Unfortunately as of this morning, Sony has laid off an unconfirmed number of staff at three of Sony’s UK based studios. According to Videogamer, who received this information from Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, Evolution Studios, Guerrilla Cambridge and SCE London Studio have all been affected by these layoffs. A Sony spokesperson stated, “Regular reviews take place throughout SCE Worldwide Studios, ensuring that the resources that we have in such a competitive business can create and produce high quality, innovative and commercially viable projects.”
They continued, “As part of this process, we have reviewed and assessed all current projects and have decided to make some changes to some of our European Studios. As a result of this, there will be a focused restructure within London Studio, Guerrilla Cambridge Studio and Evolution Studios to ensure that the SCE Worldwide Studios is in the best position to achieve their goals moving forward.”
Evolution Studios is currently developing the Playstation 4 exclusive racing game Driveclub, which has suffered multiple delays. Guerrilla Cambridge recently released the well received Playstation Vita shooter Killzone: Mercenary whilst London Sttudio completed work on The Playroom, a free game shipped on every PS4. Sony has stated that this news will not affect the development of Driveclub. This news follows the recent layoffs that occurred within Sony Santa Monica after a new unannounced IP was cancelled for undisclosed reasons. All hopes that those affected by the layoffs are able to land on their feet.