Sony 'Restructuring' Liverpool Studio

Sony Computer Entertainment has terminated "a number of projects" at its Liverpool, UK studio (Wipeout), which it will be restructuring, according to an official announcement. "It has been decided that production on a number of projects within Studio Liverpool will cease immediately due to project prioritization," said Sony in a public statement. Although it appears likely that the cancellation of multiple projects will result in the loss or reassignment of jobs, the company did not provide specifics, and stressed the value of the studio to its worldwide group. "Our North West Studio Group has been and will continue to be a vital cog in the WWS family, with a history of producing genre defining games such as MotorStorm, Wipeout, Formula 1 and WRC and this decision will have no impact of the role that the North West Studio Group will play in the future of all PlayStation platforms," concludes the official statement. The Liverpool studio, formerly the in-house development team for '90s publisher and developer Psygnosis (Shadow Of The Beast), is one of Sony Worldwide Studios' largest. Its hover-racing franchise Wipeout, which has spanned all Sony consoles to date, is its most widely-known, and it most recently released Wipeout HD via PlayStation Network for PS3, which it has continued to support with additional modes, tracks and other DLC.