Last week IGN reported that Sony Santa Monica, best known for their work on the God of War games for the PlayStation consoles, that the developer had to layoff employees. Colin Moriarty of IGN recently had an opportunity to speak with the PlayStation brand’s head of internal software development, Scott Rohde, about the recent layoffs.
“We’re always evaluating the business, and we’re always thinking about what’s going to be the best thing,” Rohde told IGN. “But I think you know that PlayStation and Worldwide Studios has a pretty unique structure that really encourages creativity and exploration. And, of course, within that framework, not every title can be a success.”
Rohde went on to state that even though the studio has experienced layoffs, Santa Monica Studios was in good shape. “There’s not a single business on the planet where every single project that is started is a success. And that’s just what happened here. So sometimes, high profile projects or studios need a reboot, and that’s what’s happening here. Santa Monica will always be a hugely important part of our global family of studios. It’s still a huge studio that’s right up there around 200 people, even after the recent layoffs.”
Rohde continued on, emphasizing that Santa Monica was still an important developer for Sony, and that we’ll have to wait and see what projects the studio will work on in the future. “So they’re still a hugely important part of what we do […] That hasn’t changed. It’s not going to change any time soon. You guys are just going to have to be patient and wait for us to announce what’s coming next from Santa Monica.”
Moriarty then proceeded to press Rohde about whether or not any recent projects had been cancelled due to the layoffs. Rohde didn’t directly answer the question, but stated that the studio would be receiving a reboot. “We’re not talking specifically about what projects were going. What I will say is what I said earlier. It’s that, sometimes, a project needs a reboot. So that’s what we’re doing overall with the titles we’re working on there, and the studio itself. And I believe it’s a very good thing for the health of that studio.”
To put the lid on the interview, Rohde confirmed that Sony Santa Monica will continue to work on a major, triple-A games. “I have no problem saying that there is a huge internal development team,” Rohde stated. “So, of course, that’s something Santa Monica will always be working on… There will always be an XDEV element, and there will always be an internal development element at Santa Monica.”
Though Sony Santa Monica recently had to layoff employees, it is good to see that the company will continue to work on projects in the future. We’ll just have to wait and see what the developer has in store for us in the coming months.