Sony' unprecedented success with the PS4 and the positive buzz generated by the PS4 Pro have given the company and its fans a lot of good news to celebrate. However, some of Sony's employees will not be sharing in the celebration.
GamesIndustry.Biz recently reported that Sony will lay off game developers, graphic artists and other staff in its London studio.
Sony said that the London team, who has been working on Sony's first VR game, has reached the completion of its role in the stage of the game's development.
The team had been developing Playstation VR-exclusive game titled "London Heist." The game is a full-blown extension of a Sony VR demo shown in the past.
According to the site, Sony justifies its termination of workers stating that downsizing is a normal occurrence when a video game project has reached its conclusion.
Sony released a formal statement regarding the mass termination, saying, "Regular reviews take place throughout Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios, ensuring that the resources that we have in such a competitive landscape deliver on our strategic objectives in the best way possible."
Sony was not apathetic to the plight of their terminated employees. The company promised some workers will be transferred in other Sony studios if there are vacancies, and if those jobs do not exist Sony will help them enter the studios of other video game companies.
Despite the loss of the game developers, Sony remains strongly committed to VR video gaming.
The closure of the London studio was immediately followed by a similar closure in San Diego, California, according to iDigitaltimes. The site quotes Ryan Palser, a lead animator in a rival company, who said that a friend of his working in Sony's San Diego studio got fired and that the company is closing it down.
The outlet corroborated Palser's claim through the Twitter page of Colin Moriarty from "Kinda Funny" who has had a positive relationship with Sony San Diego employees.
