In some rather sad news, it sounds like multiple people working at Sony Worldwide Studios have lost their jobs in a recent round of layoffs conducted at Sony London and Sony San Diego- Sony have confirmed the layoffs to GamesIndustry.biz.
Sony London, working on PlayStation VR exclusive London Heist, will apparently be kept assigned to PlayStation VR games for the time being, from the sound of things.
“London Studio have done a great job in leading the way in VR development, and as their first project nears completion it is time to plan for the next VR project,” a Sony spokesperson said. “The team will take all their learnings and experience as they move forward, however in order to achieve its ambitious goals, the Studio will need to restructure around the needs of the new projects.
“Unfortunately, there will be a number of compulsory redundancies within the London Studio. We accept that this will mean that we risk losing high calibre staff whose projects have reached completion and where possible, we will try to reallocate people to new projects currently being nurtured.”
As for Sony San Diego, it seems the shakeup there is more severe- although it also sounds like the team working on MLB every year is safe, if only because of how well that series sells.
“We can confirm there has been a reduction in headcount at San Diego Studio,” a Sony spokesperson again told GI.biz. “The team working on MLB The Show have not been affected. We continually evaluate teams and programs at SIE Worldwide Studios to ensure we have the proper resources in place to deliver innovative products within a competitive landscape.
“As projects are completed, it is natural to review and restructure teams around current and future needs. We wish our departing team members success as they pursue new opportunities and we have nothing but heart-felt thanks for their contributions to PlayStation.”
Let’s just hope that the people who are being let go can get back on their feet again, and soon. Being unemployed sucks, and I would hate to see such talented people be jobless for long.