More Sony not knowing what the hell they're doing bullshit:
Basically, the team that Stig Asmussen has been heading up creating a new IP (rumored to have been in development for 3+ years) has been cancelled. These are all facts. The rumors are below:Quote:
Update: Sony has provided the following statement to IGN, confirming what our sources have told us:
Reliable sources have confirmed to IGN that there were layoffs at Sony Santa Monica Studio today. The Sony-owned, exclusive developer – founded in 1999 – is best known for its God of War games.Quote:
SCEA can confirm that we have completed a reduction in workforce at Santa Monica Studio. This is a result of a cycle of resource re-alignment against priority growth areas within SCE WWS. We do not take these decisions lightly. However, sometimes it is necessary to make changes to better serve the future projects of the studio. We have offered outplacement services and severance packages to ease transition for those impacted.
The extent of the damage remains unclear, though there are indications that one of the projects the studio was working on has been cancelled alongside this round of layoffs.
We’ve reached out to Sony and will update when we hear back. In the meantime, our very best goes out to those affected by this unfortunate news.
Yet another cancelled Sony project that was just dripping with potential.Quote:
According to our sources, a majority of layoffs consist of key staff that were working on Santa Monica’s new IP, the project now more or less scrapped into oblivion. While details on the project are scarce, we’ve been told it was a science fiction title not all that far removed from Bungie and Activision’s Destiny, and a very large project at the studio, with sources expressing very positive enthusiasm for the project’s vision and potential. We’ve also been told that after Destiny was formally revealed parts of Santa Monica’s sci-fi project underwent rather significant changes, the original vision apparently quite similar to what Bungie is cooking up, changes applied to distance the two. Based on information supplied, we’re lead to believe the choice to divert Santa Monica’s project away from Destiny comparisons lead to somewhat troubled development, the studio unable to fully get the project back on course, ultimately culminating in its cancellation.
As for Santa Monica’s future, sources reveal that Sony’s prime objective with staff remaining from the now cancelled sci-fi IP is to move them over to development on a next generation God of War (among other things), set to launch at some point on PlayStation 4. While the move is hardly unsurprising, given the expectation that Sony would not abandon one of its most popular intellectual properties, we’re told a number of ex-scifi IP staff moved over aren’t happy about the change and are lamenting the loss of their original project.
Rocket Chainsaw will attempt to uncover more about the cancelled sci-fi project, and report any discoveries in the near future.
