Sony takes Sucker Punch

Sony Computer Entertainment announced today it was acquiring Sucker Punch Productions--the development house responsible for both the Infamous and Sly Cooper franchises. Sucker Punch will become the 16th studio operating under the SCE Worldwide Studios umbrella, joining such other outfits as Zipper Interactive, Guerrilla Games, and Naughty Dog.

Based in Bellevue, Washington, Sucker Punch was founded in 1997, and it released its first title, Rocket: Robot on Wheels, two years later. In 2002, it released Sly Cooper: Theivius Racoonus for the PlayStation 2, and that was followed by two further Sly Cooper games for the same platform. The company made the jump to the PlayStation 3 when it launched the critically acclaimed Infamous franchise in 2009, with Infamous 2 hitting shelves earlier this summer.

At the 2011 Electronic Entertainment Expo, a new Sly Cooper game, Thieves in Time, was confirmed, but this title will not be developed by Sucker Punch. No other titles have been confirmed as being in production at the studio.