Company:Pixelopus

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Short description: American video game developer
PixelOpus
TypeDivision
IndustryVideo games
Founded2014; 10 years ago (2014)
Defunct2 June 2023; 17 months ago (2023-06-02)
Headquarters
San Mateo, California
,
United States
Key people
Dominic Robilliard (creative director)
Products
ParentPlayStation Studios

PixelOpus was an American video game developer based in San Mateo, California, It was established in 2014 as an in-house studio for Sony Interactive Entertainment. The studio's debut game, Entwined, was released the same year.[1] Their second and ultimately last game, Concrete Genie, was announced on 30 October 2017 and released on 8 October 2019.[2][3]

In May 2023, it was announced that the studio would be closing on June 2, 2023.[4]

History

In 2012, SIE's Foster City Studio (now known as San Mateo Studio) product development group decided to work with small development teams following the success of Journey (2012) developed by the small studio, Thatgamecompany, and published by Santa Monica Studio.[5] Soon after, SIE's Foster City sponsored a game development program for students at Carnegie Mellon University.[5] They provided PlayStation Vitas for students to experiment with; Foster City were jubilant with students' ability in to rapidly prototype game ideas.[5] In July 2013, Foster City offered six students from the development program at the Carnegie Mellon University and three students from San Jose State University.[5] Additionally, a pair of industry veterans were hired to lead the 9-man team, forming PixelOpus.[5] Dominic Robilliard is the creative director at PixelOpus.[5]

On May 5, 2023, PixelOpus announced through their Twitter that the studio would be shutting down.[6] In a statement to IGN, Sony confirmed that it would be closing the studio on June 2, 2023, as it "regularly evaluates its portfolio and the status of studio projects to ensure they meet the organization’s short and long-term strategic objectives. As part of a recent review process, it has been decided that PixelOpus will close on June 2".[7]

Games

Year Game title Publisher Platform(s) Notes Ref(s).
PS3 PS4 PS5 PS Vita
2014 Entwined Sony Computer Entertainment Yes Yes No Yes N/A [5]
2019 Concrete Genie Sony Interactive Entertainment No Yes No No N/A
Cancelled Untitled project No No Yes No In collaboration with Sony Pictures Animation [8]

References

  1. Parker, Max (28 June 2014). "From Pittsburgh to Pixelopus: CMU grads are at the core of Sony's newest gaming studio". Block Communications. https://www.post-gazette.com/ae/cybertainment/2014/06/28/Pittsburgh-to-Pixelopus-CMU-grads-at-core-of-Sony-s-newest-gaming-studio/stories/201406280007. 
  2. Robilliard, Dominic (30 October 2017). "Concrete Genie, From the Team Behind Entwined, Comes to PS4 in 2018". Sony Interactive Entertainment. https://blog.us.playstation.com/2017/10/30/concrete-genie-from-the-team-behind-entwined-comes-to-ps4-in-2018/. 
  3. Romano, Sal (19 October 2018). "Concrete Genie delayed to spring 2019". https://www.gematsu.com/2018/10/concrete-genie-delayed-to-spring-2019. 
  4. Sinclair, Brendan (2023-05-08). "Sony shutting down PixelOpus" (in en). https://www.gamesindustry.biz/sony-shutting-down-pixelopus. 
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 Leone, Matt (2014). "The story behind Sony's surprise PS4 launch". Vox Media. https://www.polygon.com/a/e3-2014/entwined. 
  6. @Pixelopus (May 5, 2023). "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!". https://twitter.com/Pixelopus/status/1654563543386296320. 
  7. "Sony Studio PixelOpus, Best-Known for Concrete Genie, Is Shutting Down". May 5, 2023. https://www.ign.com/articles/sony-studio-pixelopus-concrete-genie-shutting-down. 
  8. "Pixelopus Developing PS5 Game With Sony Pictures Animation". 2021-06-03. https://www.playstationlifestyle.net/2021/06/03/pixelopus-ps5-game-sony-pictures-animation-unreal-engine-5/.