Sony Interactive Entertainment announced Concrete Genie developer and first-party owned studio PixelOpus is shutting down on June 2. The studio’s closure was determined in a “recent review process” according to a Sony Interactive Entertainment spokesperson.
The San Mateo-based studio was first established in 2014. PixelOpus’ first title is Entwined, which released on June 9, 2014 for PlayStation 4. PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita versions of Entwined launched one month later on July 22. The studio’s second game, Concrete Genie, released on October 8, 2019 for PlayStation 4. PixelOpus only launched two games before its closure.
Before the announcement of the studio’s closure, PixelOpus was developing a new PlayStation 5 game in collaboration with Sony Pictures Animation. This new PlayStation 5 game was being developed in Unreal Engine 5. Currently, it’s unclear whether the game was canceled or shifted to a different studio. Further, Sony Interactive Entertainment did not respond to Gematsu for further comments about the studio’s shutdown.
“Dear friends, our PixelOpus adventure has come to an end,” the official PixelOpus Twitter account said. “As we look to new futures, we wanted to say a heartfelt thank you to the millions of passionate players who have supported us, and our mission to make beautiful, imaginative games with heart. We are so grateful!?
“I like to think that with Concrete Genie – we made the world an ever-so-slightly better place… and not too many games these days have the chance to try and do that,” PixelOpus senior environmental artist Bob Archibald said on Twitter. “I will always be grateful for my time building imaginative worlds with this incredible team.”
“PlayStation Studios regularly evaluates its portfolio and the status of studio projects to ensure they meet the organization’s short and long-term strategic objectives,” Sony Interactive Entertainment said in a statement sent to IGN. “As part of a recent review process, it has been decided that PixelOpus will close on June 2.”
