Well this news seems to have come from out of nowhere but Sony has confirmed to Gamesindustry.biz that it is closing down Evolution Studios, whose latest game was Driveclub. The studio itself was first formed in 1999, and released World Rally Championship on PS2 on 2001. This was followed by four more WRC games on that platform before Evolution moved onto the Motorstorm series on PS3 and Vita.

Those of you who were waiting for a Driveclub 2 or a new Motorstorm will be disappointed, because unless Sony brings in another studio to work on those IPs they look to be over. Sony’s full statement is below.

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Regular reviews take place throughout SCE Worldwide Studios, ensuring that the resources that we have in such a competitive landscape can create and produce high quality, innovative and commercially viable projects. As part of this process we have reviewed and assessed all current projects and plans for the short and medium term and have decided to make some changes to the European studios structure. As a result, it has been decided that Evolution Studio will close. It is regrettable that this decision will lead to compulsory redundancies. We accept that this decision will mean that we risk losing high calibre staff but by focusing on other Studios that already have exciting new projects in development we believe we will be in a stronger position going forward and able to offer the best possible content of the highest quality for our consumers. Where possible we will try to reallocate people onto other projects. If appropriate opportunities are not possible within the company, we will assist staff in any way we can, including speaking with local employers and with other development companies. Evolution has been an important part of SCE Worldwide Studios for over 10 years – working on ground-breaking racing titles like WRC, Motorstorm and DRIVECLUB. This decision should not take anything away from the great work that Evolution has produced.

Update: Paul Rustchynsky, now formerly of Evolution has released a small statement on Twitter.

I've had an incredible time working for #EvolutionStudios, here's short statement from me: pic.twitter.com/9eITjpbddy — Paul Rustchynsky (@Rushy33) March 22, 2016

Source: GamesIndustry