160°

Driveclub Developers Thank Fans for Overwhelming Support on Studio Closure: “Future Looking Bright”

Today you heard the heartbreaking news of the closure of Evolution Studios, and after releasing statements commenting on the situation, Game Director Paul Rustchynsky and Community Manager Jamie Brayshaw followed up thanking the fans for the overwhelming messages of support they received.

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dualshockers.com
miyamoto2989d ago (Edited 2989d ago )

Is someone chopping onions around here?
Motorstorm HD Remaster Collection please.
Thank Evolution Studios for all the fun.

darthv722989d ago

Evolution Anthology:
Motorstorm
Motorstorm: Pacific Rift
Motorstorm: Arctic Edge
Motorstorm: Apocalypse
Motorstorm: R.C.

With download code for full copy of Driveclub w/dlc

All games support 1080p 60fps as well as VR. Now that would be an awesome package.

Commando_Bro2988d ago

Wish them the best in their future endeavors.

Patricko2988d ago

Erm? Probably the best WRC series so far? I spend hundreds of hours with each their WRC game on PS2. So far I didn't have so much fun with any other rally game...

DLB232989d ago

Let's take a moment and think about this....

In many ways this is actually good for gamers and here is why...
Yes, Evolution has brought us decent games but the cost Sony has spent supporting them is causing crazy amounts of debt. Instead of supporting developers that bring us mediocre games, Sony needs to staff needed devs like Media Molecule that has under 100 staff members. In my opinion, Sony needs to close most of its first party devs and only support Naughty Dog, MM, Polyphony Digital and Kojima Productions.

This is best for business!

Abriael2989d ago (Edited 2989d ago )

Aside the fact that calling their games "mediocre" is beyond debatable. You're alleging that supporting their studios is causing Sony "crazy amounts of debt," which is absolutely and utterly false, considering that Sony's gaming business is very firmly in the positive financially.

There's no debt to speak of. They're making money, not losing it.

Before stating what's best for business, you should probably do some research about their business.

2989d ago
Death2988d ago

@Abrial,

Some studios are losing money and cutting into the profits generated from some of the more successful studios. Sony made a business decision and decided continued support of the studio wasn't worth the risk. It sucks for the developers and it sucks for the fans, but at the end of the day it should make for a stronger Sony. There are a lot of things behind the scenes we don't know. Evolution has been incredibly classy about this and don't appear to be too upset about the closure. It's possible Evolution or at least the team at Evolution wanted out to pursue other interests. The split almost seems amicable.

Either way, hopefully the studio finds a new place to call home and continues to make games for us to enjoy.

Yokan2988d ago

You know nothing of anything. Always coming off a superior, you prick.

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TwoForce2989d ago (Edited 2989d ago )

Sony did closed the studio in the way I understand. Before you people judge me. Look, I understand it hard for the fan and myself to see them go. But it need to be done. Evolution Studio made bunch of great games. There are time that we people made a tough decision for the best efforts. These guys already knew that Sony closed the studio. They had good time with Sony and fans. So maybe, it's time for them to move on. And Abriael, I agree. Sometimes, we have to let go. And you @DlB23 Evo Studio was a great studio and they respected Sony for a very long time. Do i hear bad thing from Sony and Evolution Studio relationship ? Not a single one.

welly3002988d ago

They won't slag of Sony. Paid to keep mouth shut, every big company make staff sign a non-disclosure form. Hope evolution go onto to make great games.

UltraNova2989d ago (Edited 2989d ago )

Ok based on your logic I think both MS and Sony should close all their 1st party studios and live off multi-plats and 3rd party deals. You know bring that overhead down a notch or ten!

Sony's 1st party is quite profitable and it will continue to be so, you don't need to worry about them, you need to worry about your admittedly limited understanding of the gaming industry.

Majin-vegeta2989d ago

Its too early to be reading something dumb and redundant like this -_-.

nowitzki20042988d ago

LMAO.. Ill give you a tip.. Next time you see his avatar.. Just keep scrolling.

Krangs_Uncle2989d ago (Edited 2989d ago )

Why is it that every time I read something you write, I automatically think "this guy has no idea what he's talking about"?

"Sony need to close most of its first party studios"

Dear me.. What a skewed obstervation.

MegaRay2989d ago

Next time before you post something, think for more than a moment...

nowitzki20042988d ago

I think you mean. At least stop and think about it.

rainslacker2989d ago (Edited 2989d ago )

Sony stated that seven out of ten games they develop never make a profit. Should they drop all those studios and teams as well? One of Sony's best practices is supporting variety and quality, even if it doesn't light up the charts, because it still brings overall appeal and value to the console brand.

DC was likely a huge loss for them due to the delays and technical issues at launch, coupled with the quick discounts it received to sell the game, and it's very likely that it was closed down due to being in the red too long. But never would I consider that quality studios should be shut down just because they don't always succeed.

