14 DAY TRIAL // Rumors about the demise of Zipper Interactive, best known for the long-running SOCOM series on PlayStation-branded devices, have appeared during last week and Sony, the current owner of the company, has now confirmed the immediate closure of the development studio.
80 employees working at Zipper will be affected by the closure, although a number of them will probably get new jobs in the wider structure of the Sony Worldwide Studios.
Zipper was acquired by Sony on January 25, 2006.
A statement from Sony Computer Entertainment reads, “Sony Computer Entertainment can confirm the closure of Zipper Interactive, a Seattle-based internal game development studio that has been part of the global development operation of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios. The closure is a result of a normal cycle of resource re-alignment within SCE WWS.“
It adds, “Zipper has completed all work associated with its most recent project, Unit 13 for PlayStation Vita. Zipper titles MAG, SOCOM 4 and Unit 13 will continue to be supported, including the new Daily Challenges in Unit 13.”
Unit 13 was one of the launch titles for the new PlayStation Vita handheld and has offered a solid, even if a little limited, third-person shooter experience, designed to show off the solid computing power of the device and its touch screen capabilities.
The SOCOM series, which was first developed in conjunction with the United States Naval Special Warfare Command, was designed to emphasize realism in the shooter space, but the game has failed to get the same fan base as rival series like Call of Duty or Gears of War.
Zipper Interactive has also created MAG, a first-person shooter designed for the multiplayer space, which launched in 2010 and proposed battles that supported up to 256 players.
The game was well supported by Sony and Zipper Interactive and received a major 2.0 update that fixed major issues.