Reports are coming out that Sony has laid off employees at both its San Diego and London studios. This information comes from Twitter and GameIndustry.Biz.
all but the baseball team apparently.
— Ryan Palser (@RyanPalser) September 14, 2016
It seems all but the MLB The Show team has been shut down in San Diego, according to Ryan Palser. Palser is the lead animator at Boss Key Productions, and was relaying information he had received from a friend who worked at the studio.
Wishing my absolute best to those at Sony San Diego who were let go today. Super talented bunch! Be well, and keep creating! <3
— Colin Moriarty (@longislandviper) September 14, 2016
This information is also coming from Colin Moriarty of Kinda Funny. Moriarty has a good relationship with Sony and its employees, so is likely aware of the ongoing situation.
As for Sony London, the layoffs come at the end of a game development cycle. This is expected, as the studio is wrapping up work on its first VR games. According to GameIndustry.biz, Sony commented on the situation, assuring the outlet this shouldn’t be taken as a lack of commitment to VR.
"London Studio have done a great job in leading the way in VR development, and as their first project nears completion it is time to plan for the next VR project,” the response reads. “The team will take all their learnings and experience as they move forward, however in order to achieve its ambitious goals, the Studio will need to restructure around the needs of the new projects.”
The comment ends by confirming the studio has not been shut down, and will continue to work on new projects moving forward. Sony didn’t provide any information regarding the layoffs at Sony San Diego to GameIndustry.biz, however.
Our best wishes go out to all those affected by the layoffs.