Lets look at Media Molecule since you bring it up. Do you really think that Dreams is going to be a huge commercial success? I don't, because while interesting, it is limited in it's appeal due to the nature of it. If that game flops commercially, should Sony then go and shut down MM just because they spent a lot of money on a project which won't have wide spread appeal?

"Sony needs to close most of its first party devs"

Are you serious? Most of their closures have been to integrate these studios into their WWS. I'm all for Sony making a profit, but lack of studios and variety just gets us the same rehashed staple IP's over and over again just like we see at MS, where MS goes to 3rd party to round out it's lineup, and more often than not, those 3rd party contracted games fail to get much notice by the consumer. How could any consumer say less is better, but it's good for the company, so it's OK? If Sony is OK losing money on the majority of games to enhance it's brand, then so am I, so long as they operate in a way that is overall profitable. I enjoy getting games like Tokyo Jungle, Tearaway, or Puppeteer, despite them not selling as much as UC, TLOU, or GT. That is what makes the system worth owning, and MS would do well to take notes.

That's what I come to the conclusion of when I take a moment to think about things.

That being said, in the future, you may want to take more moments while thinking about things...because more often than not, you don't actually come to the end conclusion that looks at the bigger picture.

Death2988d ago (Edited 2988d ago )

I think Sony as the publisher bears a lot of the blame for Driveclub. They were the ones that decided it would be "free" with Plus and gave Evo the deadlines they did. Marketing was a mess and the "free" game was delayed while the retail game sat on shelves. It should have hit Plus first to generate positive response from the gaming community that would have driven sales. Sony was ultimately responsible for making sure the finished game that released met their quality standards. They pushed out a game that was clearly not ready and the result was it got crucified in the media. I would have liked to see Evo given a chance to make another game before pulling the plug on a bad outing that I don't feel they are solely responsible for. I feel the same about the way Ready at Dawn's relationship with Sony was terminated after The Order failed to meet expectations. The theatrical concept was flawed from inception. Had they focused on gameplay over the cinematics it would have been a very good game.

Knushwood Butt2989d ago

Not sure if you are trolling or just not the sharpest tool in the box.

Aloy-Boyfriend2989d ago

This sounds to me like some kind of stealth begging like, "please Sony close yours studios so They became independent and I can play their games on Xbox."

This comment gave me cancer

Yi-Long2988d ago

I'm going to be very short about this: I value my PS4 LESS now that Sony has dropped this fantastic studio. I played Driveclub multiple times a week for this past year, and absolutely loved every minute of it.

Knowing that there won't be any new updates is extremely disappointing. Instead of downsizing and recently closing them, I much rather would have seen Sony acknowledging the incredible talent and potential Driveclub brought to the PS4 for years to come, and they should have kept investing in it, to keep building upon it. A rally-expansion. A city-tracks expansion, etc etc. This could have been their ultimate racing HUB.

SniperControl2988d ago (Edited 2988d ago )

While it is very sad to see a great studio like Evo close down, nobody said Driveclub would end.

http://www.videogamer.com/p...

By the sound of it, another studio will take over DC's duties and carry on to enhance a already fantastic game.

Keep the faith man.

SniperControl2988d ago

Seriously, on what planet do you live on to even think that?

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190°

60FPS on PS5: Unofficial PS5 'FPS Boost' mods are radically improving PS4 back compat

Digital Foundry : Whether it's via FPS Boost or bespoke software upgrades, backwards compatibility on the current-gen consoles delivered an unexpected delight - the ability to liberate older console games from their 30fps limits, running them at 60 frames per second or even higher. FPS Boost did the business for Xbox Series consoles on an impressive range of titles, but there was always the sense that PS5 could do more. It's a hunch that checks out as a range of frame-rate unlocks are available for PS5, covering many must-have games - the major caveat being that only exploitable consoles running on older firmwares are invited to the party.

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eurogamer.net
darthv72138d ago

you love to see new life being breathed into older titles but damn the process to get there. It should be automatic that these work for everyone... not just those who exploit their systems. Really wish Sony and MS would keep this program going officially.

Psychonaut85138d ago

Damn this sucks. I want this shit so bad, but I’m not jailbreaking my console. And frankly I shouldn’t have to. I’m not a tech person, but is it really that hard for developers to unlock the framerate? Or would that have to be a large patch?

dveio138d ago (Edited 138d ago )

"but is it really that hard for developers to unlock the framerate?"

I guess it's not.

But it has become a profitable business if you do so.

So no one would pay for only the framerate patched to being unlocked. So studios need to offer more than that.

But this would take more time, polishing and would cost more money. So they shy away, but won't unlock the framerate, either.

That's just my personal assumption. But from what I can comprehend technically, it shouldn't be difficult to unlock framerates via a patch for older games.

