Recently, game preservation specialists Forest of Illusion confirmed on Twitter that, thanks to work sent in by a user called March42, the source code for the original WipEout on the PS1, as well as its Windows port, has been released online for all to dive into and use. Forest of Illusion points out that it is currently unknown if the sources are fully buildable or not, and that the release is solely for preservation purposes- though the latter should really go without saying.

If nothing else, it is great to see the community coming together to preserve their beloved titles, especially given how little importance game preservation is given by the actual publishers responsible for those games.

Today we have released the source code to Wipeout by Psygnosis, a futuristic racing game set in 2052! It includes the source to both the original PSX game as well as it’s Windows port. Please note that it is currently unknown if these sources are fully buildable. pic.twitter.com/b6KTJa73cn

— Forest of Illusion (@forestillusion) March 27, 2022

Please note: This source code should not serve any purpose beyond educational and preservation purposes. It is not an "official" release, so you can stop asking about licenses. Thank you.

— Forest of Illusion (@forestillusion) March 27, 2022

Over on Reddit, a user claims that Sony is planning a new PlayStation Experience event for December, for which several announcements are planned. One of this is the formal reveal of a new studio that was set up in Japan, along with an announcement of what it’s working on. The next-gen PSVR headset will also supposedly be revealed, alongside announcements for a new Astro Bot game, as well as a WipEout revival (which has been previously rumoured as well), both of which will allegedly be PSVR exclusives.

It’s worth noting that previous reports have suggested that Sony no longer wants to focus on exclusive VR games, and instead wants its major AAA releases to also be playable in VR, so the mention of exclusive games for the new headset is a little interesting. Meanwhile, Astro Bot developer Asobi Team also seems to be in the early stages of its new game’s development, so it’s worth asking whether it’ll be ready for an announcement in just a few months.

Also on the docket, according to the leak, is the announcement of a game that has supposedly been in the rumour mill for a long time, but the leaker doesn’t mention what it is. They do, however, say that December’s PSX will be much larger in scope than the recent PlayStation Showcase, with Sony having allegedly held back several big announcements so they could instead focus on third party games as well.

This should always go without saying, but this should be taken with a grain of salt. The leaker claims to have accurately leaked previous recent Sony announcements, including the Housemarque acquisition and the date of the PlayStation Showcase, but there’s no way to verify the legitimacy of their claims here.

We will keep an eye out for new any new details, so stay tuned for more updates.

Insider @Shpeshal_Nick recently took to Twitter and said that a new WipEout game is currently in development, apparently at XDEV and Lucid Games (who recently partnered on Destruction AllStars as well). Apparently, the game is being made for PS5 and PSVR 2. A recent leak claimed that Sony was focusing on AAA development for its next VR headset, and a new mainline WipEout game would certainly fall in line with that.

The last major WipEout release was Omega Collection, which, of course, was excellent, and was also compatible with PSVR. It remains one of the best PSVR games to date, in fact, so if this does turn out to be true, series fans will definitely have plenty of reasons to be excited.

@Shpeshal_Nick has has a pretty good track record with leaks, and has also been accurate with PlayStation-related information in the past. Recently, he leaked the Iki Island expansion for Ghost of Tsushima. Either way, this is still an unverified leak, so remember to treat it as such.

In related news, another big PlayStation exclusive also seems to have been leaked. It seems FromSoftware is working on a new PlayStation-exclusive Soulslike IP- read more on that through here.

You know what? Screw it. I’ll risk pissing someone off. Don’t wanna get scooped again. Been told Wipeout is coming back. Planned to be a VR2/PS5 title. Most likely an XDEV project. Still early in the project.

— Balatro Nick  (@Shpeshal_Nick) August 11, 2021

Yes, I am of the belief that Lucid Games is on this one https://t.co/yOcgV4N7mH

— Balatro Nick  (@Shpeshal_Nick) August 11, 2021

Here’s a franchise that has maintained a remarkable level of quality and consistency throughout its lifespan, and though it’s by no means a system seller, or one of the top billing games on any PlayStation platform, its still a series that millions of people hold very close to their hearts. In recent years though, Wipeout has slowly but surely all but faded away, to the point where it now seems like little more than a hazy memory. Sure, we got a remastered release not too long ago – and an excellent one at that – but how long has it been since we got a true sequel? Too long, I say.

