SOE Studio Closures and Layoffs, "The Agency" MMO Cancelled

Apparently, things are going down with Sony Online Entertainment studios and games, one of which being The Agency, which had been announced at E3 a few years ago. That's not the only thing that's been going on, though!

Stated by Joystiq, they noticed that tweets were coming from George Broussard's Twitter regarding closures and layoffs at SOE. As far as we're told, Seatle, Tucson, and Denver have definitely shut down, but the Austin studio is still up. The only problem there is that half of the staff have been let go.

SOE has stated that due to these actions they have "focus development resources on delivering two new MMOs based on its renowned PlanetSide and EverQuest properties, while also maintaining its current portfolio of online games."

Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Causes Delays and Cancellations

Before we get into detail, we at Gamerzitch would like to send our condolences to the people of Japan who have suffered and have lost their lives after an earthquake and tsunami hit the Land of the Rising Sun. Now, you have a phone right? Do Japan a favor and text REDCROSS to 90999 to donate just a mere $10 to help out.

With many of the well-known developers located in Japan, it was expected to have game delays after the massive tsunami. One thing that some may have been caught off guard was the fact that there even was a cancellation.

First off, the few games that got delayed (as far as we know at least) were Motostorm: Apocalypse, which also effected the North American release date, and Yakuza: Of the End, both having apocalyptic settings and enviroments. No dates have been set for the games yet, but there's no doubt that it will take a while since Japan is still recovering.

One cancellation that we are aware about is Disaster Report 4, a very popular game overseas that involves natural disasters.

It's unfortunate that things are happening in Japan, but having delays were inevitable and pretty much had to happen. I've seen lots of people complain if imports that they're ordering is going to be affected and just jokes that are obviously too soon. People, give Japan a break, especially during this hard time for them.