Hero-of-Time Posted March 22, 2016 Posted March 22, 2016 DriveClub studio is unfortunately no more Evolution Studios, the developer behind franchises like World Rally Championship and MotorStorm, has been shut down by Sony, we've just learned. The company's most recent DriveClub was a troubled project for the studio and Sony, having seen delays and online problems - 55 people had been cut from Evolution just one year ago. Now, Sony has made the tough decision to make the rest of the Evolution staff redundant. In the complete statement, which you can read below, Sony said it would try to reallocate some of the Evolution team to other studios, but the company's aware that it may also lose some serious talent. Regular reviews take place throughout SCE Worldwide Studios, ensuring that the resources that we have in such a competitive landscape can create and produce high quality, innovative and commercially viable projects. As part of this process we have reviewed and assessed all current projects and plans for the short and medium term and have decided to make some changes to the European studios structure. As a result, it has been decided that Evolution Studio will close. It is regrettable that this decision will lead to compulsory redundancies. 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. Where possible we will try to reallocate people onto other projects. If appropriate opportunities are not possible within the company, we will assist staff in any way we can, including speaking with local employers and with other development companies. Evolution has been an important part of SCE Worldwide Studios for over 10 years - working on ground-breaking racing titles like WRC, Motorstorm and DRIVECLUB. This decision should not take anything away from the great work that Evolution has produced. I'm honestly shocked by this news. DriveClub had a rough start but by all accounts has turned into one of the best driving games in a long time.
Daft Posted March 22, 2016 Posted March 22, 2016 The game was a year late and still a mess at launch. I wouldn't say it was that surprising. I do wonder what it means for the PSVR version.
Hero-of-Time Posted March 22, 2016 Author Posted March 22, 2016 The game was a year late and still a mess at launch. I wouldn't say it was that surprising. I do wonder what it means for the PSVR version. They could have done what a lot of developers do and just have left it as it was but they listened to the community, released a shed load of DLC and supported the game post launch. I think they earned a lot of goodwill by doing this. As you said though, it was a year late and I wonder how much it cost Sony in the long run. That twitter that Sony sent out the other week to Lionhead employees about recruitment offers seems a bit ironic now.
Cookyman Posted March 22, 2016 Posted March 22, 2016 The amount of post launch support this game got was incredible and the season pass was amazing value for money. One of my fave PS4 games too - such a shame.
Jimbob Posted March 22, 2016 Posted March 22, 2016 There was me thinking they were doing ok. Loads of DLC, a great value season pass. And i've not even begun to mention Driveclub Bikes yet, which is a great expansion pack. The sheer amount of support Driveclub had post-launch was unbelievable. Such a brilliant game, i agree with @Cookyman on this point.
bob Posted March 22, 2016 Posted March 22, 2016 "Good value" might be the reason they folded. They clearly weren't charging enough.
Choze Posted March 22, 2016 Posted March 22, 2016 (edited) Such a shame. While I am not a fan of Driveclub so much they also made the Motorstorm games which were their own unique pieces of work. Not only that but they have a lot of staff from lots of other racing games. Hoping they do well. "Good value" might be the reason they folded. They clearly weren't charging enough. The game had serious issues early on and never quite recovered in terms of activity or numbers. I know alot of people hated the game anyway and went back to other stuff. They did good later on. But I dont think the game ever became popular. I am wondering what other racing stuff sony can provide if Polyphony are the only ones left? On previous PS systems there were tons of racing games! Edited March 22, 2016 by Choze Automerged Doublepost
Dcubed Posted March 22, 2016 Posted March 22, 2016 My God! @Ashley wasn't kidding when he said that this was a terrible month for developers! First Lionhead, then Two Tribes, then 5th Cell, now Evolution! Damn... It's a massacre The British development scene is hanging on by a thread at this point!
Fierce_LiNk Posted March 22, 2016 Posted March 22, 2016 I'm a massive fan of Drive Club. Today was shit anyway but it's fucking ruined now!
Happenstance Posted March 22, 2016 Posted March 22, 2016 Not surprised really. Driveclub's development and then launch was such a shit show that they had to do all that extra work to win back the community so I'm sure they barely made any of the money they expected to with Driveclub.
Happenstance Posted April 11, 2016 Posted April 11, 2016 Codemasters picks up Driveclub developer Evolution Studios Codemasters has picked up Evolution Studios - and in the process turned the once PlayStation-exclusive developer multiplatform. Last month Sony announced the closure of Cheshire-based Evolution Studios, leaving the future of Driveclub - and the jobs of its developers - in doubt. Now, Codemasters, maker of the Dirt and Grid series of games, has rescued Evo, maker of Driveclub and MotorStorm. Codemasters said the acquisition makes it the world's largest racing-focused games company. Meanwhile, Sony's Mick Hocking has joined Codemasters as vice president of product development. Hocking spearheaded Sony's ill-fated 3D gaming push and managed Evo while at Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. "We've got the opportunity to write new tech on multiple platforms for the first time, to work on new ideas," Hocking told GamesIndustry.biz. "It's really exciting. It's really the core team we've brought across." Paul Rustchynsky, who worked at Evo for almost 12 years and led development of Driveclub, is sticking with the studio as it changes owners. Sony, as you'd expect, retains the rights to both Driveclub and MotorStorm, but fans of those games will be excited by the prospect of its developers getting the chance to make a new racing game. http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2016-04-11-codemasters-picks-up-driveclub-dev-evo
Cookyman Posted April 11, 2016 Posted April 11, 2016 That's some very very good news - I'm really happy for them.
Hero-of-Time Posted April 11, 2016 Author Posted April 11, 2016 (edited) That's a perfect fit for the team. Happy to see they landed on their feet very quickly. Edited April 11, 2016 by Hero-of-Time
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