And why exactly is that? It’s hard to think of a bad Wipeout game. Most of them have been legitimately good, while many have been downright excellent. Even Wipeout Fusion, which often divides opinion among series fans, is at the very least a solid racer, while Wipeout 2048, though somewhat unremarkable, is never not fun. So why is it that even in the face of such remarkable consistency, this series finds itself on ice? What the hell happened to Wipeout? 

Though this is a series that is closely associated with PlayStation and Sony, funnily enough, it didn’t start out that way. Before their restructuring in 2000, SCE Studio Liverpool were known as Psygnosis, the creators of Wipeout, and though they were acquired by Sony in 1993 – two years before the first Wipeout game came out – they actually retained a surprising amount of independence that would be unimaginable in today’s day and age- to the extent that many of their games were even multiplatform titles.

The very first Wipeout came out on the PS1, of course, but it also came out on PC and – just a few months after its PS1 launch – on the Sega Saturn. Its sequel, Wipeout 2097, released for the PS1 in September 1996, followed by a PC release in July 1997, and, once again, a Sega Saturn launch in September of that year. Hell, before moving on to Wipeout 3, they even made a Wipeout game for the N64, with Wipeout 64, which was published by Midway Games. Imagine that- a Sony-owned studio making an N64 exclusive title.

It was only with the fourth game in the series, which was Wipeout 3, that the franchise went all-in as a PlayStation exclusive property. That, incidentally, was also the last Wipeout game the development team made under its original name, with 2002’s Wipeout Fusion on the PS2 – and every subsequent Wipeout title afterwards, being developed under the SCE Studio Liverpool moniker.

That is, until 2012. 2012 saw the release of Wipeout 2048, a launch title for the PlayStation Vita, and though the game by no means set the world on fire – its excessively long loading times attracted a lot of criticism, in fact – it was still a technically impressive and deeply enjoyable game with some excellent track design. It was, sadly, also the last game to be made by SCE Studio Liverpool, with Sony shutting it down in 2012.

It’s been seven years since Wipeout 2048 came out and SCE Studio Liverpool was shuttered, and we’ve received no new Wipeout sequel. We did see the launch of Omega Collection on PS4, a remastered collection of PS3’s Wipeout HD, its Fury expansion, and 2048. Releasing in 2017, Omega Collection was very well received upon launch, and though it’s definitely worth experience for all PS4 owners – especially if you own a PSVR headset, for which it is probably one of the top 3 games to date – it still doesn’t scratch that itch for a new game in the series.

With SCE Liverpool no longer being in the picture, the future of Wipeout remains a little hazy. It wouldn’t be accurate to say that Sony has given up on the franchise- the 2017 remaster would suggest that they still see some value in this property. But with half a decade having passed since the last new entry in the series, and more than a decade since the last console entry, one can’t help but wonder what the future holds for the franchise.

Before the studio was shuttered, they had been working on two launch titles for the PS4. One was going to be a Splinter Cell-style stealth game, while the other was a new Wipeout entry. It was billed as being “drastically different” from previous games in the series, and when the studio was shuttered, it was already pretty far along in production, having been in development for about 12-18 months. What does that say about Sony’s confidence in the series? Well, it doesn’t necessarily say anything about Wipeout specifically- internal restructuring and shuttering of studios isn’t something that is all that uncommon in this industry, sadly. But it does tell us that Sony doesn’t have too much of an issue cancelling a game that has been in development for over a year, and shutting down the studio that was in charge of not just that game, but the entire series from its very inception.

It should be noted, that, that back in 2015, Sony Worldwide Studios head Shuhei Yoshida made comments that were quite positive about Wipeout. When asked about the future of the franchise in the wake of SCE Liverpool having been closed down, Yoshida said that there was always a chance the series could make a return. “Never say never,” he said. “There are many IPs that we kind of stopped iterating with new games. One of the reasons is we always love to work on new IP. From my standpoint I try to balance the number of games in a franchise. In the future there might be a chance to come back to a game like Wipeout.”

