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Theory of Evolution

Michael Denny details Sony's acquisition of MotorStorm developer Evolution

While perhaps not a shock move, Sony's acquisition of MotorStorm developer Evolution Studios and its subsidiary Bigbig Studios is an important move for both format holder and developer.

Here, Sony's vice president of Worldwide Studios Michael Denny explains to GamesIndustry.biz the thinking behind the acquisition, how the teams will be integrated into the wider Sony family and what's next for the acclaimed developer.

GamesIndustry.biz: Firstly, would you mind telling us your responsibilities at Sony and your relationship with Evolution Studios?

Michael Denny: I have responsibility for product development within the Europe region, so internal studios such as Liverpool and Guerilla Games, but also the full external development community remit. And that's why I am involved with studios like Evolution, Relentless, Media Molecule, Quantic Dream etcetera. I've been dealing with Evolution for the last seven years now and with Bigbig for the last four or five, hence my involvement in bringing them to join part of the Sony family.

What was the thinking behind the acquisition of Evolution Studios?

Our strategy with our studios is to create the best games by working with the best talent. We've enjoyed a highly productive and commercially successful relationship with Evolution and Bigbig and now there's a great opportunity in bringing them into part of the family to share further in terms of technology, production methodology and creative goals to make the experiences that these teams are creating even better.

So what are the practical and logistical issues now of incorporating Evolution and Bigbig into the Sony family? Will the studio founders be staying with Evolution? Are all the staff going to be kept in employment?

Martin Kenwright and Ian Hetherington (founders of Evolution Studios) will be leaving the business. Mick Hocking will be remaining as managing director. Worldwide Studio Europe management will be involved in the strategic planning and financial management of the studio but day-to-day operations will continue largely unchanged.

We want to protect and enhance our investment in Evolution Studios and Bigbig, and have no plans to reduce the overall number of staff in either studio. We believe that becoming part of the worldwide studios group within Sony will offer improved career opportunities for talented people.

Obviously you can't speak for Martin and Ian, but it seems surprising that the founders have decided to leave the company, as they've always been so passionate about Evolution and Bigbig.

I think their feelings are that selling to Sony at this time is the right decision at the right time for the next chapter for Evolution. They know the company is doing amazing things and we know that. We know it will continue under more or less the same management and be fully supported. On a personal note for Martin after 20 years in the industry the acquisition presents a natural opportunity for him to take some time out safe in the knowledge that the future plans for two studios are perhaps set to be even more exciting.

We visited Evolution Studios earlier this year and it really stood out as one of the most relaxed but professional and productive development studio's we've seen. What do you think Sony can learn from Evolution Studios?

The message we want to get across to Evolution and Bigbig is that they will continue to work for those studios and under those names. We've had a long and successful relationship with them, we like working with them and we like what they do and the way that they do it. And we're after more of the same.

Evolution and Bigbig have brought two new IPs to Sony platforms with MotorStorm and Pursuit Force. Are you going to be charging the teams with the responsibility of creating more new original IP for Sony?

You're right to point out the fantastic achievements we've had with MotorStorm. If you look at the history of Evolution they're a highly productive studio that honed its skill with the licensed property WRC for the PlayStation 2, doing a yearly iteration for five years. With Worldwide Studios our remit is to create original IPs for a worldwide market, and I think there's no better example than Evolution and MotorStorm. With MotorStorm there's still a lot more to come. MotorStorm is clearly a property that is already extending itself. This month we had the first releases of downloadable network content. I think people have stopped seeing product launches as the end of the product and that it should start the beginning of the relationship with the consumer. MotorStorm as a brand and as a network-enabled game will go from strength to strength. We're looking to follow up with a new Blu-ray disc release next year for MotorStorm. Clearly going forward the creation of new IP is something that all our worldwide studios will always be looking at and pushing the boundaries of. And so will Evolution and Bigbig.

The games that Evolution and Bigbig make seem to be more traditional videogames compared to some of Sony's other network initiatives like Home, Buzz! and SingStar. Was that a conscious decision to snap up a developer with a games portfolio that appeals to the more hardcore gamer?

What Sony has always tried to do is grow the videogames market and be a leader in that market. Clearly when we look at social gaming like SingStar and the new areas we're going into with projects like Home, those are massively important to us. But we also realise that videogame fans out there are a broad base and they like different forms of content. The content we have from different studios is to appeal to as wide an audience as possible and I think we've seen from the success of Evolution's and Bigbig's products that they can supply that as well.


Michael Denny is vice president of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios. Interview by Matt Martin.

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Matt Martin

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Matt Martin joined GamesIndustry in 2006 and was made editor of the site in 2008. With over ten years experience in journalism, he has written for multiple trade, consumer, contract and business-to-business publications in the games, retail and technology sectors.