San Diego Studio
 Logo used since 2018 | |
| Type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Predecessors |
|
| Founded | 2001 |
| Headquarters | , US |
| Products | MLB The Show |
| Parent |
|
| Website | sonysandiegostudio |
San Diego Studio is an American video game developer of Sony Interactive Entertainment based in Sorrento Valley, San Diego. It is responsible for MLB: The Show games. The studio also developed the NBA series, The Mark of Kri, High Velocity Bowling, and Sports Champions.
History
[edit]Origins
[edit]San Diego Studio was founded through a merger of Red Zone Interactive and the development division of 989 Sports.[1] 989 Studios' internal game development team was originated in San Diego at Sony Imagesoft when members of Park Place Productions moved to Sony Imagesoft to start its own internal development team in 1993, primarily to work on the ESPN series.[2][3]
The development team became Sony Interactive Studios America in 1995, after Sony Imagesoft became SISA.[4][5][6][7] In 1996, members of the NHL FaceOff team at SISA left to form an independent game developer, Killer Game.[8] Some members left Killer Game to form SolWorks in 1998.[9] In 1997, team members leave SISA to form an independent game developer, Idol Minds.[10][11][12]
The team became 989 Studios again in 1998 and worked on the third and fourth Twisted Metal games.[13][14][15] Team members of non-sports games moved production to Santa Monica in late 1998 to start Santa Monica Studio.[16] The online division of 989 was spun off as RedEye Interactive, which was later renamed to Verant Interactive in 1999, before it was sold to Sony Online Entertainment in 2000.[17]
Red Zone Interactive, a San Diego–based development studio, was founded in December 1997 by former employees of Sony Interactive Studios America (SISA), the sole in-house studio of the Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) between 1995 and 1998.[18]
SISA was later renamed 989 Studios before being merged into SCEA in February 2000, with the "989" label being retained as a brand name.[19] Red Zone Interactive's NFL GameDay series was among the games published under the "989 Sports" label.[20][21] SCEA acquired Red Zone Interactive in January 2001, including its 65 employees led by president Chris Whaley.[18][20] SCEA later acquired SolWorks and Killer Game, with the intent of merging into its San Diego studio.[22][23]
Current studio
[edit]The current San Diego Studio was formally founded in 2001 from the former teams of 989 Sports and Red Zone Interactive.[24] The studio initially inherited a team of developers from the Twisted Metal series, and a series of sports games developed under the 989 brand name, like the MLB series and the NBA ShootOut series. In 2003, after the release of The Mark of Kri, many team members left to form the independent game studio BottleRocket Entertainment,[25] with the first game Rise of the Kasai, being a sequel to The Mark of Kri, which received mixed to positive reviews.[26][27][28]
The studio shifted focus on producing sports games mostly the MLB and the NBA game series,[29] until its focus shifted onto MLB The Show.[30] The company then eliminated the 989 Sports and RedZone Interactive team names from development, and shifted exclusively to using the San Diego Studio name.[31] In 2016, the team asides from the MLB The Show series experienced a mass of layoffs.[32]
Games developed
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ Moriarty, Colin (April 20, 2012). "Sony San Diego: The Story of a Sports Powerhouse". IGN.
- ↑ "Park Place Isn't Bankrupt, but Payroll's Empty". The San Diego Union-Tribune. January 4, 1994.
- ↑ Kunkel, Bill (May 1994). "Park Place: Raid or Rescue?". Electronic Games. p. 9.
- ↑ Carl DiOrio: Sony to Transfer 100 Workers. In: The Hollywood Reporter, July 12, 1995.
- ↑ Scott Hettrick: -- no title given -- In: The Hollywood Reporter, August 8, 1995.
- ↑ Sony in Disarray on Eve of Playstation Debut. In: Television Digest with Consumer Electronics, August 14, 1995, ISSN 0497-1515, page 9.
- ↑ "Ghosts of Consoles Past". Game Players. July 1995. p. 31. Retrieved June 25, 2026.
- ↑ "NHL FaceOff '97". GamePro. December 1996. p. 179. Retrieved June 25, 2026.
- ↑ "NHL FaceOff 2000". PS Extreme. November 1999. p. 90. Retrieved June 25, 2026.
- ↑ "info". Idol Minds. Archived from the original on May 29, 1998.
- ↑ Thomas, David (March 10, 2003). "Preteens may follow 'My Street' online Louisville's Idol Minds aims to expand appeal of Internet gaming". The Denver Post. Digital First Media. Archived from the original on October 10, 2011. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
- ↑ Mook, Bob (November 20, 2005). "Louisville company tries to leave mark in video game world". Denver Business Journal. American City Business Journals. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
- ↑ "SISA Becomes 989". GameSpot. June 2, 1998. Archived from the original on October 12, 2000. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
- ↑ "SISA Changes to 989, Psygnosis Brings Microsoft, Activision Revives Classics". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. August 1998. p. 24.
- ↑ IGN Staff (February 4, 2000). "Sony Swallows 989 Studios". IGN. Archived from the original on October 17, 2020. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
- ↑ Staff, I. G. N. (November 6, 1998). "989's New So Cal Digs". IGN. Retrieved June 18, 2026.
- ↑ Keefer, John (March 31, 2006). "GameSpy Retro: Developer Origins, Page 19 of 19". GameSpy. Archived from the original on June 9, 2007.
- 1 2 "Sony Acquires Red Zone Interactive" (Press release). Sony Computer Entertainment America. January 22, 2001 – via GameZone.
- ↑ IGN Staff (February 4, 2000). "Sony Swallows 989 Studios". IGN.
- 1 2 "Sony Buys NFL Game Day Developer Red Zone Interactive". Gamasutra. January 22, 2001. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015.
- ↑ "Sony Unit Buys Game Developers Red Zone Interactive, Naughty Dog". The Wall Street Journal. January 22, 2001.
- ↑ Butts, Steve (August 18, 2003). "Two New Sony Games". IGN. Retrieved June 18, 2026.
- ↑ Staff, I. G. N. (May 21, 2002). "E3 2002: Jet X2O". IGN. Retrieved June 18, 2026.
- ↑ "Studio Life". San Diego Studio. 2019.
- ↑ Dunham, Jeremy (May 11, 2004). "E3 2004: Rise of the Kasai - First Look". IGN. Retrieved June 26, 2026.
- ↑ "Rise of the Kasai E3 2004 Impressions". GameSpot. Retrieved June 26, 2026.
- ↑ "Rise of the Kasai Hands-On". GameSpot. Retrieved June 26, 2026.
- ↑ Dunham, Interview by Jeremy (May 13, 2004). "E3 2004: Rise of the Kasai - Interview". IGN. Retrieved June 26, 2026.
- ↑ Dunham, Jeremy (March 15, 2005). "MLB 2006 Review". IGN. Retrieved June 26, 2026.
- ↑ Purslow, Matt (January 18, 2021). "Sony's New San Diego Team Is Working on 'Existing Franchises'". IGN. Retrieved June 26, 2026.
- ↑ "989 No More". GameSpot. Retrieved June 26, 2026.
- ↑ "Sony San Diego Studio Sees Major Layoffs, But MLB Team Untouched". GameSpot. Retrieved June 26, 2026.
External links
[edit]| MLB: The Show | |
|---|---|
| NBA | |
| Other | |
| Subsidiaries |
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| People |
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| Related | |||||
- 1993 establishments in California
- 2001 establishments in California
- American companies established in 1993
- American companies established in 2001
- First-party video game developers
- PlayStation Studios
- Video game companies based in San Diego
- Video game companies established in 1993
- Video game companies established in 2001
- Video game development companies