The Japanese team, which developed many of the legendary PlayStation titles and in which many famous and creative game development minds worked, withdrew the blinds on April 1st. Veteran Gavin Moore, PS5-exclusive opening title: Director Demon’s Souls, is leaving the company and Japan as well. No, unfortunately this is not an April Fools’ joke.
Ape Escape, Shadow of the Colossus, Gravity Rush, and Demon’s Souls (2020): Just a few legendary titles among a large number of Sony Japan Studios games. The Japanese development division is the first release of PlayStation, meaning it has been around since 1994 and is now closing its doors.
Of course
Many creative minds have left the company in the past, including Silent Hill and Gravity Rush, creator Keiichiro Toyama, Demon Souls producer Teruyuki Toriyama, and Bloodborne producer Masaaki Yamagiwa.
Sony confirmed the sad news in an official statement:
To further boost the business, SIE confirms that the PlayStation Studio Japan Division will transfer to a new organization on April 1. Japan Studio will rejoin Team Asro, the creative team at Astro Playroom, allowing the team to focus on one vision and build on the popularity of the Astro Playroom brand.
Astro Playroom is a platform game of skill, more than one indie title, and always a technology showcasing the features and capabilities of Sony’s current hardware: the DualShock 4 controller and the PSVR virtual reality helmet on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation and on the DualSense 5 controller.
For Sony, maybe on the creative level
There will be the loss of veteran Gavin Moore, who has worked for the company for twenty-four years, most recently working on the exclusive PS5 title, Demon’s Souls edition. Gavin Moore said goodbye to the development and country team he worked in for 18 years with legendary “dying Rutger Hauer” on Winged Bounty Hunter on Twitter:
All these moments were lost like tears in the rain.
Of course Moore did not give up his career, he ended his position with these words:
Time to look for new and exciting opportunities!
After 24 years at Sony and 18 years of these in Japan, yesterday was my last day at #JAPANStudio. I would miss the great creative spirit and camaraderie in the studio that was such a big part of my life. Time to look for new and exciting opportunities !! pic.twitter.com/XOW0XytYd4
Gavin Moore (GavinmGavin) April 1, 2021
Sony and other developers Sony and Sony won’t give up on developing the game either: For example, Gravity Rusht maker Keiichiro Toyama is creating his own new studio, which is already working on an action horror title.
