Sony has got a lot of first party studios and at a time where PS3 is not doing too flash, do you think any of those first party studios will be shut down? I personally dont think so simply because first party studios are not easy to acquire and in terms of $$$ Sony get the most for every first party game sold.

PD, Santa Monica, London Studios and Naughty Dog are already worth there weight in gold so they wont go anywhere, Guerrilla should become one of the main studios for Sony with Killzone 2 and Team ICO make a game every 4 years to keep fans happy and give them a good image.

There are probably some studios I am forgetting but overall no first party game to my thinking have sold very poorly for Sony, if they have then those obviously are the ones likely to get the boot. Also I am one of the "Home was a stroke of genius" people, it's making money all the time with adverts and downloads so any profit made could easily be recycled back into the gaming department.

I love Home :P

we will have to see how evolution and Guerilla studios turn out. If they can't get any fresh/exciting I.Ps out the door (if the next installments of KZ or Motorstorm under performs), then Sony may have to cut them loose.

I do have a strong feeling that Sony Online Entertainment will be first on the chopping block if Sony decided to close some doors.

Killzone 2 I can only hudge on MP and it is just fantastic, SP is also mild blowing according to people at Gaf who have the preview builds. Evolution studios we shall see, even with bundles surely they are profitable? No bundles for MS2 and it has 500k.

nope they will instead increase 1st party studious by buying more developers! good thing money grows on trees

Should they close or sell some first-party studios, or perhaps spin them off? Probably. Whether or not they have been providing the players with sufficient value is a matter of debate, but they certainly aren't providing Sony with sufficient value. From Sony's perspective, getting rid of them is the prudent thing to do.

But none of that matters, because they won't do it. Too much loss of face.

No, I don't think they will. SCE WWS is probably the most profitable part of SCE.

I highly doubt it..all of their first party studios release at least somewhat successful games. No first party games bomb for them..like Zuhyc said, I think it's one of their most profitable divisions imo.

Then again, I don't know this for fact either..I just can't remember any garbage first party games from Sony.

David Reeves has said they won't, so I'm afraid they almost certainly will.

If it does to come to pass, let it please be SOE. I have never forgiven those malevolent cretins for Star Wars Galaxies.

I doubt it, I mentioned in another thread that the PS3 was a huge hit on they're wallet, but almost none of it was contributed to the gaming division. That branch actually makes money :P The thing that skyrocketed the cost of the PS3 was the blu-ray, and cell chips. Sony's first party studio's have little control over the console they put they're games on, and as such they still remain quite profitable as far as I know.

I think they should threaten to close Sony Bend if they don't make a GOD DAMNED SYPHON FILTER FOR PS3!

If they closed something, I think Evolution Studios would go. Pacific Rift's sales weren't exactly spectacular, and neither were the reviews.