I somehow missed this news last week but Guerrilla Cambridge, the highly talented crew behind RIGS for PlayStation VR, is closing up shop. Robert Purchese writes for EuroGamer:

 Sony is closing Guerrilla Cambridge, the developer of PlayStation VR game Rigs Mechanized Combat League. The studio was formerly SCEE Cambridge, and was in operation for 19 years.

Guerrilla Games’ main studio in Amsterdam, where PlayStation 4-exclusive Horizon: Zero Dawn is being made, will not be affected. 

According to Sony:

 Within [Sony Interactive Entertainment] Worldwide Studios, we have a regular process of review in order to consider projects coming to completion and the deployment of resources. In such a competitive landscape this enables us to continue to create and produce high-quality, innovative and commercially viable projects.

Having reviewed and assessed all current projects and plans for the short and medium term, we have decided that in order to deliver on our strategic objectives, it is necessary to make some changes to the European studios structure. As a result, it has been decided that Guerrilla Cambridge Studio will close.

It is regrettable that this decision will lead to compulsory redundancies. Whilst we accept that this decision will mean that we risk losing high calibre staff, by focusing on other Studios with exciting new projects in development, (including continued work on PlayStation VR), we believe we will be in a stronger position going forward and able to offer the best possible content of the highest quality to our players. 

As someone who almost worked at a AAA studio many moons ago which would have meant life taking me in a very different direction, I’m quite glad that never came to be. It seems like no matter the size, any studio can be shuttered at a moment’s notice when a game underperforms which is believed to be the reason for Cambridge closing. Even if RIGS didn’t sell well, there are far too many other things at play here, including the limited number of VR headsets in the wild which dramatically lowers the studio’s chances of selling high quantities of their game.

That aside, a studio that’s been around for 19 years surely deserves to be judged by more than just their last release. Could you imagine a movie studio/production house going belly up every time a movie underperforms? In the last few years, we’ve seen game studios close left and right following a game release with sales that didn’t meet expectations.

 For players of Rigs Mechanized Combat League, we would seek to reassure you that the online service is not affected by this closure, but unfortunately it will mean that there will be no further DLC for Rigs. We shall also continue to provide community support. 

Next time any team member from Guerrilla Cambridge is in LA, drinks are on me. I always truly hate reporting on studio closures.