Evolution Studios closed by Sony

  • Thread starter TonyJZX
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It's good to see the team, their talent and their excellent communication is picked up by Codemasters. It adds something very positive to Codies at well. Their communication with Grid AS was already much better and I am under the impression certain values return to this great developer.
 
Great news, but with some caution is how I take it.

The way I see it, the workers of Evo will now share the same roof as Codies (more modellers/programmers are always good). But Mick Hocking being VP of Product Development might be good/bad. As we know Codies has flip flopped a lot between arcade/simcade/sim over the last few years (Dirt 2/3 vs Dirt Rally, Grid 2 vs Grid Autosport). Evo is purely an arcade studio. I'd hate to see Codies go down the arcade path again, but at the same time I'd love to see Driveclub 2 (and even MotorStorm rebooted) go multiplatform. Then again Evo's PS2 era WRC games have been amazing.

Best case scenario:
- GRID simulation physics with DC graphics
- DIRT simulation physics (+ WRC license) with DC graphics
- Alternate those sim titles with more arcadey DC/MotorStorm every 2 years (like Forza alternating with Forza Horizon)
- Sell F1 license (to Reiza please) to cover costs of more games & paying more developers

Worst case scenario:
- We get a mish mash of simcade GRID/DC and DIRT/MotorStorm. Great graphics, but inconsistent game direction.
- DLC to the maxxxx (although if it's anything like DC's season pass, I'm down)

From the article linked by MeanElf, there's this quote which is reassuring for me:
"We want the team to remain to remain the team that they are," Codemasters CEO Frank Sagnier told GamesIndustry.biz. "We want to benefit from everything that they've learned as a team together, we want them to create their own games. Of course there will be synergies, of course we will share stuff, but we would like to make sure they retain their identity and stay together as a team to do what they're good at. What we don't want to do is bring in a team of 50 people and start having some work on one game and some on another, on existing IP. The whole point is to keep their DNA and build a new game."
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Exciting times for sure. How they blend the strengths and weaknesses of each studio will be key. Don't disappoint us guys 👍
 
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LeGeNd-1
Great news, but with some caution is how I take it.

The way I see it, the workers of Evo will now share the same roof as Codies (more modeller is always good). But Mick Hocking being VP of Product Development might be good/bad. As we know Codies has flip flopped a lot between arcade/simcade/sim over the last few years (Dirt 2/3 vs Dirt Rally, Grid 2 vs Grid Autosport). Evo is purely an arcade studio. I'd hate to see Codies go down the arcade path again, but at the same time I'd love to see Driveclub 2 (and even MotorStorm rebooted) go multiplatform. Then again Evo's PS2 era WRC games have been amazing.

Best case scenario:
- GRID simulation physics with DC graphics
- DIRT simulation physics (+ WRC license) with DC graphics
- Alternate those sim titles with more arcadey DC/MotorStorm every 2 years (like Forza alternating with Forza Horizon)
- Sell F1 license to cover costs of more games & paying more developers

Worst case scenario:
- We get a mish mash of simcade GRID/DC and DIRT/MotorStorm. Great graphics, but inconsistent game direction.
- DLC to the maxxxx (although if it's anything like DC's season pass, I'm down)

Exciting times for sure. How they blend the strengths and weaknesses of each studio will be key. Don't disappoint us guys 👍
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Given the pres release they appear to have no intentions of blending the teams, as such its far more likely that the former Evo team will work on Arcade based titles (as is the core strength of that team) which would (fingers crossed) allow the CM teams to focus on a mix of Simcade and full Sim.
 
Scaff
Given the pres release they appear to have no intentions of blending the teams, as such its far more likely that the former Evo team will work on Arcade based titles (as is the core strength of that team) which would (fingers crossed) allow the CM teams to focus on a mix of Simcade and full Sim.
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Yup, just read the article linked by MeanElf. That sounds like the perfect scenario to me 👍

If I'm Kaz I would start sweating right now :lol:
 
I want a Toca with the Super TC2000, Turismo Nacional, BTCC, TCR and DTM. Otherwise a fantasy touring car racer in the style of Toca World Touring Cars with fictional tracks would be a warm welcome as well.

