Sony PlayStation VR Studio Suffers Layoffs, Including Senior Staff - Report
"Unfortunately, there will be a number of compulsory redundancies within the London Studio."
Sony is cutting jobs at the company's London Studio office, the publisher confirmed to GI.biz today. The layoffs, which reportedly include some senior staff, come as the studio's first virtual reality project wraps up.
"Regular reviews take place throughout SIE Worldwide Studios, ensuring that the resources that we have in such a competitive landscape deliver on our strategic objectives in the best way possible," the statement reads.
This suggests that the downsizing is not out-of-the-ordinary or indicative of Sony not being committed to virtual reality. At the end of projects, there are sometimes layoffs; this is true at Sony and other studios. The specific number of layoffs was not provided.
London Studio recently worked on the PlayStation VR compilation package PlayStation VR Worlds, which itself comes with five games: London Heist, The Deep, VR Luge, Danger Ball, and Scavengers Odyssey. The studio previously worked on what might be considered experimental projects like Wonderbook and The Playroom.
The statement went on to explain that Sony will work with affected employees, either to shift them to new roles within Sony or however else it can.
"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," Sony said. "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.
"Unfortunately, there will be a number of compulsory redundancies within the London Studio. We accept that this will mean that we risk losing high caliber staff whose projects have reached completion and where possible, we will try to reallocate people to new projects currently being nurtured."
London Studio, based in Soho, London, formed in 2001. You can read more about the developer at its website.
Sony's PlayStation VR headset, which requires a PlayStation 4 and a PlayStation Camera, goes on sale in October, priced at $400. Since it's such a new technology, Sony has said it's unsure what level of demand there will be, though shortages are expected.
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