Studio Liverpool gone

[Colonel]

I really love this community and it's fun to organize races so I really hope we all will still enjoy what we have now and keep this place alive at least!

Couldn't agree more

[Hellfire_WZ]

Absolutely. If this really is to be the end of the series it's more important than ever now that we keep this going.

[vincoof]

Technically?! Well thanks for letting us know.

Technically, yes. After Wip3out and WipEout 3 SE were released, Psygnosis RIP'ed and later became SCE Studio Liverpool. But that change wasn't the real reason why it *technically* changed because they could have kept the whole team and it would have been as simple as renaming a company and nobody would notice it apart from the new logo on the box. The fact is that the WipEout Fusion team (nb: Fusion was the first WO game by SCE Studio Liverpool) almost entirely collapsed in the middle of the project (many of the devs were hired by Square IIRC) and the Fusion project had a major reboot - so did the WipEout series. A chain is as weak as its weakest link, and Fusion was obviously the weakest link, so the chain was broken at this point.

With that said, I definitely didn't play WipEout games in the last eight years as much as I did in the eight years before so my opinion may be biased by nostalgia and things like that. I'm always opened to sharing opinions, so please feel free to enlighten my path if I'm wrong =)

[Mikahail]

A special cup in honor of SL could be a good idea, in a matter of thanks. And it could be organized anually, or 4 times a year (winter, spring, summer, autumn, for example).
Just an idea.

[Airrider]

Normally I'd be inclined to retaliate and say something about nostalgia goggles but this isn't the time. Today we are all WipEout fans.

[AspenExcel]

Very sad news indeed. Caught this in my Twitter feed and I'm very surprised. It's so sad Sony would close the company that has made one of the PlayStation platforms longest running flagship game series. Either way I'll be playing Wipeout HD for as long as I can.

[Temet]

@Mikahail : taking into account SL is not able to maintain the facebook page, are you sure the online server will remain for long?
I'm not

[AG-SYSTEMS]

@Mikahail : taking into account SL is not able to maintain the facebook page, are you sure the online server will remain for long?
I'm not

Do you want to try and figure out how to build a sever? Because I'm kinda willing to at this point.

[Rhyten]

This is a sad day

[Medusa]

I dont actually have words. This is a sad day for gaming. The industry is dying.

x2.

Again.

Can't make money with classy games, have to sell one million copies of FPS and MMORPG on release day to a world full of lemmings that are brainwashed by the F**** MEDIA and yeah, let me just remind you all that back in the day, back when the fusion of art, music, and gaming was still totally complete, it was the Designers Republic who clearly stated
DEPARTMENT STORES ARE OUR NEW CATHEDRALS

Isn't it ironic that it took this long for dollar worship to kill wipeout?

My thoughts go out to not just the currently work-less SL employees but all the ones who fought hard to try and keep WipEout alive since Psygnosis was eaten alive by Sony way back when. You tried, Sony is too big and kill anything once it puts its mind to it.

RAWWWWWWRRRR!

[stin]

Oh well, honestly, I just don`t know what to say and I`m really gutted for WipEout Teams and good luck for their future. Yes. the gaming industry are dying.
It`s not the same of what used to be.

stevie

[Sumimasen]

This is just awful news. Hope all the guys and gals at Studio Liverpool move on to better things, and for an employer that is worth their dedication this time.

This will probably get a few backs up, but I hope those few individuals that were constantly bitching about 2048 are happy now - I wouldn't be surprised if your behaviour wasn't at least partly to blame for this. The unjustified negativity towards 2048 was felt far and wide.

[haiku]

Absolutely. If this really is to be the end of the series it's more important than ever now that we keep this going.

This is a real bright spot on a dim day. I'm so grateful for your attitude, work ethic, and passion for Wipeout. You're a terrific ambassador for the game. No better person could have taken over WOZ.

[Amorbis]

This is upsetting news, it seems like such a waste to shut down a developer with a history as rich as Studio Liverpool whose staff made some of the best games of the past 30 years. The current trend for the UK games industry is worrying, especially when the UK used to be at the forefront of games development.

If WipEout carries on I hope whoever picks it up keeps it close to the feel of the series, especially when most games these days have to be gritty, dude-bro triple-A titles.

[YouAreFubar]

Its been a while since ive visited this forum but since reading about this on IGN I thought id drop by.

Ive been in love with this series since PS1 and have been a massive fan of Psygnosis/Studio Liverpool since before that starting with Lemmings back in the day. I think with their track record and obvious expertise that other arms of Sony Corp used to call on for support, and after surviving the reshuffle/merge (albeit with some sacrifices) some time ago it is a shame that they have finally closed shop. There may be more Wipeout games to come as like others have said Sony own the IP, but that is not the point. It is a shame the Psygnosis legacy has finally ended under these circumstances, my thoughts are with all the staff concerned and I hope things work out for them.

Thanks for the memories!

[XoPachi]

You know WipEout was the most consistent game I've seen. It was always there for Sony's systems. Only one real blunder in the entire series and it was mainly just for being a black sheep. First they lose someone to cancer than they lose their entire studio. This is tragic. And the news was so abrupt. Mega Man died slowly, this was just...taken in an instant. I almost feel robbed. I thoroughly enjoyed every WipEout I played and aside from F-Zero, it's the only racer I play. Now it's concluded.

Way to go Sony. PS4 was the only system I saved money for because WipEout's record guaranteed a release either at launch or somewhere down the role. Now that WipEout is gone, only thing to care about now is Ouya.

[stinkleroy]

No....just no.

This is truly horrific news and I 'm having trouble processing it. I have so many memories of the WipEout series, from the age of 17 to 33, it's been a huge part of my life iand I'm so sad to see SL go down in flames like this.

I hope that the series ends here as I really can't see any other studio doing it justice.

Good luck to all employees of SL, you've done a wonderful job over the years and don't let any corporate asshole tell you different.

[Challenger #001]

It's a shame we see this. I was really impressed with the way Studio Liverpool tried to interact with us, to be proactive with the community including those weekly interviews with community pilots... one of the few game studios that understood what the players wanted rather than what the big company above it demanded. But that was always going to be the problem. Sony has always proven to be a bad master, and I think perhaps under a less stringent overlord, maybe SL and the WipEout series would have flourished. You could see a lot of executive meddling in the games as they went on, and I suppose this is the end of the line, where it all led to.

I came in later than most of you - to Fusion, but I still consider these games to be some of the best. I'm sorry to see this long-running series go, and my wishes go out to all those who are currently looking for jobs now. May you find a more fulfilling place.

[Xpand]

Wipeout actually shaped my life course in what comes to education and also music... It's only because of my dream of creating an anti-gravity device that I'm on a physics engineering course... I can only thank to the team that shaped my dreams.
Here's something from me to the good people at psygnosis/SL:
http://threedmaniak.deviantart.com/a...eout-322715770

[eLhabib]

Just read the horrible news
I really hope the wipEout team will find something new and equally amazing to work on.
As for wipEout itself - we can only hope that some time in the future someone with taste, skill, and universal knowledge of the wipEout series decides to resurrect it once again.