SCEE: First-Party is Fine

With Heavenly Sword 2 in questionable condition and two other titles tossed, SCEE is defending its development teams.

In the span of two weeks, three major first-party titles (Eight Days, Getaway 3 and Heavenly Sword 2) have reportedly been axed, calling into question Sony Computer Entertainment Europe’s commitment to in-house development.

SCEE PR manager Nick Caplin avoided directly responding to the rumors by saying, “I think it is fair to say that we do not comment on rumour and speculation, especially about games that have never been announced.”

He explained that The Getaway and Eight Days‘s eliminations were not negative indicators about SCEE’s production as a whole.

Caplin clarified, “Regarding Eight Days and The Getaway, we review the progress and viability of games on a regular basis taking into account feedback from within WWS [worldwide studios] and all the RHQs [regional headquarters], and at our latest review, felt that the budget and resources required to complete these games could be more beneficial elsewhere.”

Noting that upcoming high-profile titles LittleBigPlanet, Motorstorm: Pacific Rift and Killzone 2 were all European projects, Caplin concluded, “We are still dedicated to our first-party studios and are very excited about the fantastic exclusive titles coming this year…as well as some very exciting titles coming in the near future.”

Source: Kotaku