According to Kotaku, the San Diego-based PlayStation studio Visual Arts Services has been hit with more layoffs. This week, an unspecified number of employees were notified that their last day with the company would be Friday, March 7. The news was shared publicly by former Visual Arts Project Manager Abby LeMaster (who left three years ago for Riot Games). In a LinkedIn message, she wrote that 'many' friends had just lost their jobs, lamenting that Sony had just let go of developers with a lot of experience. Here's a quote:
PlayStation Studios: Visual Arts was a playground, and it was also my first job in games. I started as an intern with an Information Systems degree, unsure of where I fit in, and met some of the most incredible people. It was a place where we got to experiment, learn, and contribute to projects that defined eras of gaming. The teams there were filled with artists, engineers, producers, and creatives who poured everything they had into their work. We chased excellence, and we built things we were proud of.
But also, more than anything, PSVA was about the people. The friendships I made there shaped me, and I carry those relationships with me to this day. The layoffs today hit hard. PSVA let go of developers with decades of subject matter expertise; talent that will be extraordinarily difficult to recoup. This industry can be unpredictable, but the skill, experience, and passion of the people I worked with at PSVA are undeniable.
Visual Arts had ambitious plans just a little over three years ago when studio head Michael Mumbauer planned to work on existing PlayStation franchises using the studio's own proprietary technology. Mumbauer wanted the studio to lead development on the remake of The Last of Us, but PlayStation Studios head Hermen Hulst deemed the budget required too high, and Naughty Dog was once again put at the helm of the remake, with Visual Arts reverting to its usual supporting capacity. The team then also helped Naughty Dog with The Last of Us Part II Remastered.
These new Visual Arts layoffs are only the latest to hit Sony teams. Last month, we reported on new cuts at the Technology Group. Of course, Firewalk Studios, developer of Concord, was also shut down. Overall, it's a widespread disease that runs rampant throughout the whole gaming industry, between rising game development budgets and reduced growth prospects.
About the author: With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief. In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech's gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews. Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications. His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.
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