WipEout: The rise and fall of Sony Studio Liverpool

Eurogamer:
"Every Sunday, we bring you an article from our archive - and this week, to celebrate the original PlayStation's 20th birthday, we present the story of the studio behind one of the console's most iconic games.

In Hackers, the 1995 cult teen cyber thriller, a young Angelina Jolie and an American-accented Jonny Lee Miller play WipEout in a club. Established hacker Angelina is pretty good at the game, and has the top score. But then upstart hacker genius Jonny smashes it to bits. They hate each other. They love each other."

[radler]

One of the crown jewels of Sony's first party lineup before Shuhei foolishly shut the studio down.

Just think how great it would have been to have a Wipeout game from PlayStation's premier racing developer for the launch of the PS4. Instead the whole studio was shut down and priority was given to Evolution Studios, which brought us that mess called DriveClub over a year late.

RIP Studio Liverpool. Hands-down some of the best talent that Sony had, putting out a stunningly gorgeous high-speed racer at 1080p/60fps only a couple of years into the PS3 lifecycle.

[Bennibop]

Do agree it seemed a ridiculous decision to shut studio Liverpool they never released a bad game however I disagree with you about evolution studio. Evolution have also a good pedigree, driveclub is solid and will be built upon it is trying to do something different, the net code was the problem. If we are not careful there will be no studio Liverpool or evolution.

[IRetrouk]

Im pretty sure i read somewhere that some of the liverpool staff was taken on by evo... we may yet see another wipeout.

[nX]

We really need another Wipeout, it's one of the best IP's Sony has :(

[skwidd]

What about Psygnosis? I want another Colony Wars! Its the perfect timing too because space shooters and sci fi is so back in again and the graphics would be incredible!

EDIT: Oh wait, is Psygnosis and Studio Liverpool the same thing?? Just saw Psygnosis in the intro of the video. They made amazing games! I loved G-Police adn they had an F-1 racer at some point too

[fr0sty]

They were foolish to shut them down, as now most of them have formed their own studio and are making a game very similar to Wipeout that will be multiplatform. Sony lost a jewel of an exclusive with that stunt.

[3-4-5]

Actually just bought Wipeout 2048 for Vita at Gamestop for like $7 the other day.

I like it a lot so far.

Just bought the HD+Fury 24 track Bundle DLC as well so I still need to experience all those tracks.

Only other Wipeout game I played was Pure for PSP which was amazing, so I'm hoping some of the HD+Fury tracks are close to those.

* They are making a new Wipeout type of game though so there is a spiritual successor on the way I think for 2015 on PC or maybe other platforms. Looks cool, but I forgot the name of the game.

Anyways, solid series, hope to see it continue via this other franchise.

[Hellsvacancy]

Wow, hearing that music again takes me

[Hellsvacancy]

...back

[lfc_4eva]

For me, I'll always remember them for their Amiga 500 days.

Shadow of the Beast!

[hiredhelp]

Awww yeh now your talking and c64

[lfc_4eva]

@hiredhelp and @Whyowhy

Here's a link I've just found about some of their old games. Some I didn't even realise were theirs. Maybe they were just the publisher for some of them.

http://www.lemonamiga.com/g...

Wish I had more bubbles to reminisce about the old gaming days :-)

[Why o why]

Classic

Amiga and atari owner......fond memories

[hiredhelp]

I have PM you a link you find very satisfying

[4theplayers]

And the rebirth as a Firesprite.

[Bennibop]

Who are apparently working on a ps exclusive.

[InklingGirl]

Why no mention of the N64 title I wonder?

[MSBAUSTX]

Wipeout 2048 on my Vita is freaking awesome. I got it for only 10 bucks on sale too. I think I would have been happy paying up to 25 bucks for it too.

[TheFutureIsBlue]

Loved this franchise. Sucks what happened to the talented studio.

[corroios]

Hope they bring back the wipeout franchise. I would buy a new game or all wipeout remastered!!!.

[IIFloodyII]

A Sony console without a WipEout game around launch is just weird.
R.I.P Studio Liverpool.

[danny818]

Payed $40 for wipeout on psvita. I loved it. Sony did foolishly close them down

[luis_spartano]

There's no need to be a genius to know that the closure of Studio Liverpool was because the poor sales of the last WipEouts.

A gaming studio drain so much money from it's owner. If it doesn't make something viable for years and keep losing money, that happens? It's bussiness, unfortunately.

Zipper Interactive was acquired in 2006 and closed in 2012, 'cause in this middletime, it never made a game financially succefully.

BigBig Studios was acquired in 2007 and closed in 2012 'cause they never managed to work on something other than Persuit Force on PSP, and the so weak for a first party studios' Little Deviants.

That's why I worry about Evolution and Bend future. They didn't manage to bring a great product($$$$$) until today.

[Knushwood Butt]

Bend should be OK.

Uncharted was well received and sold well, plus it's been popular fodder fro PS+ in the long-term.

Thought that was an awesome game for a handheld.

[FreakyFox]

WipEout is just taking a nap, and when it comes back it will be an awakening.

You see, you cant just kill the best anti-gravity racing game franchise in the world.

They will probably drop it on us at a E3 few years down the line, because E3 bombshells seem to get people all crazed up like twisted fire starters, and we go out and pre-order stuff.

IMO they should have kept the Psygnosis name and logo , it was symbolic, it also had a huge following with great titles, and for many folks the name and logo was a seal of approval.

[Ulf]

Liverpool and Zipper made some of the best reasons to own Sony's systems in the last ten years. Sony shut them down because they helped move hardware, and don't help move the accounts, directly (only indirectly, through hardware sales). The WipeOut games, G-Police, MAG, and Unit 13 were all serious reasons to own Sony hardware.

Really short-sighted, IMO.

[dcj0524]

I'll donate $1000+ I just need another Wipeout

[King Nezz]

Best Sony franchise in my opinion. Not too many games have the looks, speed, and music perfectly in a package. That's how I saw the Wipeout games. Sony lost me as a customer when they dissolved Studio Liverpool.

[LoveSpuds]

I was around 20 when the first 2097 hit and it blew me away, I was never really a clubber but remember lots of my friends who were into the rave/dance scene got into gaming because of this game.

It transcended games with its music and fantastic art/design and drew lots of people to Playstation.

I bought every version of Wipeout and never played a bad game, I loved them all however, if they werent making money then I guess this was always going to happen.......sucks that people prefer annual releases of Forza oe Need for Speed instead of something different now and then :(