Sony makes 'small' cuts at Europe studios - Report

Sony has a number of high-profile exclusives coming to or already released for the PlayStation 3 this year, including but not limited to Little Big Planet 2, Killzone 3, and SOCOM 4. However, it would appear as if this strong slate of first-party titles has come at the cost of certain games across Sony's European studios.

UK-facing GamesIndustry.biz reports today that it has confirmed with Sony Europe that the publisher has culled projects at London Studio, Studio Liverpool, and Evolution Studios. At cause for the cancellations is Sony's desire to put more resources behind impending releases.

"It has been decided that production on a small number of projects within London Studio, Studio Liverpool, and Evolution Studios will be streamlined or closed due to a portfolio review and project prioritisation," Sony said in a statement. "This decision was made following an internal review of all games, and it was deemed that with the incredibly strong list of exclusive first-party titles coming up both this year and in the near future, resources should be reallocated to enhance those projects closer to completion."

Sony's London Studio is perhaps best known for its work on the SingStar and EyePet franchises. Studio Liverpool has most recently occupied itself with the publisher's futuristic racing franchise Wipeout. Lastly, Motorstorm has been the primary concern of Evolution Studios. Sony did not indicate which projects had been cut, nor did it say whether any staff had been let go at these locations.

However, Sony did reaffirm its commitment to its European operations, saying these development houses would continue to play a role in its World Wide Studios division.

"The affected first-party studios have been and will continue to be vital assets within the WWS family and have a history of producing genre-defining games such as MotorStorm, Wipeout, SingStar, and EyePet. This decision will have no impact on the role that our first-party studios will play in the future of all PlayStation platforms."

Sony America had not responded to a request for comment as of press time.