Late last month, we brought you the saddening news that Evolution Studios, the creative minds behind Sony’s MotorStorm franchise and more recently DriveClub, was set to close its doors amid an internal overhaul.
There’s light at the end of the tunnel for the British dev, however, now that GamesIndustry.biz reports that the Evolution team will move over to fellow UK studio Codemasters to form an entirely new, multiplatform team.
Situated in the same wheelhouse as Evolution, Codemasters is perhaps best known for working across both the Dirt and Grid racing series. Today’s acquisition puts the company on course to becoming the largest racing-focused developer in the industry, resulting in Sony’s Mick Hocking taking up the mantle as Vice President of Product Development.
In a statement, Hocking revealed that “we’ve got the opportunity to write new tech on multiple platforms for the first time, to work on new ideas. It’s really exciting. It’s really the core team we’ve brought across.”
Meanwhile, Paul Rustchynsky, who worked under Evolution for more than a decade, took to Twitter to express his own excitement about the new beginning for both him and his team.
Couldn’t be more excited to announce that myself & the team from Evolution Studios will be joining @Codemasters https://t.co/ZjvQm8whkH
— Paul Rustchynsky (@Rushy33) April 11, 2016
We can’t wait to start work with @Codemasters on a new racing IP! Keep following myself & @PhenomEvolution for news. https://t.co/qwdVTNCGPY
— Paul Rustchynsky (@Rushy33) April 11, 2016
Sony still retains the MotorStorm and DriveClub IPs, though it’s a tantalizing thought that Evolution’s next title, whatever that may shake out to be, will be a multiplatform release.