I makes me super thrill whenever Sony buys a new studio and when they close one, i feel so disappointed! 

Sony needs a traditional JPRG and WRPG developer STAT! Bioware guys just left Bioware..hmm if the Docs are willing to work under someone else, that maybe a chance to grab them :) and now Level 5 is way too big for sony to buy (or probably they want to remain independent)

I'd rather see Sony buying studios than EA or Activision. I wish Nintendo would gobble up some good developers. 

What upset me about the Psygnosis closing thread we had awhile back was that everyone was giving them shout outs for Wipeout yet I was the only one praising them for Destruction Derby.  That game was pure bad ass just like Wipeout when it came out on the PS1. I stand corrected due to them publishing it.

there are some rumors that some staff from Liverpool got moved to Evolution to continue the WipeOut brand, now I am not sure if that's real or not. Oh yah definately, most 3rd party large developer just run studios to the ground. On the flip side, you probably have to be extremely successful to survive in a first party environment though because you are only selling on one platform. I think if Sony PS4 is more successful with more hardware sales, they can support more 1st party devs, but if it lags behind PS3 then it would be hard, only the big fishes can survive (like Santa Monica and Naughty Dog)

Probably because although Psygnosis did not make Destruction Derby.  The studio that did is still alive and well, bought out by Ubisoft many moons ago:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubisoft_Reflections

Psygnosis had a big part in publishing early Reflections games, but they cannot be given the credit for making it.  WipEout, on the other hand, they developed and published.

Sony needs more Japanese developers that create content with that market in mind.

Ah shit... I got publisher and developer confused there.  I just assumed that they developed and published it like Wipeout.  Great game but too bad the series pretty much died after the second one. 

On topic: sometimes. Sony have made some incredible purchases over the years - Psygnosis (kickstarted them in the gaming world), Naughty Dog (started small to become their #1 studio), Media Molecule (I reckon we're going to see even more creative & great things from them in the future).

At the same time, they've made some questionable decisions over the years imo. Buying BigBig seemed to make little sense. I'd argue Zipper and Evolution were just impulse buys as well.

Regardless, Sony's first party is stellar and has been for a number of years, so new teams joining them is always good. I love the infrastructure they have where they all seem to help each other out, as well as third parties, in developing their games.

edit: But yes, they need another Japanese studio.  They should open one, rather than just buying one.  Less money, but they could probably find some good talent around.

I'm two-sided on this issue. On one hand, Sony buying a studio may stop it from releasing multiplatform titles, so I feel sorry for those who don't own Sony platforms. On the other hand, Sony buying studios seems to make lots of Sony fans happy, so I'm happy for those Sony fans.

...on a more serious note: If buying a studio also means saving the studio and its employees, I'm happy all around. It's also great if Sony support the studio to create titles of higher quality, making Everyone (well, but those who don't own Sony consoles) happy.

Ofcourse, it means more games.

If it's a good developer: no.
If it's a meh developer: idgaf.