PlayStation to close third UK studio in four years

PlayStation has announced it will close its VR-focused Manchester Studio.

Sony Interactive Entertainment told VGC’s network partner GamesIndustry.biz that it intends ‘to close it as part of our efforts to improve efficiency and operational effectiveness’.

The entire studio is understood to have been made redundant.

Sony’s Manchester team was formed in 2015 and had been working on an unannounced VR project.

Manchester Studio is the third UK PlayStation studio to close this generation, following Evolution in 2016 and Guerrilla Cambridge in 2017. Both of those studios had also been working on PlayStation VR projects.

PlayStation still operates UK studios Media Molecule and London Studio.

PlayStation launched Its console VR hardware just over three years ago in October 2016. Sony said this month that PlayStation VR sales have topped five million units since launch.

While the company has said “the current PS VR headset is compatible” with PlayStation 5, a recently published patent suggests Sony may be preparing to release a next-gen PlayStation VR headset.

A 2019 patent describes a VR headset which includes two front cameras and one rear camera, as well as upgraded Sony Move controllers which could feature a built-in camera too.

Marvel’s Iron Man VR was recently delayed to May 15.