Sony is Closing Its PSVR Studio in Manchester
Sony operated its PSVR-focused studio in Manchester in 2015. The studio had been created exclusively for PSVR but it never released a single VR title.
The studio was initially known as North West but the name was later changed to Manchester Studio with a focus on developing AAA games exclusively for PlayStation VR. Until late last year, the studio still had vacancies although it is not clear what the team worked on.
In a statement to GamesIndustry.biz, Sony said it was closing the studio as part of its efforts to “improve efficiency and operational effectiveness”.
The closure of the Manchester Studio is coming on the back of the of Sony’s closure of two other Sony Worldwide Studios in the UK namely; Evolution and Guerrilla Cambridge. Both of these were also working in PSVR games.
What’s Next for Sony VR?
With the closure of the three UK studios, there are only two Sony studios left in the UK; London Studio and Dreams developer Media Molecule.
The latter, London Studio has been responsible for the virtual reality game collection PlayStation Worlds as well as the action epic Blood & Truth. This studio is currently searching for a number of virtual reality developers with an aim of building “next exclusive VR game”.
For time being, it is just a matter of conjecture what the future of PlayStation VR. Sony is yet to announce a PSVR successor although there are strong reasons to believe that the next-generation PSVR is in the works. For the time being, we are only sure that the PlayStation 5 console will support Sony’s original PSVR.
The next great PlayStation VR game is Iron Man VR which will be released in May. Sony hasn’t revealed whether any major titles will be released for the period thereafter. Without the announcement of PSVR 2 or other high-quality software updates, Sony’s virtual reality platform could slowly wither away.
Source: GameIndustry.biz
https://virtualrealitytimes.com/2020/02/06/sony-is-closing-its-psvr-studio-in-manchester/https://virtualrealitytimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/PSVR-Support-Not-Planned-600x337.jpghttps://virtualrealitytimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/PSVR-Support-Not-Planned-150x90.jpgBusinessSonySony operated its PSVR-focused studio in Manchester in 2015. The studio had been created exclusively for PSVR but it never released a single VR title. The studio was initially known as North West but the name was later changed to Manchester Studio with a focus on developing AAA games exclusively...Sam OchanjiSam Ochanji[email protected]EditorVirtual Reality Times - Metaverse & VR