All of which is to say that as things stand right now, we’re probably not going to see another Wipeout title for a while. “There might be a chance to come back to Wipeout” is by no means a definitive statement- it leaves the door open for Sony in case they ever want to come back to the property, but it also tells us that for now, they have no plans to do anything with it.

And really, one simple look at their first party philosophies and lineup in recent years should be enough to tell us that anyway. Sony’s leaned very heavily into cinematic single player experiences, and it’s worked out very well for them. Their games receive widespread praise and sell millions following that direction, and it stands to reason that that’s what they’re going to continue doing. That’s where all their resources are being diverted- and it’s not like they even have a dedicated studio to work on the series anymore.

Sony has, to be fair, stated in recent months that it would like to focus a bit more on online gaming with the PS5, and that is something that Wipeout would definitely qualify for. But even if they were to make good on those words, wouldn’t it make sense for them to go to other, more financially successful properties first- such as Killzone, for instance? Sadly, it seems like Wipeout is going to remain in the shadows for now- which is a real shame, because when this series was at its best, it delivered some of the best racing games any of us ever saw.

With Sony’s games generally doing so well now- games like Horizon, The Last of Us, all sell millions upon millions of copies- it is now clear that no matter what they put out, as long as they push it, they will have an audience waiting for it. An audience that trusts that Sony will deliver only on quality, and nothing else. It is well earned trust- and maybe Sony could now use that trust to bring back some of the lesser known, but absolutely fantastic, gems from their first party lineup of the past. Gems like…

WILD ARMS

"Japanese RPGs are on a resurgence now, with games like Persona 5, NieR Automata, Tales of Berseria, Xenoblade Chronicles 2, and Octopath Traveler all having broken out and done surprisingly well in just the last year. Sony themselves have a audience eager for quality Japanese content on the PS4, thanks to all the JRPGs that have hit it in the last few years- come on, Sony. What better time would there be to give Wild Arms another go than now?"

Come on, you knew I would start with this. Wild Arms was a series of fantastic, superlative Japanese role playing games, set in a western setting, blended with the traditional shonen elements, fantasy, and science fiction tropes that Japanese games, especially RPGs, so often favor. Wild Arms never managed to do too well in the west, either critically or commercially, but Sony could bring the series back, maybe in collaboration with a studio like Level-5, overseeing it with their rigorous standards of quality and polish. Japanese RPGs are on a resurgence now, with games like Persona 5, NieR Automata, Tales of Berseria, Xenoblade Chronicles 2, and Octopath Traveler all having broken out and done surprisingly well in just the last year. Sony themselves have a audience eager for quality Japanese content on the PS4, thanks to all the JRPGs that have hit it in the last few years- come on, Sony. What better time would there be to give Wild Arms another go than now? JRPGs are on the upswing, and there’s an appetite for them on consoles. Your own output is high polish, high quality, and well received. Just put out a new Wild Arms, and watch the adoration roll in. And no, I don’t mean that mobile game by WayForward.

WIPEOUT

What bites the most about Sony unceremoniously ditching Wipeout and shuttering their studio Sony Liverpool (née Pygnosis) is that Pygnosis was Sony’s first first party studio ever, and Wipeout their first major first party hit. The game was responsible, in very large part, for helping brand the original PlayStation with an image of being a cool lifestyle device, and not just a kids’ toy like previous consoles had been perceived. And it backed all that style with some substance too, with Wipeout Pure, Wipeout Pulse, and Wipeout HD and Fury being fantastic games that each showcased a new generation of PlayStation hardware. Sony ditching this franchise (beyond remastering older Wipeout games for PS4, and then making them PSVR compatible) really stings, especially because Wipeout would look so fantastic on modern hardware, and would benefit so much from the full rage of multiplayer functionality that modern consoles provide. With Sony not having any arcade racer in their first party lineup, and the futuristic racing genre having no other competition with Nintendo also just sitting on F-Zero, this would be the best chance to throw fans a bone, and bring Wipeout back. Do it Sony.

RESISTANCE

"Alternate history shooters, and shooters focusing primarily on their single player campaigns, have done well in the market in the last few years, and Sony themselves lack any shooter in their lineup, voids which Resistance could fill in."

