London Studio was founded in 2002, when SCE Studio Camden (formerly Psygnosis) and Team Soho merged. Their portfolio includes traditional IP such as PS2's open-world 'The Getaway' series and supporting EU first-party games like LittleBigPlanet and Killzone 2. However, most of LS's games were developed to take advantage of the various peripherals each PlayStation had.
London Studios's most successful IP was Singstar, selling more than 20 million games across PS2-PS4. It used a USB mic, but LS also developed games that required more unique peripherals. For PS2, it was various camera-based EyeToy games. For PS3, it was AR Wonderbook games. And for PS4, it was PSVR's Blood and Truth. All were commercially and/or critically successful. PS3's PlayStation Home must also be mentioned, as it was one of the first metaverses - launching 10+ years before that was even a term.
London Studios's final game was 2019's Erica, which utilized PS4's PlayLink to add smartphone compatibility. However, Erica only received a tepid reception. Combined with PSVR's plummeting popularity, the upcoming PS5, and Sony's heavy live-service push, it's no surprise LS pivoted to a live-service PS5 game. While it wouldn't use a peripheral, it was still consistent with LS's DNA as live-service was new to them. Unfortunately, the game would not only be cancelled, but also cause LS's closure in 2024.
Despite London Studios's demonstrated success across PS2-PS4, in hindsight, it's easy to see that their pivot to a live-service multiplayer game (Project Camden) would fail.
Camden was a co-op multiplayer game set in a modern fantasy London, which would use the Soho engine LS (mostly) built for PS5. The online combat game would be their most ambitious project to date and also have the longest development time in studio history as LS took their time to decide what game to make after 2019's Erica.
Considering Sony's 2020-23 live-service push, Camden was easily greenlit. Yet with how long game development takes, there's major risk following trends as its popularity might fall off rapidly. By early 2024, there was a worse economy, decreased playtime post-lockdown, and a growing hatred for Sony's live-service push. LS was also in an expensive city, in a genre they had no experience in. So when Sony needed to cut costs in a live-service space it was increasingly bearish in, LS was logically chosen for closure over others.
London Studios's closure is a particular shame as they once had a path for great success. In 2005, LS revealed 2 traditional AAA PS3 games - The Getaway and Eight Days - with excellently received trailers. Unfortunately, Sony EU cancelled both to reallocate money to others. Had these blockbuster games reached their potential and launched to a starving 06-09 PS3 audience alongside Singstar, LS's history would be very different.
