Studio Liverpool Profile
For over 20 years, Studio Liverpool has been at the forefront of innovative games development and has created some of the most memorable titles released for the PlayStation format.
Founded in 1984 under the name Psygnosis, it was Studio Liverpool who brought futuristic anti-gravity racing to an unsuspecting public in 1995 with “Wipeout” – a seminal title in the history of gaming and to this day one of the most cherished gaming brands in the world.
The release of “Wipeout” was swiftly followed-up with “Colony Wars” and the mighty “Wipeout 2097”, both of which earned numerous awards and critical acclaim as well as help cement PlayStation’s position as the modern gamers’ console of choice.
Studio Liverpool bid farewell to the original PlayStation with the release of “Colony Wars: Vengeance”, which at the time of release was a genre-defining title that received universal critical acclaim.
In 2001, Studio Liverpool released its first PlayStation 2 title – “Formula One 2001” and with it brought a whole new level of realism and visual flair to racing games that had hitherto been unseen on a home console.
Since then, the “Formula One” series has been a yearly fixture on the Studio’s release schedule. The F1 gaming experience has been expanded and improved upon with each of the 4 releases so far, culminating in the fifth instalment “F1 05” due for release in the summer of 2005.
Studio Liverpool’s other foray into PlayStation 2 was “Wipeout Fusion”, which marked the first and only appearance of the series on the format. Plans for a new “Wipeout” game started taking shape in late 2003, when word first reached the Studio that the latest addition to the PlayStation family would be a handheld device.
In true “Wipeout” tradition, the PSP instalment entitled “Wipeout Pure” is universally regarded as the first game to truly show of the capabilities of the new hardware and has set tongues wagging across the globe with its lush visuals, hypnotic beats and captivating gameplay.
Heralded as “the PSP’s first killer-ap” by Yahoo Games, “Wipeout Pure” also offers consumers the unique option to download new content like racetracks, crafts, front-end skins and music. Studio Liverpool’s bespoke download content system seamlessly integrates the new elements into the game and expands the user experience far beyond the packaged product.
Studio Liverpool currently employs close to 100 members of staff and in addition to the product development teams working on “Wipeout” and “F1” it also houses a number of additional departments that all contribute to the high production values that are evident in their titles:
An Audio Department responsible for SFX Design and VO recordings; first-rate Web Communications who code and maintain the internal BlueSky Intranet site; a high-end Video Production facility; a CG Group that delivers stunning full-motion-video; a Tools & Technology Group that lends invaluable support to the PD teams and a group of staggeringly talented Graphic Designers, whose work can be admired in all of Studio Liverpool’s titles.
