Guerrilla Games Cambridge, the PlayStation studio responsible for the recent VR title RIGS: Mechanized Combat League as well as the Vita shooter Killzone: Mercenary, will be shutting its doors after nearly two decades.
The information was confirmed by Sony to Gamesindustry.biz, which also learned that all Guerrilla Cambridge employees would be let go as a result of the shutdown.
“Whilst we accept that this decision will mean that we risk losing high caliber staff, by focusing on other studios with exciting new projects in development (including continued work on PlayStation VR), we believe we will be in a stronger position going forward and able to offer the best possible content of the highest quality to our players,” PlayStation said in a statement. “This decision should not take anything away from the incredible games and services that Guerrilla Cambridge has delivered.”
The shutdown comes just a few months after the launch of RIGS, which we ranked as the second-best currently available PlayStation VR game. Unlike several other solitary, largely cinematic experiences, RIGS features a robust multiplayer mode that was made with eSports and competitive play in mind.
Prior to its work on RIGS and Killzone: Mercenary — one of the best-reviewed games on the Vita — the studio had worked on MediEvil, as well as the PlayStation Portable version of LittleBigPlanet.
The primary Guerrilla Games studio, based in Amsterdam, will release its next game, Horizon: Zero Dawn, next month.
Guerrilla Cambridge is the second major studio Sony has shut down in the last year. Back in March, DriveClub developer Evolution Studios was closed, and in September, between 40 and 50 people were let go from the San Diego Studio, which is primarily responsible for MLB: The Show. The same month, Sony’s London Studio was also hit with cuts.
Our best wishes go out to everyone affected by the layoffs.
