Driveclub Developer Evolution Studios Has Been Shut Down
Evolution Studios, the game development team whose most recent project has been Sony’s Driveclub and its DLC, is no more as of today. Sony owns the studio and made the decision to shutter it, and they try to explain themselves in this public statement:
Regular reviews take place throughout SCE Worldwide Studios, ensuring that the resources that we have in such a competitive landscape can create and produce high quality, innovative and commercially viable projects.
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.
As a result, It has been decided that Evolution Studio will close.
It is regrettable that this decision will lead to compulsory redundancies. We accept that this decision will mean that we risk losing high calibre staff but by focusing on other Studios that already have exciting new projects in development we believe we will be in a stronger position going forward and able to offer the best possible content of the highest quality for our consumers. Where possible we will try to reallocate people onto other projects.
Whether Driveclub will continue to receive updates and additional content is unclear at this point, but Sony has given the vague impression that such content could be created by someone else. Jamie Brayshaw, senior community manager at Evolution, released his own statement on the closing, in the form of a Twitter image.
Driveclub had mixed reviews from critics and it was never the most popular racing game in the world, but it’s always sad to see studios phase out. In the words of Pearl Jam, IT’S EVOLUTION BAYBAAAAAY.
