PlayStation Studios shuts down Concrete Genie developer PixelOpus

PlayStation Studios is shutting down Concrete Genie developer PixelOpus, its first shutdown of a first-party studio in the PS5 era.

The studio’s shutdown was revealed via the official PixelOpus Twitter account. There, the studio expressed gratitude to fans of Concrete Genie’s game. Following this, reports mentioned that the studio will officially be shut down on June 2, 2023.

This shutdown comes as a surprise, especially as PixelOpus has been working on an unannounced project that was being made in collaboration with Sony Pictures Animation.

PixelOpus was founded in 2014, with their first game was Entwined, which was released for the PS3 and PS4. This was followed by Concrete Genie, a PS4 exclusive with a unique painting mechanic.

Dear friends, our PixelOpus adventure has come to an end. As we look to new futures, we wanted to say a heartfelt thank you to the millions of passionate players who have supported us, and our mission to make beautiful, imaginative games with heart. 
We are so grateful! ❤️🙏 pic.twitter.com/rQO2Cgvhnq

— PixelOpus (@Pixelopus) May 5, 2023

In our Concrete Genie review, we called it a good game with a lot of promise, though it does fall a bit short in some aspects. Still, while there was room for improvement for the game, it’s sad to see the studio not get another chance to make another PlayStation title.

While PixelOpus is shutting down soon, there’s no indication that other PlayStation first-party studios are in danger of being closed. On the flip side, this shutdown happened suddenly, without much indication. This possibly indicates that PlayStation Studios has a high bar for its internal teams.

Source: PixelOpus