Japan Studio Has Officially Been Removed from Sony's Website

Majority of the 1st party PS exclusives that I like were made/published by Japan studio. It's really sad to see them go.

That's a shame. I still hope this doesn't mean they will abandon some of their Sony Japan IPs like Gravity Rush.

Press F to pay respects

Sad News that From the PS1 days i have always been excited to see what crazy stuff they come up with. Er BRING IT BACK SONY!!!(Already)

It's like when your favorite restaurant stops making your favorite dish.

It was my favorite Sony studio for a long time, they didn't make stuff that everyone else was making or things that were popular at the time. I hope at minimum their ip's don't die either and someone can expand on them.

What a shame. I don’t know whose decision it was to leave all their franchises in the past, but it’s no wonder they couldn’t find commercial success. Just looking through their published games on wikipedia, there’s decades of great IP stuck on PS1, PS2 and handhelds.
Even something just like leaving Tokyo Jungle to rot on the PS3 store boggles my mind.

The day that Sony moved their operations to California was the day that Sony sign its own death warrant.

@SoulsBourne128 They totally have, which sucks because Gravity Rush was easily one of the best series Sony made over the past decade. I think they gave up on it long ago - before GR2 even released perhaps, hence the classic 'zero marketing campaign' and subsequent poor sales.

A real shame considering how well the franchise could fare in this recent Japanese/anime game boom in the west (imagine Sony giving Gravity Rush the same kind of push that Bandai Namco gave Scarlett Nexus )

Hope to see more titles from this legendary studio get remade/remastered. Sony really needs to focus on keeping and showing off the history that got them to this point. New is not always better than old...

I am not crying, you're crying.

@LaytonPuzzle27 I Think Your Giving California Far To Much Credit.

Guerrilla makes one Horizon game and that’s all they get noted for haha. RIP Killzone, still loved 2 and 3’s multiplayer.

while it sucks , i am looking forward to what Team Asobi can do next , as they are pretty much taking over for the japan studio. a new ape escape game taking advantage of the new ps5 controller would be pretty fun.

I'm not saying I want anyone to lose their job just to get that out of the way before I make this comment, but I feel like Media Molecule should have been on the chopping block before Japan Studio. Don't get me wrong I liked LBP back in the PS3 days a bunch, but since LBP2 they have put out Tearaway and Dreams and thats it, and neither of them did great commercially.

Japan Studio hasn't been perfect by any means, but they have consistently put out games at a solid clip, and also helped out with some of the most celebrated PS games of all time such as Bloodborne. Just a thought I had.

Finally! Japan Studio was so incompetent. I'm glad they have been reconstructed around young and hungry people with fresh visions, ideas and efficiency.
I can't wait to see the next project from Team Asobi. Hopefully, it's a full fledged Astro game for the Playstation 5.

@Korgon Get your filthy mitts off Media Molecule!

@LightningLeader If the games where that loved they would have probably sold more i loved a lot of their games but if it doesnt sell why would you keep funding it. The games where great but took ages to complete and with low sales then its a pity but understandable.

@AK4tywill
I know I feel bad for saying it! But it's just a thought that popped in my mind. At least Team Asobi survived I suppose.

@Korgon Problem with dreams is that it's a game for creative types, not a game to actually play. There is a lot of cool creations on it, but no one to actually play them.

@LaytonPuzzle27 you're absolutely right. Sony is really struggling at the moment. Won't be long till the go bankrupt.

(in a parallel universe, I guess)

I've said my peace on how I dislike the way Sony has handled the Japanese market, games and its dealings with studios lately so won't get into that. Removing Japan Studio from the PS dev page had to be done, however, disappointing as it is to see, since an information page needs to be fully accurate. Gotta get the new acquisitions up there soon. As far as Xdev taking the support role Japan Studio had, that's not the worst news. Xdev has been involved with some really good games.

