Sony is beginning to get serious about Project Morpheus. With rumors slating the virtual reality headset for a consumer launch in early 2016, the Japanese juggernaut has confirmed plans to cut the ribbon on a new-fangled, VR-specific company in North West Studios.
According to sources close to Eurogamer, NW Studios is made up of former Evolution staff, who were laid off earlier this year following a restructuring effort within the DriveClub developer. Now, there’s a bevy of job advertisements posted on Sony’s official page, as the publisher casts the net for level designers, engineers and animators as it looks to establish the Project Morpheus-exclusive gig. Proceedings are still in the nascent stages, however, and an official spokesperson had the following to say about assembling the correct team of VR experts.
“We are still in the early planning phase with this studio, and are currently focused on hiring the right team. We look forward to sharing more news and formal announcements in the near future.”
It’s too early to tell what kind of games North West Studios will be building behind closed doors, though the fact that the new-founded studio will specialize in experiences built from the ground up with virtual reality in mind, as opposed to those ported over to the reinvigorated platform, is certainly something to get excited about.
Expect more news pertaining to both Project Morpheus and North West Studios in the coming months as Sony continues to throw resources behind the virtual reality renaissance.