Sony announced that it has acquired acclaimed game studio Sucker Punch, who most recently has successfully built the Infamous franchise on Playstation 3. Sucker Punch was previously independent, but having worked exclusively on Playstation games for the last decade, Sucker Punch seems like a good addition.
“We’ve enjoyed an incredible relationship with Sony that has allowed us to combine our creative design capabilities with their guidance to make some of the best franchises to hit the PlayStation platforms,” Brian Fleming, managing partner of Sucker Punch, said in a press release. “Equally important, the relationship with SCE has provided us the flexibility and trust to take creative risks and invent new properties. As a part of the Sony Computer Entertainment group we look forward to introducing more innovative content and providing consumers with exciting, new interactive experiences.”
Sony Computer Entertainment now has 16 Worldwide Studios, or formerly individual developers that have been brought in house to produce Playstation-exclusive games and content. Becoming part of the 2,700 person group that only does Sony work shouldn’t be too much of an adjustment for Sucker Punch, whose Sly Cooper games were only released for the PS2 and recently has been focused solely on the Infamous series, which focus on Cole MacGrath, an average Joe who is suddenly turned superhero.
“Sucker Punch Productions is one of the most highly acclaimed development studios in the industry and we have enjoyed a wonderful relationship with the company for over 12 years. We are delighted to officially welcome them to the SCE family,” Shuhei Yoshida, president of Sony’s Worldwide Studios, said in the release. “The addition of Sucker Punch to SCE WWS reiterates our dedication to developing world class gaming experiences that can only be found on the PlayStation platform.”
Why did Sony go through the trouble of buying a studio that was already working pretty exclusively for them? Well, it seems it’s because Sony was getting antsy while watching how popular Sucker Punch has become. The Infamous games have been universally lauded, and with so much momentum building behind them, it seems Sony was starting to worry just how long it would be before some other company snatched Sucker Punch up. With both companies insisting that day-to-day operations won’t change, it seems Sony went to extra lengths to guarantee Sucker Punch wouldn’t wander.