Of all the many IP I will name in this article, Resistance is probably the least loved. Insomniac’s alternate history first person shooter series never quite seemed to find its footing in the market. The first game was a standard, if unremarkable, shooter, while the second chased many multiplayer trends, failing to capitalize on them, and also alienating the fans the first game had managed to pick up along the way. By the time the third game came out, the series had finally found its identity, and Resistance 3 remains one of the finest, and most underrated shooter campaigns of all time. But by then, it was too late- the market had moved on, and there were many other shooters for them to sink their time into. Things have changed since then, however- alternate history shooters, and shooters focusing primarily on their single player campaigns, have done well in the market in the last few years, and Sony themselves lack any shooter in their lineup, voids which Resistance could fill in. Given Insomniac’s own output is so much more high quality now than it was in the early, confused PS3 days too, I have no doubts a new Resistance would be absolutely fantastic. Maybe after Spider-Man?

JAK AND DAXTER

Who would argue with someone wanting Jak and Daxter back? Before Naughty Dog became Sony’s prestige studio, pushing the envelope on interactive storytelling with their games, they were known for making great mascot platformers. Crash Bandicoot on the PlayStation, and Jak and Daxter on the PS2- the latter games being great, whimsical open world platforming collectathons with action elements strewn in. Jak and Daxter never found the kind of following Crash did, mostly because of a mid-series pivot into trying to go in a more serious and gritty direction, but the games remained high quality, and would do exceptionally well today- especially now that Sony’s own lineup seems to lack anything meaningful in the way of platformers, something like a (non-gritty) Jak and Daxter would go a long way in adding some color and variety to their portfolio.

WARHAWK

"Warhawk is tailor made for success in today’s market- Sony just has to be smart and revive it. They sorely lack multiplayer games of cosequence in their lineup- Warhawk could change that."

Okay, stay with me here. Warhawk was absolutely freaking fantastic, especially the PS3 reboot. It was a multiplayer game of the kind that there have been few of since, and it was way too ahead of its time. It managed to do well, but it preceded its market by at least a half decade. Now, imagine a new Warhawk put out by Sony- no campaign, just multiplayer. Make it free to play, make it a GaaS style game, add cosmetic microtransactions to support it. Ensure the unique multiplayer style and spirit of the PS3 game is maintained. Warhawk is tailor made for success in today’s market- Sony just has to be smart and revive it. They sorely lack multiplayer games of consequence in their lineup- Warhawk could change that.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

On the other end of the event spectrum this week is PlayStation Experience. Depending on who you ask, last year was a show with an awesome half hour and then a swift nose-dive into insanity. This year is looking more positive though with rumours of Marvel vs. Capcom 4 being announced. Furthermore, industry insider shinobi602 teased some other things that could be appearing.

The first is a new trailer for Horizon: Zero Dawn, Guerrilla Games’ upcoming open world action RPG, that’s apparently looking quite good. Though not confirmed to appear at PlayStation Experience, it should be expected especially since it will be one of Sony’s biggest exclusives when 2017 begins.

Secondly, there’s apparently a new Wipeout game in development. And no, rumours haven’t been debunked because as shinobi602 notes, “Something that’s real can’t be debunked silly.”

Could a PSX announcement be in store though? We’ll have to wait till December 3rd for more information. What are you hoping to see at PlayStation Experience? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below and stay tuned for more information.

Raise your hands if you were saddened by Sony’s closure of Studio Liverpool, formerly known as Pygnosis, because it meant the end of the WipEout franchise. So was I. WipEout was a pretty awesome series, and it offered a high speed futuristic take on racing games that was like nothing else on the market- particularly since Nintendo killed F-Zero more than a decade ago.

Apparently, even game developers felt the loss of WipEout, as there was an entire Kickstarter for a game that would ‘fill the void’ left behind by WipEout on the PS4. The Kickstarter seems to have gone through, Refract Studios has confirmed that Distance, a game that is pretty much WipEout in all but name, will be coming to the PS4 in 2015.

It will also be made available on PC (on Windows, Mac, and Linux), and will in face be available in Early Access on Steam for Windows next week.