I hate when I repeat myself all the time :banghead: :lol:
 
So it begins.

'It' being 2 years (or more {laughs}) of speculation and debate over this being a good or bad thing!

It's great to hear they've got jobs, and so much better to hear they'll be together as a team :D What the PR is saying sounds perfect and very promising. Indeed, Codies themselves are looking much better these days - I haven't spent much time at all playing their games for donkey's years but I just picked up Dirt Rally, seems like I'm not alone in that.
 
Don't know what to make of it. Kind of gave up on CM after GRID:AS and I really don't care about DiRT Rally, but hopefully something decent might come out of this for the Evo team.

I would've preferred them being picked up by Playground Games to be honest.
 
AudiMan2011
Don't know what to make of it. Kind of gave up on CM after GRID:AS and I really don't care about DiRT Rally, but hopefully something decent might come out of this for the Evo team.

I would've preferred them being picked up by Playground Games to be honest.
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I bought G:AS (when it was cheap) but I couldn't get into it at all. Maybe the last one I played much was TOCA3... but I think I spent more time playing WRC Rally Evolved :cheers:
 
Jawehawk
Awful news. Codemasters is a 🤬 company.
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I disagree, they certainly have had a loss of both focus and direction in the recent past, but they are a studio with a solid history, solid titles and a seeming desire to get back to 'better days'.

Certainly the news today and the entire approach they have taken with Dirt Rally both speak to that end, and regardless of anyone's view on what kind of company CM are, they have treated Evo better than Sony have and I fail to see how keeping the team together could be seen as bad news in any form.
 
Scaff
I disagree, they certainly have had a loss of both focus and direction in the recent past, but they are a studio with a solid history, solid titles and a seeming desire to get back to 'better days'.

Certainly the news today and the entire approach they have taken with Dirt Rally both speak to that end, and regardless of anyone's view on what kind of company CM are, they have treated Evo better than Sony have and I fail to see how keeping the team together could be seen as bad news in any form.
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Codemasters love to hide content away from consumers in the form of pre-order incentives (I'm not talking about petty skins, but actual content). That alone makes them a rubbish company. And I wasn't aware that making a company a 1st party studio is equal to treating a company bad. Evolution failed to turn a profit, and as such, they sadly got disbanded. I don't agree with the decision to do so, because I think the work they did on Driveclub post launch shows that they are a very capable bunch of people, but the fact remains that Driveclub failed during it's launch period, which is arguably the most important time for a game where revenue is concerned.

Motorstorm Apocalypse didn't fair well either, which possibly means that Evo Studios hadn't brought in an actual profit for quite some time. It's of course worth noting that Sony is at least partly to blame, due to them delaying the game (and outright cancelling it in Japan) after the earthquack in Japan.

My point is I fail to see how Evolution has been treated unfairly. If they didn't produce a profit, then this result was inevitable. It's good that the Evo crew gets to stick together, but I'd rather they weren't bought by a company that is involved in withholding content from the consumer to sell as day one DLC/pre-order incentives, and early access BS.
 
Jawehawk
Codemasters love to hide content away from consumers in the form of pre-order incentives (I'm not talking about petty skins, but actual content). That alone makes them a rubbish company.
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Or held back as DLC. But actual meaningful content hasn't been hidden behind pre-order incentives or later as DLC by Codemasters since G:AS. It was one of the main criticism they actually did something about after GRID 2's awful pre-order practices.

With DiRT Rally in mind, it's looking acceptable so far. And with how CM trying to get back on track, I would be surprised if they pulled another one of those (ie. GRID 2).
 
Jawehawk
Codemasters love to hide content away from consumers in the form of pre-order incentives (I'm not talking about petty skins, but actual content). That alone makes them a rubbish company.
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That's would make the majority of companies in the gaming industry 'rubbish' (including Sony's other 1st Party Racing studio).

http://www.thesixthaxis.com/2013/10/23/gran-turismo-6-pre-order-bonuses-revealed/




Jawehawk
And I wasn't aware that making a company a 1st party studio is equal to treating a company bad. Evolution failed to turn a profit, and as such, they sadly got disbanded. I don't agree with the decision to do so, because I think the work they did on Driveclub post launch shows that they are a very capable bunch of people, but the fact remains that Driveclub failed during it's launch period, which is arguably the most important time for a game where revenue is concerned.

