It’s sadly common for video game studios to close down, and there are many reasons why it happens. It’s less typical, but not unheard of, for a studio to close *after* a big success. This is what happened to Evolution Studios in 2016, after 26 years in the business. It’s a bit of an odd story because their last game, *Driveclub*, didn’t do well when it first came out. The team worked hard to make it a hit, but then the studio was closed down soon after.
The History of Evolution Studios
Evolution Studios was founded in 1999 by Martin Kenwright and Ian Hetherington. They left their previous company, Digital Image Design, after it was acquired by Infogrames. The new studio, located in Frodsham, Cheshire, England, quickly started developing a racing game demo focused on rally cars.
The successful demo led to a deal with Sony, allowing the team to create a World Rally Championship game for the PlayStation 2. Over the next four years, they released five *WRC* games (from 2001 to 2005) and then launched the *MotorStorm* series in 2006. Sony acquired Evolution Studios and its related studio, Bigbig, in 2007. While Kenwright and Hetherington departed after the acquisition, Evolution continued to produce highly-rated racing games throughout the PlayStation 3 generation.
As the PlayStation 4 was about to release, Sony revealed their next game would be *Driveclub*, a racing game focused on social connections. The game’s development was delayed multiple times to allow the team to fully realize their ideas. It was initially pushed back from the PS4’s launch, and then again in March 2014, partly because of problems with the game’s menus. *Driveclub* eventually launched in October 2014, but early reviews were generally negative.
Driveclub‘s Successful Pit Stop
When it first came out, *Driveclub* received much poorer reviews than expected, especially considering the developer’s history. Previously, Evolution Studio’s games had always scored well, consistently earning Metacritic scores of 78 or higher – usually in the 80s. However, *Driveclub* only managed a score of 71.
The score isn’t awful on its own, but it’s not what fans expect from this developer. While *Driveclub* looked good, many critics disliked the artificial intelligence of the other drivers, finding them frustratingly hard to beat. They also felt the game didn’t offer enough different kinds of races or challenges. It wasn’t a complete failure, but it didn’t have the refined quality that Evolution’s fans are used to.
It’s good that the developers continued to support *Driveclub* instead of abandoning it. They kept working on the game for several years, likely in part because Sony heavily promoted the PlayStation Plus version. Although that version was delayed a few months, it ultimately brought in a larger player base.
Despite the challenges, Evolution Studios continued to support *Driveclub*, releasing the *Driveclub Bikes* expansion and a version for PlayStation VR. They also added tribute content inspired by *MotorStorm* and introduced dynamic weather. These efforts pleased players, who responded positively to the updates and new content.
Despite receiving mixed reviews, *Driveclub* was a surprisingly strong seller on the PlayStation 4. It has sold 4.97 million copies, placing it 28th on the console’s best-selling games list – between *Final Fantasy VII Remake* and *Death Stranding*. While it didn’t reach the sales numbers of *Gran Turismo Sport* (12.72 million copies), *Driveclub* was undoubtedly a success for Sony.
That makes Sony’s 2016 decision to shut down Evolution Studio especially strange. The year before, they’d already reduced staff by 55, explaining they wanted to focus on turning *Driveclub* into an ongoing, online service. Unfortunately, that strategy failed, and the studio closed its doors just a year later.
Following their work on other projects, much of the team moved to Codemasters, initially as Codemasters EVO, and later Codemasters Cheshire. They created the arcade racing game *Onrush*, but it didn’t sell well, even though critics generally liked it more than *Driveclub*. Shortly after, most of the team lost their jobs, and those who stayed were shifted to support roles. In 2022, Electronic Arts merged the studio with Criterion Games.
The unfortunate closure of Evolution Games is increasingly common in the video game industry. Even a hit game like *Driveclub* isn’t always enough to ensure a studio’s survival. While it’s hoped things will improve, what used to be an unusual event has become much more frequent since Evolution shut down.
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2025-10-08 00:13