From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
British video game developer
London Studio
was a British
video game developer
based in London. Founded in 2002, it was a
first-party
studio for
PlayStation Studios
. The studio was best known for developing the
SingStar
series, as well as games for PlayStation's external peripherals including the
EyeToy
camera and the
PlayStation VR
virtual reality
headset. The studio created more than 60 titles since it was established.
[1]
History
[
edit
]
SingStar
and EyeToy
[
edit
]
London Studio was established in 2002 following the merger of
Psygnosis
's Camden studio and
Team Soho
, the developer behind
The Getaway
.
[2]
As London Studio, the studio developed the
SingStar
series, which became extremely popular and helped broaden the appeal of the PlayStation 2 beyond the typical demographics of young male gamers. The series sold more than 20 million copies within 6 years.
[3]
It also created a lot of games for Sony's
EyeToy
webcam, and assisted the development of other Sony titles, such as
Killzone 2
and
LittleBigPlanet
.
[4]
The studio was working on two AAA exclusives for the
PlayStation 3
including
Eight Days
and the sequel to
The Getaway
, but both were cancelled by Sony Europe as Sony wanted to reallocate resources to other first-party games.
[5]
Virtual reality
[
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]
London Studio developed a
virtual reality
(VR) rendering technology, called LSSDK, which supports PlayStation 4 and PC. This engine was first used in
PlayStation VR Worlds
, which contained five virtual reality experiences: "The London Heist", "Into The Deep", "VR Luge", "Danger Ball" and "Scavenger's Odyssey".
[6]
While
VR Worlds
received mixed reviews, "London Heist" was critically acclaimed, and the game was commercially successful. Developing titles for the virtual reality headset became the company's main focus.
[7]
The studio's next game was
Blood & Truth
, which serves as the successor to the London Heist level. It became the first VR title to reach number 1 on the UK's retail sales chart when it was released in May 2019.
[8]
In 2022, the studio was working on a cooperative multiplayer game for the PlayStation 5. Set in a modern fantasy London, it was described by studio head Tara Saunders as the company's "most ambitious project to-date". Players wouldn't need to use a virtual reality headset to play this game.
[9]
Closure
[
edit
]
In February 2024, Sony announced that it was proposing the closure of the studio as part of wider layoffs that includes 8% of the company's workforce, or 900 employees.
[10]
The studio closed in May 2024.
[11]
Games developed
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Avard, Alex (4 October 2020).
"Here's every PlayStation Studio, and the games they're currently working on"
.
GamesRadar
.
Archived
from the original on 2 October 2020
. Retrieved
25 October
2020
.
- ^
Exposed, Marco (25 May 2019).
"Blood & Truth: who are the guys from London Studio and what The Getaway was"
.
IGN
.
Archived
from the original on 9 June 2019
. Retrieved
25 October
2020
.
- ^
Handrahan, Matthew (16 October 2019).
"Sony will close down SingStar servers in January 2020"
.
Gamesindustry.biz
.
Archived
from the original on 24 September 2020
. Retrieved
25 October
2020
.
- ^
Boxer, Steve (28 April 2008).
"Inside Sony's Secret Powerhouse"
.
The Guardian
.
Archived
from the original on 27 October 2020
. Retrieved
25 October
2020
.
- ^
Yin-Poole, Wesley (2 August 2011).
"Cancelled Eight Days was "jaw dropping"
"
.
Eurogamer
.
Archived
from the original on 31 October 2020
. Retrieved
25 October
2020
.
- ^
Answer, James (March 2016).
"Fast and Flexible: Technical Art and Rendering For The Unknown"
.
GDC Vault
.
Archived
from the original on 28 January 2021
. Retrieved
1 December
2017
.
- ^
Lang, Ben (8 November 2017).
"Sony's London Studio Doubles Down With VR as Its Top Priority"
.
RoadtoVR
.
Archived
from the original on 9 November 2020
. Retrieved
25 October
2020
.
- ^
Dring, Christopher (3 June 2019).
"UK Charts: Blood & Truth is the first VR game to claim No.1"
.
Gamesindustry.biz
.
Archived
from the original on 7 November 2020
. Retrieved
25 October
2020
.
- ^
Dring, Christopher (27 October 2022).
"Why PlayStation London Studio is leaving VR to create a fantasy online combat game"
.
Gamesindustry.biz
.
Archived
from the original on 30 October 2022
. Retrieved
30 October
2022
.
- ^
"Difficult News About Our Workforce"
.
Sony Interactive Entertainment
. 27 February 2024
. Retrieved
27 February
2024
.
- ^
Yin-Poole, Wesley (21 May 2024).
"PlayStation London Studio Issues Heartfelt Goodbye After Sony Studio Closure"
.
IGN
.
Ziff Davis
. Retrieved
22 May
2024
.
- ^
"SingStar coming soon to PS4 with free microphone app"
. blog.eu.playstation.com.
Archived
from the original on 21 May 2014
. Retrieved
21 May
2014
.
External links
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]
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