Future Infamous and Sly titles are expected as Sony buys studio

GAME DEVELOPERS Sly Cooper and Infamous creators Sucker Punch are under new management after Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) shelled out an undisclosed fee to bring the production company under the SCE Worldwide Studios banner.

The team behind the electrifying Infamous and light-fingered Sly Cooper series' join the makers of top selling exclusives like Uncharted, Gran Turismo, Killzone, Little Big Planet and God of War as Sony-only developers.

With combined worldwide sales of seven million units, the Playstation 3 (PS3) comic book action adventure and the robbing raccoon's PS2 franchise look to be secure for the foreseeable future. Naturally, as with many entertainment releases, we should expect a third Infamous game in the next 24 months to complete the trilogy, but we're already getting details of the next Sly game. You can watch the latest trailer for the mischievous mammal's upcoming debut on the PS3 below.

Commenting on the deal SCE WWS president Shuhei Yoshida said, "Sucker Punch Productions is one of the most highly acclaimed development studios in the industry and we have enjoyed a wonderful relationship with the company for over 12 years. We are delighted to officially welcome them to the SCE family.

"The addition of Sucker Punch to SCE WWS reiterates our dedication to developing world class gaming experiences that can only be found on the PlayStation platform. With one of the strongest exclusive software line-ups in the PS3's history, combined with the diverse, innovate content in the works for PlayStation Vita, consumers have a lot to be excited about this year."

Remaining predictably quiet about these PSVita projects, Sucker Punch's managing director Brian Fleming commented on the new partnership by saying, "We've enjoyed an incredible relationship with Sony that has allowed us to combine our creative design capabilities with their guidance to make some of the best franchises to hit the PlayStation platforms.

"Equally important, the relationship with SCE has provided us the flexibility and trust to take creative risks and invent new properties. As a part of the Sony Computer Entertainment group we look forward to introducing more innovative content and providing consumers with exciting, new interactive experiences." µ