The London studio lowers the blinds and the creators of SingStar, EyePet and This is Football say goodbye with it

This news is not new, but the goodbye hurts so much: after more than two decades in which it was synonymous with innovation at PlayStation, London studio It bids farewell to its players, fellow travelers and the video game industry as a whole, leaving behind a very special legacy: because of them, many of us have ruined the ears of friends and family at SingStar and felt the urge to buy this revolutionary eye toy.

The closure of the London studio was announced in February last year as part of a major restructuring of PlayStation Studios that affected more than 900 employees (about 8% of the global workforce), including divisions located on the old continent, and led to layoffs at companies such as Firesprite, Guerrilla. , as well as other American divisions such as Insomniac Games and Naughty Dog. Historic Londoners suffered the most.

This is not the first time the team has participated in such events, but the PlayStation restructuring represents a point. London studio has become a renaissance Team Soho without leaving the Sony shelter. Already working under a new label, they continued to publish new parts of the saga. This is football and leaving sports aside to diversify and innovate, creating content for EyeToy, creating a PS Camera with ideas for a Wonderbook or a cool EyePet, and betting on PlayStation VR virtual reality.

A legacy that, by the way, is present and well conveyed in the illustrations accompanying the farewell message of the team that, for an entire generation, is synonymous with the funniest and most creative Sony, as well as part of the PlayStation DNA.

“For over twenty years, the London studio has been home to some amazing and exceptionally talented people in the games industry. As we close the doors and move on to new adventures, we wanted to say a heartfelt thank you to all of our players and former colleagues. ​​and gifts that have supported us over the years. We had a wild and wonderful trip!”

London’s closure is part of PlayStation’s grand restructuring plan, which involves splitting PlayStation into two large groups. One is dedicated to creating games and entertainment, and the other is dedicated to hardware such as consoles and accessories. Decisions that were not taken lightly and are aimed at securing the future of PlayStation.

“Changes need to be made to continue to grow the business and grow the company.”

2024 will be a challenging year for an industry where layoffs, dissolutions and restructurings have to be announced every month. It’s not all bad news (Nintendo bought Shiver from Embracer, split into three parts), but it doesn’t take away from the main point: every studio and company is focused on rethinking its priorities.

The London studio is fading into history. And what a story! They dared to compete with FIFA and PES with their football offer and at one time managed to become third in the fight. They managed to convince millions of PS2 players to buy microphones, to the despair of many other neighbors, and every time PlayStation needed to catalog one of its accessories, they were there first and for whatever was needed. With such a legacy, one can only be grateful for two decades of laughter and good times.

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