It was just over a year ago now that Microsoft closed one of the UK videogame industry’s most respected developers, Lionhead. This week its former Studio Director has joined one of Sony’s PlayStation VR (PSVR) teams.
Stuart Whyte has signed up to Sony’s London Studio, GamesIndustry.biz reports. Whyte will serve as Director of VR Product Development at the studio, which is known for creating PSVR launch minigame compilation, PlayStation VR Worlds. The role is newly created, though London Studio itself recently lost its own Director, Dave Ranyard, who went on to form his own indie team working with VR content. Whyte previously worked directly for Microsoft as Chief Publishing Officer.
Whyte told GamesIndustry.biz that he aimed to lead the London studio to become “the world’s leading AAA, VR Team.”
While we weren’t big fans of PlayStation VR Worlds, we know that Sony London started up work on its second PSVR title not long before the launch of its first VR game. Given Whyte’s wording, we’re hoping for something a bit more substantial out of the studio’s next game. Previously the company had worked on early augmented reality games like EyePet and Wonderbook for previous PlayStation consoles.
Known for its Fable series of role-playing games (RPGs) and previously run by industry legend Peter Molyneux, the studio shut its doors at the end of April 2016.