Press F. Fanblog sphere apologists may spin narratives about sparse output and production chaos in the recent years, but even those are questions to ask the management of a multimillionaire media corporation, not quite the devs themselves who are responsible for some of the most Nintendoesquely authentic that PlayStation brand has ever been. Commercial success is also only that much of an argument when others manage to print money by way of a turnip sale simulator. They weren't alone, and the figurative pressure is all on the likes of Pixelopus and Media Molecule now, but this IS an end of an era, as well as potential limbo for many prized fictionverses and a gaping hole in the platform's talent bank. When Neverland of Rune Factory fame went bust, Marvelous stepped in to shelter the devs and is reaping tangible rewards with RF5 now; the people behind Gravity Rush, Shadow of Colossus etc, from what I hear, are all third party and somewhere else now. ¯(ツ)/¯

I always been hoping for an ape escape remake or even a remaster or anything was kne my fave games on the ps1 days.

Unfortunately this happen which takes them chances further away.

@GigaGaia The game isn't just for creative types, it allows players to play others' creations, plus it has a story mode. I think the problem is that Sony didn't market its story mode at all and was too focused on community created creations.

@Korgon "feel like Media Molecule should have been on the chopping block before Japan Studio" Absolutely 😐

Their last few games have also been commercial failures but they're special I guess so it doesn't count when MM fails🤷

@GigaGaia
Yup agreed its a cool game, but unfortunately it's difficult to sell to people. Hopefully they get it on PC soon as I could see that game thriving in that community.

@LightningLeader Really looking forward to the Marx and Engels dating simulator.

@Lukaaa640
I didn't care for the decision either. Even if it was only a small profit it's still a profit but Sony has made a lot of decisions I don't like since moving PlayStation HQ to California. It is what it is.

"It seems like XDEV – formerly XDEV Europe – will fulfil that role moving forwards, as it’s been hiring staff in Japan of late. For now, though, farewell Japan Studio – you will be missed!"

So really, between this and Team Asobi. Not much has changed, you just won't see the specific Japan Studio branding.

“”Don’t be sad that is over, smile that it happened”
—Sun Tzu

No more Forbidden Siren
And it's already been over 10 years since the last one.

@Orpheus79V pretty much , they just took what was left over and put it all into asobi and now they are the main japan team. i'd like to see what they can do with an already established franchise or a new ip or both.

I hate Jim Ryan. He's running PlayStation into the ground. What's the point in buying a new studio, dedicated to PC ports only to shut down one of your best?

If he keeps this up it's going to be the first generation where Xbox will beat PlayStation.

jim ryan is destroying playstation... wtf are sony doing, its a disaster right now...

@Milt I know you can play people's creations, the problem is that most people don't want to buy the game just for that. In other words, there is too many creations and not even close to having enough players to actually play them.

So long Everybody's Golf. After your service on 4 generations of Playstation, may you enjoy your after life in Apple Arcade.

Sad times, they made a bunch of the titles I loved the most in the PS3 / PSP era, some of which I still count in my top 10. But I had quite a hard time finding anyone else who had played them, and some difficulty convincing those who hadn't already to give them a go.

@GADG3Tx87 "I hate Jim Ryan. He's running PlayStation into the ground."

Any evidence to support that other than your feelings?

Of course.

His mishandling of backwards compatibility caused some to jum to Xbox because PS5 doesn't have any beyond PS4.

Some people are outraged over his mishandling of interior developers causing them to consider and some already have jumped ship.

His mishandling of cross play, charging indie Devs for ridiculous things that others don't and charging 10£/$ more than anyone else for games has caused outrage in the community.

I've seen many loyal PlayStation fans offer their dislike if Jim's handling of PlayStation and many have jumped platform to either PC or Xbox. There is even a petition to replace him as CEO.

It's not just MY feelings, there are many other folk who feel the same. Some state Sony has turned into PS3 era Sony and if it continues, especially when a new gen has started and Microsoft are waving GamePass in everyone's face it could put PlayStation in a downward spiral that could be very difficult to recover from.

Team Ico & Fumito Ueda Wasn't there a new project coming?

Ape Escape was literally my favourite ps1 game sad monkey noises

@Pusher2021 Fumito left Sony a while ago. I believe he’s working on something with Gendesign, but as far as I know there’s nothing but radio silence.

@GigaGaia Perhaps they need a free version that lets you explore the games out there and maybe tinker a bit. Then a simple upgrade to the full-blown version if you want to have a bash at anything more complex.

#FireRyan

literally ruining every aspect of playstation . every single aspect.

Its just sad that they present NaughtyDog primarily as creators of TLOU instead of crediting them for Crash Bandicoot and Jak & Daxter….Insomniac should be remembered for Spyro as well…