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Formerly | Psygnosis (1984–1999) |
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Company type | Subsidiary |
Industry | Video games |
Founded | 1984 |
Founders | Ian Hetherington David Lawson Jonathan Ellis |
Defunct | 22 August 2012 |
Fate | Merged |
Headquarters | Napier Court, Wavertree Technology Park, Liverpool, England |
Products | Shadow of the Beast Lemmings Wipeout Colony Wars Formula One |
Parent | Sony Computer Entertainment (1993–2005) SCE Worldwide Studios (2005–2012) |
Website | worldwidestudios.net/liverpool |
Psygnosis Limited (/sɪɡˈnəʊ.sɪs/; known as SCE Studio Liverpool or simply Studio Liverpool from 1999)[1] was a British video game developer and publisher headquartered at Wavertree Technology Park in Liverpool. Founded in 1984[1][2] by Ian Hetherington, Jonathan Ellis, and David Lawson, the company initially became known for well-received games on the Atari ST and Amiga. In 1993, it became a wholly owned subsidiary and first-party developer of Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) and began developing games for the original PlayStation. It later became a part of SCE Worldwide Studios. The company was the oldest and second largest development house within the company. The company is best known for creating the Wipeout, Formula One and Colony Wars series as well as games developed by external companies like the Lemmings and Shadow of the Beast series.
Reports of Studio Liverpool's closure surfaced on 22 August 2012, with Edge quoting staff tweets.[3] Staff members were told the news by Michael Denny, vice president of Sony Worldwide Studios Europe.[4] Sony said that the Liverpool site would remain in operation, as it was still home to many Sony Departments.[5] At the time of its closure, it employed roughly 100 people comprising two development teams. Mick Hocking oversaw Studio Liverpool's operations as its last Group Studio Director, a position he continued to hold within Evolution Studios.
Psygnosis still exists as a legal entity under Sony and continues to make legal filings, but has had no developers since 2012.[6] In December 2021, Sony renewed Psygnosis' logo and trademarks despite not using the Psygnosis branding since 2000, though this is thought to be standard filing practice as trademarks last for a decade in the United States and Sony had previously filed renewal applications in 2011 as well.[7]
The company has developed and published more than 100 titles since its founding in 1984