Please support Game Informer. Print magazine subscriptions are less than $2 per issue
Sony Santa Monica's New IP Canceled Alongside Studio Layoffs
Earlier this week, Sony confirmed that it was laying off employees at its Santa Monica Studio as part of a restructuring plan. Now, a former employee has revealed that an unannounced IP was a casualty as well.
Jonathan Hawkins, a former lead level designer with the studio who worked on the God of War series throughout its entire run, reflected on the closing – and cancelation – in several tweets.
"Yesterday, I was laid off. It was a good 10 year run & I got to make three 90+ games. I lived the dream & got to accomplish all of my goals. Except one… making something out of nothing & creating a new AAA IP. The saddest part of waking up today is I no longer get to work with my family. Secondly, the pain that I feel for my friends who have lost their jobs. The saddest & most important part is the game I was creating for the player that will never be played. I'm sorry that I've failed you. I've been awoken from my dream, but soon I will fall into a gentle slumber. My Vishnu skills will become better from this & I'll dream again."
Hawkins later tweeted that he couldn't elaborate on any details regarding the canceled IP because it wasn't his information to share.
[Source: @jonathanhawkins via Gearnuke, Joystiq]
Our Take
It's surprising to see that whatever Sony Santa Monica was working on is lost forever. As Joystiq pointed out, Hawkins said the game had been in development since God of War 3 – nearly four years. It has to be incredibly frustrating to lose that much of your life, but Hawkins has been handling it all with dignity and class.
I’d like to ask you to support Game Informer’s continued coverage of games with a subscription. For less than two dollars per issue, we mail you a full year of 10 print magazines, each with cover stories and preview features filled with exclusive details about the most exciting upcoming games. We profile and interview game creators. We look back on the rich history of gaming, and we celebrate what’s next.
Here on the website, we offer much of our content for free, including game reviews, daily news, videos, event coverage, and more – all with minimal ads.
We do so with a small editorial team, alongside contributing paid writers from around the world – over 65 individuals from 9 countries around the world, just in the last couple of years.
It’s not possible without support.
In a time when game makers and games coverage have faced hard struggles and layoffs, the future of this 30+ year magazine and community is at risk. Our new standalone magazine subscription is the number one way you can keep us alive – and we believe you’ll get a pretty fantastic gaming magazine in your mailbox every few weeks for your trouble.
Thank you.
