Thursday, August 23, 2012

Uncertain tomorrow for the future of racing


Studio Liverpool, formerly known as Psygnosis, is no more. They made many great games like Lemmings, Rollcage, and...uhh...Discworld. But their biggest franchise, of which they were still making sequels from till this year, is Wipeout.



I’ve already written at length in the past on how best the game was. At present, it is still relevant, of which its sequels seem to be the only product Studio Liverpool is known for nowadays. Apparently, the firm that designed the basis for the look and feel of the franchise, The Designers Republic, had also been out of business 3 years ago.



The series has one of the most well defined art direction among futuristic themed games, and to me is the most appealing looking of the lot. The sleek machines and its maximum minimalist low-gows will continue to influence my designs for many years to come.



It’s sad what happened to the studio, and I am a little angry at Sony for pulling the plug, but at least Sony reassures that the staff are only reshuffled into other departments. Personally I don’t think the franchise will be forever lost, especially since there’s still a decent large fan base for it and I’m sure Sony knows the exclusive pull of the franchise that brings people to the Playstations. So here’s hoping we’ll see them shiny racers gunning past on air again, with pew-pew power ups, sometime in the far future...

...if not as a game, then the real thing! In 36 years! Because Wipeout 2048 said so!

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