989 Studios

989 Studios

Formerly	Sony Interactive Studios America (1995–1998)
Type	Subsidiary
Industry	Video games
Predecessor	Sony Imagesoft
Founded	August 17, 1995 (1995-08-17) (original) 2001 (2001) (relaunch)
Defunct	2000 (2000) (original) 2005 (2005) (relaunch)
Fate	Dissolved following a merger with Sony Computer Entertainment America
Headquarters	Foster City, California, United States
Parent	Sony Interactive Entertainment (1995-1997) Sony Computer Entertainment America (1997-2000)

989 Studios was a division of Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) that developed games for PlayStation consoles and Windows personal computers. Their games include EverQuest, Twisted Metal III, Twisted Metal 4, Syphon Filter, Syphon Filter 2, Jet Moto 3, Bust a Groove, and others.

The 989 Sports name developed from a long history of name changes and corporate shuffling within Sony centered around operations in Foster City, California.

On August 17, 1995, the video game business of Sony Imagesoft was merged with the product development branch of SCEA, renaming to Sony Interactive Studios America (SISA) and the PC division became Sony Interactive PC Software America, with Sony Interactive Sports launching as the sports label.¹²³⁴ The unit was continued to be run by president Kelly Flock, who improves to run it, after being formerly operated under the Sony Imagesoft name.⁵ The parent company itself, Sony Electronic Publishing, was then renamed to Sony Interactive Entertainment.⁶⁷

In 1996, the name Sony Interactive PC Software America was dropped in favor of using the SISA and Psygnosis brand names for PC, while the following year, Twisted Metal 2 and Jet Moto went into multiplayer for PC.⁸ In early 1997, all assets of SCEA, SCEE and SISA, the production arm was transferred from complete control from Sony Interactive Entertainment to Sony Computer Entertainment.^9101112

Development offices continued to be operated in San Diego, California. In mid 1995, SingleTrac decided to extend its contract with Sony to develop its 3D game technology.¹³ In December 1995, SingleTrac, a game developer affiliated when the studio was Sony Imagesoft, extended its deal with SISA for two additional games for the studio, which included the Jet Moto games.¹⁴ In 1996, members of the NHL FaceOff team at SISA left to form an independent game developer, Killer Game.¹⁵ Some members left Killer Game to form SolWorks in 1998.¹⁶

In 1997, team members from SISA leave to form an independent game developer, RedZone Interactive.¹⁷ Also that year, team members leave SISA to form an independent game developer, Idol Minds.¹⁸¹⁹²⁰ In late 1997, the company signed a deal with upstart Don Traeger Productions to develop games for PlayStation, and its first title will be an action sports title.²¹ Only one title, Jet Moto 3, came out of the deal as the studio, who by then, was Pacific Coast Power and Light, was sold to THQ.²² Also that year, development of the NBA ShootOut series was transferred from the London SCEE studio to the San Diego studio of SISA.²³

In 1998, SISA was spun off from SCEA, with the intent to became an autonomous and independent video game publisher and brand label for SCEA in a similar manner Psygnosis operated from SCEE and the video game division of Sony Music Entertainment Japan operating from SCEI, and given its own marketing team with Sony handling distribution functions, after having its titles being published and marketed by SCEA²⁴²⁵ and later on, it was renamed 989 Studios, and its sports label was renamed to 989 Sports.²⁶²⁷²⁸

The online division of 989 was spun off as RedEye Interactive, which was later renamed to Verant Interactive in 1999 due to domain issues, before it was sold to Sony Online Entertainment in 2000.²⁹³⁰ Psygnosis' North American operations were eventually merged into 989 Studios as its European operations of the company was sold off to Eidos Interactive.³¹ In late 1998, the studio established a development office in Santa Monica, and took over production and design of its development of most non-sports titles from Foster City, while its sports titles and some general titles were remained to be in its own San Diego studio.³²

The company made its first hit as an independent game publisher with Bust a Groove, a localization of Enix's Bust a Move, which was renamed for obvious reasons due to Acclaim already using the title and it came with a major marketing campaign.³³³⁴ In 1999, the company made its breakout title as an independent game publisher with Syphon Filter, to critical acclaim.³⁵

On April 1, 2000, 989 Studios was merged back into SCEA as a first party development group, in order to prepare for the then-upcoming PlayStation 2. Most of its employees had left its company, including president Kelly Flock. After 989 was dissolved, the Santa Monica development team became Santa Monica Studio and the San Diego sports and general development team became San Diego Studio.²⁸

SCEA continued to release sports games under the 989 Sports brand²⁸³⁶ until the brand was retired in 2005 and all future sports games continued to be published under SCEA and it was renamed to SCEA Sports Studio.³⁷ During the days when 989 Sports was a SCEA label, the company managed the European import Formula One 2001, after being previously published by Psygnosis as an independent publisher, then Midway for Formula One 2000,³⁸ and the World Tour Soccer games, which were localizations of the previously European-exclusive This is Football series, in addition to titles created by the San Diego studios.³⁹ In 2003, the label launched 989 Sports Online, which was later shuttered after 989 Sports was folded into SCEA itself.⁴⁰