Archive: 10 posts

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Rumor: SOCOM Creators Being Shut Down by Sony Zipper Interactive, a first-party Sony studio responsible for the creation of the SOCOM series and PS3 shooter MAG, is in the process of being shut down, according to Kotaku sources. Sony has repeatedly declined to comment on the matter to Kotaku this week, citing their policy not to discuss rumor or speculation. But we've heard chatter for several days that Zipper was in the process of being hit with layoffs and a project cancellation. The scope of the layoffs appears to indicate a studio shutdown. Zipper has been in the business since 1996, with fan favourites like Mechwarrior 3 and Crimson Skies to its name before it was bought by Sony in 2006 to focus on the console business. The studio's last game was third-person shooter Unit 13 for the PlayStation Vita. Once seen as one of Sony's most important studios, especially in the days of the PS2, Zipper has seen its titles struggle to find the same level of success in the PS3 era, with MAG never really catching on with players and the latest SOCOM title having the misfortune of being released right in the middle of 2011's great PS3 downtime. Without official confirmation, there is still the possibility that Zipper will remain open in a nominal fashion but the extent of layoffs that we're hearing about appears to indicate studio closure. We've again reached out to Sony for comment and will update this story if we hear back. Source: Kotaku (http://kotaku.com/5894692/rumor-socom-creators-being-shut-down-by-sony) ------ Why? Just why? I know they've been having some bad hit-and-miss titles recently, but to possibly shut them down? Why can't you just port SOCOM 2 to the PS3 Sony and let these guys stay? Way to ruin my day (again) Kotaku.

2012-03-24 22:21:00 Author: CyberSora Posts: 5551

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Well, you don't really need the original team to port a PS2 title. And if all they would be doing is porting an old title, well, yeah. Anyway, I have no other stake in the matter.

2012-03-24 22:37:00 Author: RockSauron Posts: 10882

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Well, you don't really need the original team to port a PS2 title. And if all they would be doing is porting an old title, well, yeah. Anyway, I have no other stake in the matter. Have you played SOCOM 2? Because if you have, you will find this heartbreaking. Unless you hated the game, in which case wellthatsjustlikeyouropinionman.jpg

2012-03-24 23:26:00 Author: CyberSora Posts: 5551

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I don't really like multiplayer shooters, so no, I didn't. I'm just saying that Sony doesn't need Zipper to do an HD update. HD updates are usually done by B-tier developers while the big developers are working on actual games. So I'm just saying Sony didn't need to keep Zipper on payroll to update SOCOM 2 that's all. Though I always find it strange how everyone wants a port. Eh, whatever, I don't know anything.

2012-03-24 23:28:00 Author: RockSauron Posts: 10882

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http://share.blog.us.playstation.com/ideas/2010/03/17/socom-ii-hd/ A lot of people want Socom 2 to be remade for the PS3, because the Socom 2 servers were shut down for the PS3, plus the game has been abandoned by many players over the years. The fun thing about the game was it wasn't like a regular FPS: online firefights were slower than most generic FPSs, and you had to use tactics for most of the game. As for Zipper staying, they will have to update and patch the servers, as idea is to base the game's servers on MAG. I can't find the tweet from a Zipper developer, but they said Sony's in charge of choosing to port the game, so that's why it's sad to see Sony POSSIBLY letting go of Zipper. While remakes are usually handled by other companies (i.e. the Sly Cooper Collection), this rumor is like a sign from Sony. Look at it this way: LBPV wasn't announced, and rumors are spreading that Mm will be dropped by Sony (an unlikely chance since they just joined Sony, but for now we use our imaginations); LBPV would like an impossible reality now, and even when it's announced the community will be devastated to learn that it's being made by another developer. The point: the news isn't really about SOCOM 2 never being able to be remade in HD for PS3, but instead of how a once highly praised developer being dropped.

2012-03-25 00:50:00 Author: CyberSora Posts: 5551

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Probably because the once highly praised developer has been making mediocre games this generation. I remember playing Socom 1 (maybe 2 as well) on PS2 and they were awesome. Loved the gameplay and pacing. But they clearly are just bringing out 'decent' titles now. Not bad, but not awesome. This news wouldn't surprise me really. And if this would be ported, it almost certainly wouldn't be done by zipper, so the fact that they may be closing is irrelevant. At the end of the day, you said it yourself. The point: the news isn't really about SOCOM 2 never being able to be remade in HD for PS3, but instead of how a once highly praised developer being dropped. On a sort of side note, MAG had an awesome concept but the gameplay didn't turn out to be anything special which was a shame. I did enjoy it though.

2012-03-25 01:46:00 Author: ryryryan Posts: 3767

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Probably because the once highly praised developer has been making mediocre games this generation. I remember playing Socom 1 (maybe 2 as well) on PS2 and they were awesome. Loved the gameplay and pacing. But they clearly are just bringing out 'decent' titles now. Not bad, but not awesome. This news wouldn't surprise me really. And if this would be ported, it almost certainly wouldn't be done by zipper, so the fact that they may be closing is irrelevant. At the end of the day, you said it yourself. On a sort of side note, MAG had an awesome concept but the gameplay didn't turn out to be anything special which was a shame. I did enjoy it though. MAG had a LOT of potential to be great, but they released it with way too many bugs, and the whole tactical thing didn't work as well with all the CoD style shooting in the game. Also, I know I what I said: they were a highly praised developer. I never said they were still at the top of the dev list. It's just sad to see something like that that was at its their prime in the PS2 years just suddenly gown down in such a bad fashion.

2012-03-25 03:07:00 Author: CyberSora Posts: 5551

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Also, I know I what I said: they were a highly praised developer. I never said they were still at the top of the dev list. It's just sad to see something like that that was at its their prime in the PS2 years just suddenly gown down in such a bad fashion. There's probably been significant staff changes between their PS2 years and now, the name on the box stays the same but the people behind it can be very different.

2012-03-25 09:45:00 Author: Rabid-Coot Posts: 6728

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A shame really. I really enjoyed the Unit 13 demo though, has the same sort of pacing as the original Socom games, albeit a bit faster and simpler. Just no story, but that doesn't matter much anyway really.

2012-03-25 13:26:00 Author: ryryryan Posts: 3767

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Sony Computer Entertainment can confirm the closure of Zipper Interactive, a Seattle-based internal game development studio that has been part of the global development operation of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios (SCE WWS). The closure is a result of a normal cycle of resource re-alignment within SCE WWS. Zipper has completed all work associated with its most recent project, Unit 13 for PlayStation Vita. Zipper titles MAG, SOCOM 4 and Unit 13 will continue to be supported, including the new Daily Challenges in Unit 13. http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2012/03/30/sony-closes-zipper-interactive.aspx

2012-03-31 02:16:00 Author: Rabid-Coot Posts: 6728

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