Motorstorm Apocalypse didn't fair well either, which possibly means that Evo Studios hadn't brought in an actual profit for quite some time. It's of course worth noting that Sony is at least partly to blame, due to them delaying the game (and outright cancelling it in Japan) after the earthquack in Japan.

My point is I fail to see how Evolution has been treated unfairly. If they didn't produce a profit, then this result was inevitable. It's good that the Evo crew gets to stick together, but I'd rather they weren't bought by a company that is involved in withholding content from the consumer to sell as day one DLC/pre-order incentives, and early access BS.
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Would you be able to provide a source for the lack of profit from Evolution? They also had zero to do with Motorstorm Apocalypse being delayed and cancellation in one market (because doing that kind of thing always has a positive financial impact).

In basic terms its debatable if either PD or Evo turned a profit with the last two titles they produced, yet one did manage to bring in additional revenue via DLC and the other had to spend two years patching in content that was missed from launch and failed to bring in a penny of DLC revenue. So both had very patchy launches (in comparison to past titles from the respective studios), one turned it around massively post launch and built a considerable base of supporters in both the media and consumer base, yet the manner in which Sony has treated them is very,. very different.

As it would seem that the start of the problems for Evo started when they became a 1st party studio, and I said nothing at all about Sony making them a 1st party studio was treating them badly, I was (of course) referring to the manner in which they closed them down.
 
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Scaff
Would you be able to provide a source for the lack of profit from Evolution?

As it would seem that the start of the problems for Evo started when they became a 1st party studio, and I said nothing at all about Sony making them a 1st party studio was treating them badly, I was (of course) referring to the manner in which they closed them down.
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DC got a healthy profit afaik. The most likely reason they got shut down was because their next game wouldnt gain the same amount of profit, due to GT Sport, a large amount of the profit for driveclub was as a result of them being one of the only racing games. GT Sport is coming very soon, multiple rally games came out, simulation route is locking out by AC and Pcars.

What it would come down to is that Sony would have to inject funds into a game that would directly challenge their golden egg aka GT Sport which i assume they are diverting a stupid amount of funds into. They only want one in house racing title and the rest is covered by third parties.

On top of that they are entering the mobile scene, while these are way easier and cheaper to produce it can add up
 
Scaff
That's would make the majority of companies in the gaming industry 'rubbish' (including Sony's other 1st Party Racing studio).

http://www.thesixthaxis.com/2013/10/23/gran-turismo-6-pre-order-bonuses-revealed/

Would you be able to provide a source for the lack of profit from Evolution? They also had zero to do with Motorstorm Apocalypse being delayed and cancellation in one market (because doing that kind of thing always has a positive financial impact).

In basic terms its debatable if either PD or Evo turned a profit with the last two titles they produced, yet one did manage to bring in additional revenue via DLC and the other had to spend two years patching in content that was missed from launch and failed to bring in a penny of DLC revenue. So both had very patchy launches (in comparison to past titles from the respective studios), one turned it around massively post launch and built a considerable base of supporters in both the media and consumer base, yet the manner in which Sony has treated them is very,. very different.

As it would seem that the start of the problems for Evo started when they became a 1st party studio, and I said nothing at all about Sony making them a 1st party studio was treating them badly, I was (of course) referring to the manner in which they closed them down.
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Did you miss the part where I said that I wasn't talking about skins? I mean actual cars being withhold from the game to sell as day one DLC or use as pre-order incentive, like that classic F1 pack in one of Codemasters F1 games. That said, I hold zero love for PD, so you won't find me defending them here. I have no source on how profitable Driveclub was, but given the awful launch, the early price cut of the game and it's season pass, and the fact that their closure was part of a larger move to ensure a viable business strategy, I think it's reasonable to assume that Evo wasn't making a profit, or if they were, it wasn't significant. I'll admit that I might very well be wrong on this, but I see nothing that suggests that they were profitable. if they were, I doubt they would've been closed.


TS040
A lot of companies do this nowadays.
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A lot of people steal stuff, guess that makes it okay? No offence, but this is an extremely dumb arguement.
 

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