... if it hadn't became a business.

RaidenBlack138d ago (Edited 138d ago )

frame-rate unlock should be free ...
We've seen many devs offer free patches and updates to pretty old PC titles, even bonuses ... so why can't devs offer the frame unlock patch for free (in consultation with the platform-producers) for a title from just a generation earlier?

Einhander1972138d ago

RaidenBlack

"frame-rate unlock should be free ..."

Obviously the result of that thinking is that developers aren't even going to do it.

If they had been allowed to charge $5-10 you would see incentivized developers doing it way more often.

People just always want everything for free, but it's not free to make the patch, people have to code it then other people have to test it, and there will always be other costs involved.

If people want dollar store gaming then expect to get what you pay for.

shinoff2183137d ago (Edited 137d ago )

Raiden I might be wrong but last I thought it cost money to put patches out on consoles.

As far as me paying for it, I'm not all that interested tbh. Not enough to pay for it with older games, and newer games have been pretty decent about it for the most part.

dumahim138d ago

Sounds like the modder has to go in to make changes to unlock it on a game by game basis. "Simple" enough to do it unofficially, but to have it done officially, they need someone to go in a make that change, put out a patch and put it through certification, which I believe is not necessarily a cheap thing to do. It's questionable if going through this would then give them enough sales to make it worthwhile.

Inverno138d ago

Many games still have physics tied to framerate, i think it's cause they wouldn't want to go in and do anything extra. Then there's the 10 dollar upgrades they rather charge. The problem is that there's no compromise, cause if I could mod my PS4 and all I'd lose is online play then id jailbreak it immediately. Mods have done so much for PC games and they could do the same for consoles, but manufacturers hafto be willing to compromise.

shinoff2183137d ago

It's not to hard to do and there's youtube videos that break it down really well. ANyway most of us here arent able to break are console anyway due to being up to date on firmware from playing

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Chocoburger138d ago

Yep, this sucks having to require a jailbreak for something that should be standard in our industry by now. I learned my lesson when PS4 was jailbroken and I didn't keep a console on low firmware for years, but now I'm holding onto two low firmware PS5s specifically because there are features I'll be able to do that you can't do on official firmware, so this will pay off for me soon enough.

Jin_Sakai138d ago

It should be a sin to let these games sit and be stuck at 30fps.

EazyC138d ago

RDR 2 not getting a 60FPS patch for PS5 was a crime.

100°

Driveclub - Brutal Backlog

Driveclub was a headline game at the start of the PS4’s life. A fabulous game – eventually - but what now, with the servers turned off? Is it worth your time? JDR starts its engines in today’s Brutal Backlog.

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jumpdashroll.com
Abear21820d ago

Bikes expansion might be one of the most underrated games of last gen. Incredible driver and bike animations + DC weather is craze.

260°

DriveClub director confirms he’ll reveal his next game this year

Paul Rustchynsky, who was additionally lead designer on several MotorStorm titles at Sony‘s Evolution Studios, is currently working on an unannounced project as part of Avalanche Studios’ new Liverpool development team, which was formed last summer.

deleted877d ago

Nice. I really like Avalanche's Apex system, it can make some pretty stunning environments. Hopefully it'll translate well into a racing game! (assuming that's what he's working on)

Magog877d ago

He specifically says it won't be a racing game of any kind.

deleted877d ago

Yea, I see he posted a different tweet clarifying that now, but that was not posted in this original tweet or any of the replies. I apologize for not scrolling through all of his Twitter account.Thanks.

Magog877d ago

@OtterX It's in the credit URL actual story. No need to get upset.

MIDGETonSTILTS17877d ago

Motorstorm 2 deserves a remaster.

The balanced monster trucks vs dirt bikes.

chicken_in_the_corn877d ago

Why a remaster? A new game would be so much better

MIDGETonSTILTS17877d ago

Because it’s been designed already…

Azfargh876d ago

I would be happy with just that at 60fps... but... if it were a new game with course maker, 50 cars racing at the same time, focusing on Pacific Rift and Monument Valley... I would feel way better

MIDGETonSTILTS17874d ago

That sounds like alotta extra work for content nobody is clamoring for.

Classic maps for me please. I actually want the game to release.

MaximusPrime_877d ago

"To set some expectations, I'm not working on a racing game.
So sorry, no DRIVECLUB sequel, MotorStorm successor or ONRUSH offshoot.
This is something very different to anything I've worked on before"
So it will not be a racing game. That's a shame. :(

moriarty1889877d ago

Agreed. Driveclub and Motorstorm were great games and deserve sequels. Onrush was fun for me as well. I wonder what type of game he will unveil when the time comes.

Mr_Luke877d ago

Damn, i hoped a DC or Motorstorm sequel... :( let's see what they can pull out from the hat.

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