Sony pulls the plug on Evolution Studios, the video game company that made the headlines as a first-party developer under the company with World Rally Championship back in 2001.
According to Sony, it regularly carries out reviews across the Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios to make sure that everything under it can deliver "commercially viable projects." The move was implemented partly as an effort to restructure the European front of the company.
"As part of this process we have reviewed and assessed all current projects and plans for the short and medium term and have decided to make some changes to the European studios structure," Sony says, noting that the closure of Evolution Studios stems from this.
The statement continues to add that Sony will attempt to reallocate the members of the Evolution Studios team to other studios, confirming how the company recognizes their expertise. However, because of guaranteed "compulsory redundancies," it won't be able to keep each person under the corporate umbrella.
It's also worth mentioning that Evolution Studios is the developer behind popular titles such as MotorStorm and Driveclub and that it has played a significant role to produce high-quality content under Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios for more than 10 years.
Game Director of Driveclub Paul Rustchynsky expressed his sentiments on Twitter, giving his thanks to fans, Sony and the folks at Evolution Studios. He also urged fans to participate in a celebration for the video game company, asking them to give them a victory lap on their favorite game that it developed.
I've had an incredible time working for #EvolutionStudios, here's short statement from me: pic.twitter.com/9eITjpbddy
— Paul Rustchynsky (@Rushy33) March 22, 2016
Senior Community Manager of Evolution Studios Jamie Brayshaw followed suit and made an official statement as well, assuring Driveclub players that other teams at Sony will continue to support the game.
In other related news, over 2 million copies of Driveclub were sold despite being a PS4-exclusive title, proving just how popular it really is.
