As of recent reports, the internal team for Sony Interactive Entertainment’s Japan Studio continues to show signs of misfortune as prominent leadership continues for the door. The developer lately recognized for its release of Astro’s Playroom, a free experience bundled with every PlayStation 5, the firm is turning for the worst surprisingly. In December, Keiichiro Toyama issued his departure for the forming of Bokeh Game Studio to follow personal ambitions.
This week, Japan Studio witnessed another departure as well. In that, Bloodborne producer Masaaki Yamagiwa announced to also be heading for the exit by the end of February. And while it is speculated that potentially more employees are to depart from Japan Studio in the coming months, a new report indicates bigger cuts are developing.
Coming from Video Game Chronicles, the publication as per sources familiar with Sony Interactive Entertainment’s Japan Studio tells that the firm is winding down with mass layoffs among the internal developer.
Given the circumstance of the recent report for Japan Studio’s future, Video Game Chronicles relays that the remaining entity for the firm is solely comprised of localization studio, Asobi Team. While some employees will transition to Asobi Team, many are still heading to work outside of Sony Interactive Entertainment. Alongside Yamagiwa’s announcement this week, Brendon Pritchard and Ryo Sogabe also issued leaving Japan Studio.
In regards to reasoning for the report manifesting, Video Game Chronicles is told that the source of the decision for Japan Studio is the lacking profitability from the developer. Even more, the outlet is told the decision was already established more than a year ago and only executed recently.
Gathered by the uncertainty entailed for Sony Interactive Entertainment’s Japan Studio, the PlayStation company elsewhere begins to be transparent in its ambitions towards PC releases. In that, firm President & CEO Jim Ryan issued that Bend Studios’ Days Gone will be hitting PC later on in 2021. You can read the full report by heading here.
What are your thoughts on more developing fallout of Japan Studio?
Source: Video Game Chronicles