigger and better things.
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Truly upset and disappointed here. Really wish these things didn't have to happen. Here is hoping that everyone who has sadly lost their jobs can move on to bigger and better things.
http://blog.niceproduce.com/wp-conte...isowl_jpg1.jpg
spread your wings....
Honestly, I don`t know what to say over SL?, I`m just pretty stunned by it.
But!, three years ago (was it two?), me, asa, Mad-Ice and Rapier and yes Hellfire! did go to SL for an invitation from foxy(Thank you foxy). Honestly, I`m glad I`d been there for the part of history and I`m really sorry, Sony decided to shut SL down forever.
I`m thinking of to these amazing hard workers who created WipEouts and hopefully they will get news jobs in different companies.
I know who the credits are and thank you for everything to make it alive.
At least, I have a tattoo of Wipeout on my arm.
WipEout ForEver!
stevie
Sad news indeed, I feel very deflated about it all really. I'm sure the members who have lost their jobs will find something new as they are very talented. I personally think it's over for wipeout, but I really hope I'm wrong.
Just like to say to everyone at SL thanks for creating the best games ever. :clap
Well, that's crap news, to be frank.
Best wishes to all of SL, I hope you find something new that brings you joy (and money)
Jeez sorry to post again but couldn't restrain myself, especially with all these guests lurking our desperate cries. Hope there's some fkin Sony execs in these guests, so they could read this : as a Sony fanboy from the start, I never thought I could write something like that one day, but here it is : XBOX360 FTW! Mick Hocking, if you're reading this, I hate you.
Obviously I was very sad to read the most recent bulletin, to say the least. I never thought I'd see the death of one of my favorite developer/publishers in video gaming soon after I turned 20, to be honest.
It's not just us Wipeout fans that are sad about this either. Think about all the other great creations and published works by Psygnosis. Formula 1, Lemmings, Shadow of the Beast, G-Police, Colony Wars, Rollcage, Destruction Derby, Novastorm, just to name a few...
It's partially the result of a bad economy in recent years, as other companies have been feeling the pinch. All of Midway was absorbed by Warner Brothers not too long ago. Atari has been hemorrhaging money for the past few years. I'm not as angry at Sony Computer Entertainment for this as some people are. Yes, it's absolutely sad that they've had to practically fire everyone to facilitate this merger that we've known about for a year. But Sony buying Psygnosis back in 1993 benefitted both companies - Psygnosis had a platform to publish and develop their best games to date, likewise, it was those games like Wipeout and Destruction Derby that compelled people to buy a PlayStation back in '95.
Let's not forget that there's still a key part of Studio Liverpool's history at Evolution Studios - Ian Hetherington, who founded both companies and is now chairman of the latter. (Personally, when this merge happens, I'd love to see the company be re-christened as Psygnosis.)
And as for the future of Wipeout...well, people said we'd never see another one after Wipeout Fusion. Right now, I've said it before - it's really early to speculate. The death of a developer does not usually equal the death of a series. In the end it all depends on who owns the rights to the series, but I do hope there is a future for the series, whether it's on the PS3, PC, Xbox, or wherever.
Psygnosis/SL, you may be gone, but you're never, ever forgotten.
Stevie: That trip was the first thing that jumped into my head on hearing this news. It's really a shock when you think back to what we saw and who we met (Colin, Clemens, John Eggleton, Karl Jones, Nick Burcombe) that it all no longer exists now. Funny enough I found the thread with the pictures in too :)
Best wishes to everyone who worked at Studio Liverpool, past and present.
An utterly **** day for all concerned. I only left 6 weeks ago and there was no inkling this might happen, so speaking to those concerned in the last 24 hours as events unfolded has been gutting.
I've no idea if any more Wipeouts will be made and to be fair, I dont care: Today a lot of GREAT and talented people lost their jobs, and all of them had contributed to Wipeout at some point in the past 15 years, busting a gut and always trying to do the best they could, countless hours, late nights, aiming for quality. Not to mention the quality F1 titles produced over the years. I do not know how many have been kept on, it seemed to be around 50% either way but I dont know for sure, numbers dont matter all I know is the the heart of the studio has pretty much been ripped out.
I am happy for those who got to keep their jobs but I am gutted for all my friends who have worked hard only to be kicked in the teeth.
Speaking to several of them this afternoon they were numb and devastated having just been told; it absolutely sucks. Sony has shot itself in the foot by doing this to its BEST european studio, and I just dont know why.
I feel privileged to have worked with so many of these talented folk and to have enjoyed some awesome times with them in and out of the office, and I sincerely hope they all find work soon, because they deserve better.
This hurts so much. :frown:
I'd just like to second what Colin said above. In the year and a half I've been away from Liverpool, I've always thought back fondly to a great bunch of people and some really fun times doing genuinely fun things. The people who've been ousted will almost surely go on to contribute fantastic things elsewhere, while Evo will continue churning gash motorstorm rubbish until the cows come home.
Sad, sad day.
Whenever we're pissed at a certain publisher or developer for something dumb that happens with a game, we easily forget that there's people employed with the company that honestly try their hardest to solve those problems.
It's almost amazing to think that in six months people were going from delivering an awesome expansion to, in my opinion, the most polished and refined Wipeout ever made, to having to update their resumes and look for work elsewhere in the UK, which to my understanding already has a pretty grim outlook as far as gaming jobs go.
So thank you Colin, Grim, Egg, Crob, Nick B, Tim Wright, Rob, Matt Brooks, and anyone else that has had a hand in the series being what it is.
OMG. I never saw this coming. I know I can do nothing in this case. All I can do is to thank SL for the great things they created! You rock!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! For sharing the part of your souls with us! Thank you!
I was just discussing that with a friend of mine, a very good question Mr ProblemSolver Sir! :) Anyone want to hazard a guess? or does someone actually have an answer even? dear me... are we really thinking about this?Quote:
Originally Posted by ProblemSolver
This is the stupidest move I've ever heard of Sony making. Wipeout has been on the PS from the same people since it's conception. It's the equivalent of Halo on the Xbox but you don't see Microsoft cutting Bungie loose.
My thoughts go to those at SL who have lost their jobs. I was made redundant last year despite working for the top performing department in my company and yet we still got closed down so I know what it's like to put blood, sweat and tears into a job only to receive a kick in the gut.
Sony, to quote a certain internet flash toon, YOU are ****ING MORONS!
It'd be highly unlikely that you could "buy" the license off them. If they decide to do another WO then they'd have someone internal or a contractor do it for them, but whoever that was would never be likely to have any rights to the name or franchise. Sony holds the IP of loads of old stuff that is as mothballed as WO will probably become... Lemmings, Destruction Derby etc...
You never know though... stranger things have happened!
^ Hey, if Warner Bros. could end up making the next Mortal Kombat, and EA is reviving NBA Jam, who knows what could happen.
Also, I think Lemmings is owned by another company, but don't hold me to that.
@Seraphim: Bungie was cut loose as a first-party developer years ago, but they are still in business - just not tied to the Halo series any more
Don't say that RJ, it's takes all of the wind out of my rant lol
What is there to say? It's hard to fathom how Sony could screw up so much this gen.
I hope that those who lost their jobs can get back on their feet as soon as possible. To all who have worked at the studio, thanks for all the fantastic experiences you gave us.
The statement listed Motorstorm before Wipeout. Says it all really...
Thank you for your response CaptainGrim. I figured it would be something like that, but was secretly hoping that wasnt the case... either way, it's closure for now. Sad faces all round eh?
Hey you guys at/from/ex SL - big respect to you. :rock