Sony Manchester is closing its doors for good, just five years after its creation and before it ever shipped a game. The news comes according to GamesIndustry.biz who spoke to Sony on the matter. The cause of the closure, Sony said, is “to close it as part of our efforts to improve efficiency and operational effectiveness.”
Sony Manchester was established in 2015 to work exclusively on virtual reality projects. Its debut project was never revealed and now will likely never see the light of day. Sadly, all employees of the Manchester-based studio have been made redundant, says GI.biz.
Sony's presence in the UK has seen better times in the game dev scene, as the closure joins Guerilla Cambridge and Evolution as the third Mancunian game studio to close since 2016. Gurerilla Cambridge also spent time in the VR space, most recently developing the stylish future sports game, RIGS: Mechanized Combat League. Evolution, meanwhile, most recently developed Drive Club, an early PlayStation 4 racing sim. Before that, they had created the popular PlayStation exclusive racing series Motor Storm.
While the PSVR struggles to latch on as a successful peripheral -- just five million players of over 100 million in the PS4 community have bought a PSVR headset -- some rumors point to a new version of the headset accompanying the PS5 this fall. A simpler setup, perhaps even totally wireless and with eyeball-tracking, has been reported from various sources, though PlayStation has said nothing on the subject just yet.
We can reasonably expect them to unveil any info of that sort when they reveal the PS5 itself, though as we get deeper into February, when exactly that reveal is coming continues to be its own point of mystery. The PS4 was announced on February 5, 2013, leading many to expect the same schedule for the PS5. But check your calendar; that’s today, and it seems there will be no reveal event just yet.
