| Formerly | Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (1995–2002) |
|---|---|
| Type | Subsidiary |
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | January 6, 1995 (1995-01-06) |
| Defunct | ~2008 (2008) |
| Fate | Dissolved |
| Successor | London Studio |
| Headquarters | Soho, London , United Kingdom |
| Products |
|
| Parent | Sony Computer Entertainment |
Team Soho was a British video game developer based in Soho, London. It was formerly the video game development division of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe before being spun off to develop The Getaway series; a second unit at Cambridge would later be spun off as SCEE Cambridge Studio.
The company was founded on January 6, 1995 as a unit of Sony Electronic Publishing.1 The original development staff had little to no experience in the video game industry, with most of them being recent college graduates, being members from Next Generation magazine.2
They started out with developing NBA ShootOut, the first entry of the NBA ShootOut series, which released in 1996. They later developed NBA ShootOut '97, before moving to the San Diego studio in 1997.3 The company later made the racing games Porsche Challenge and Rapid Racer in 1997, the latter was localized in North America as Turbo Prop Racing.45
In 1998, the team developed Spice World, which was published in the North America by Psygnosis under license from SCEE since SCEA executives isn't interested in localizing the game.67 Afterwards, they begin work on the This is Football series, meant for an European audience, which was localized by 989 Sports with World Tour Soccer.8
In 2000, while Sony Computer Entertainment Europe was identifying the development teams, Team Soho was picked up as a development name during the production of The Getaway, while the Cambridge studio adopted the name SCEE Cambridge Studio.91011
In early 2002, the company made another breakthrough with the game The Getaway, with strong showings at E3 2002.1213 In 2002, the studio was closed and merged with SCE Studio Camden (formerly Psygnosis Camden Studio)14 to form London Studio.15 The Team Soho brand was retained for The Getaway: Black Monday.
The Getaway creative director, Brendan McNamara, founded Team Bondi in mid-2003 in Sydney, and had hired several former staff members of Team Soho.161718 After Bondi's closure, he founded Videogames Deluxe, which was later sold to Rockstar Games.19
List of software developed
| Year | Game | Platform(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | NBA ShootOut2 | PlayStation |
| 1997 | NBA ShootOut '97 | |
| Porsche Challenge | ||
| Rapid Racer | ||
| 1998 | Spice World | |
| 1999 | This Is Football | |
| 2000 | This Is Football 2 | |
| 2001 | This Is Football 2002 | PlayStation 2 |
| 2002 | The Getaway | |
| 2006 | The Getaway 3 (cancelled)20 | PlayStation 3 |
References
References
- "Sony Computer Entertainment (Europe) formally established; company to manage PlayStation business in Europe. - Free Online Library". www.thefreelibrary.com. Archived from the original on 15 December 2015. Retrieved 29 June 2026.
- "NG Alphas: Sony Computer Entertainment U.K." Next Generation. Vol. 2, no. 23. Brisbane, California: Imagine Publishing. November 1996. p. 135-138. Retrieved 7 October 2019 – via Internet Archive.
- "NBA ShootOut '98". Ultra Game Players. December 1997. p. 145. Retrieved 28 June 2026.
- Staff, I. G. N. (20 June 1997). "E3: Drive Away in a Porsche". IGN. Retrieved 8 July 2026.
- Staff, I. G. N. (25 August 1998). "Turbo Prop Racing". IGN. Retrieved 8 July 2026.
- Staff, I. G. N. (25 August 1998). "Spice World". IGN. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
- "Looking at The Spice Girls". GameSpot. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
- Perry, Douglass C. (27 February 2002). "World Tour Soccer 2002". IGN. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
- "ECTS: The Getaway Screens". GameSpot. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
- "We want to drive fast, meet beautiful women, gun down men in sharp suits - da*n it - we want to be entertained!". PSM2. March 2001. p. 59. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
- Goldsmith, Mike (March 2001). "London calling". Official PlayStation 2 UK Magazine. p. 85. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
- Staff, I. G. N. (21 May 2002). "E3 2002: The Getaway". IGN. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
- Staff, I. G. N. (20 November 2002). "The Getaway Hands-On". IGN. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
- "SCEE Camden Studio". MobyGames. New York City: Atari. Archived from the original on 5 April 2022. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
- Devi, Vimla (19 October 2020). "Which studios does Sony own?". Game Developer. London: Informa. Archived from the original on 27 August 2021. Retrieved 5 April 2022 – via Internet Archive.
- "Team Soho alum huddles down under". GameSpot. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
- Jenkins, David (21 January 2004). Written at San Francisco. "New Australian Studio Formed". Game Developer. London: Informa. Archived from the original on 27 August 2021. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
- Bramwell, Tom (25 September 2006). "Team Bondi's PS3 title named". Eurogamer. Brighton: Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 11 June 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
- Yin-Poole, Wesley (3 March 2025). "Rockstar Buys Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition Developer, Renames It Rockstar Australia". IGN. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
- Noclip Game History Archive (15 July 2023). The Getaway 3 (Cancelled) E3 2006 Teaser - 1080p (BEST QUALITY EVER). Retrieved 11 April 2025 – via YouTube.