WIPEOUT 3 | HISTORY | DOCS

WIPEOUT HAS BEEN FUNDAMENTAL IN THE SUCCESS OF THE SONY PLAYSTATION, THE MOST SUCCESSFUL VIDEO GAME SYSTEM EVER. THE GAME HAS RECEIVED AN ABUNDANCE OF PRESS ACCOLADES ACROSS ALL COUNTRIES SINCE RELEASE AND EVEN THOUGH THE ORIGINAL IS OVER 3 YEARS OLD IT IS STILL PERCEIVED AS A BENCHMARK TITLE BY WHICH ALL OTHER PLAYSTATION RACING TITLES ARE JUDGED.
THE IDEA ORIGINALLY CAME FROM A CORE OF PSYGNOSIS DEVELOPMENT WHO WANTED A GAME THAT BROKE NEW GROUND AND REALLY CAUGHT THE MOOD OF THE UK AT THE TIME WITH IT'S UNDERGROUND FEEL AND STYLING. WIPEOUT EMERGED AS AN IMPRESSIVE, FAST AND INNOVATIVE RACING GAME AND PSYGNOSIS' ATTENTION TURNED TO WAYS IN WHICH THE GAME COULD CAPITALIZE ON THE MARKETING METHODS OF THE MUSIC AND FASHION INDUSTRIES.
WIPEOUT WAS LAUNCHED IN NOVEMBER 1995 ALONG WITH THE LAUNCH OF SONY PLAYSTATION IN EUROPE. IT WAS QUICKLY HAILED AS A MASTERPIECE AND RECEIVED NUMEROUS AWARDS FOR IT'S ART, MUSIC AND GAMEPLAY.
THE GAME WENT TO NUMBER ONE IN THE ALL FORMAT CHARTS AND STAYED IN THE TOP 10 FOR THE FIRST 3 MONTHS OF PLAYSTATION EUROPE. OVER 1.5 MILLION UNITS OF THE FRANCHISE HAVE SOLD TO DATE THROUGHOUT EUROPE AND NORTH AMERICA AND AS SUCH IT IS THE MOST SUCCESSFUL BRAND EVER PRODUCED BY PSYGNOSIS INTERNAL DEVELOPMENT.
A NUMBER OF MARKETING HOOKS WERE BUILT INTO THE PRODUCT, INCLUDING MUSIC TRACKS LICENSED FROM NON-MAINSTREAM DANCE ACTS AND THE HIRING OF CULT DESIGN AGENCY THE DESIGNERS REPUBLIC TO WORK ON GAME PACKAGING, MANUAL AND IN GAME BRANDING. THE INTENTION WAS TO PLACE WIPEOUT FIRMLY WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF A FASHIONABLE, CLUB-GOING, MUSIC-BUYING MARKET, WHICH WAS NICHE, BUT WITH A HIGH NUMBER OF INFLUENTIAL OPINION FORMERS.
LAUNCH ACTIVITIES FOR THE GAME INCLUDED THE INSTALLATION OF PLAYSTATION CONSOLES RUNNING WIPEOUT IN POPULAR NIGHTCLUBS, THE RELEASE OF AN ACCOMPANYING MUSIC CD AND THE SALE OF A RANGE OF WIPEOUT CLUB-WEAR.
FOLLOWING THE SUCCESS OF THE ORIGINAL WIPEOUT, PSYGNOSIS KNEW IT WAS WORKING WITH A HIGH PROFILE BRAND. HOWEVER, THE FOLLOW UP GAME NEEDED TO ENSURE THAT PARTICULAR ATTENTION WAS MADE TO THE NEW FEATURES TO MOVE THE BRAND FORWARD.
WIPEOUT 2097 (XL IN THE US), WAS CONCEPTED AND PUT INTO PRODUCTION. THE MARKETING CAMPAIGN TOOK THE ORIGINAL CONCEPT FURTHER. A NUMBER OF RECORD LABELS WERE APPROACHED FOR THE SOUNDTRACK AND VIRGIN ENDED UP PUBLISHING THE SOUNDTRACK CD IN EUROPE WITH ASTRALWERKS IN THE US. THE FINAL TRACKLISTING INCLUDED SUCH HIGH PROFILE ARTISTS AS THE PRODIGY, THE CHEMICAL BROTHERS AND UNDERWORLD. AN ENTIRE NIGHTCLUB TOUR WAS ALSO INITIATED IN CONJUNCTION WITH RED BULL ENERGY DRINK THAT FEATURED PROMINENTLY THROUGHOUT THE GAME.
THE GAME ITSELF MOVED THE BRAND FORWARD AND INTRODUCED NEW TRACKS, NEW CRAFT AS WELL AS AN UPDATE OF THE AWARD WINNING GRAPHICS. TO CATER FOR THE INCREASE IN THE PLAYSTATION OWNERS AN EASIER LEARNING CURVE WAS INTRODUCED WHILST KEEPING THE DIFFICULTY AT THE TOP END FOR THE EXPERIENCED GAMERS.
THE NEXT MOVE FOR THE WIPEOUT BRAND WAS A NINTENDO 64 VERSION OF THE GAME WHICH WAS DEVELOPED INTERNALLY IN THE LIVERPOOL STUDIOS. WORK WAS COMMENCED IN 1997 WITH A VIEW TO A LUNCH IN LATE '98. THE PUBLISHING RIGHTS FOR THE GAME WENT TO MIDWAY IN THE US AND EUROPE AND THE GAME WAS RELEASED IN THE US PRE-CHRISTMAS AND THE UK-POST CHRISTMAS SCORING A BIG SUCCESS IN THE NINTENDO CHARTS. FOR THE FIRST TIME THE GAME FEATURED 4 PLAYER INSTANT ACTION WITH A VARIETY OF NEW TRACKS BUT ESSENTIALLY THE SAME GAME.
WIPEOUT 3
ONCE WIPEOUT 64 WAS COMPLETE THOUGHTS TURNED TO ANOTHER PLAYSTATION VERSION. THIS TIME THE PSYGNOSIS LEEDS STUDIO WAS ASKED TO DEVELOP THE GAME. THE GAME WAS CONCEPTED AND WENT INTO PRODUCTION IN NOVEMBER '98. A NUMBER OF KEY FEATURES HAVE BEEN ADDED TO THE GAME AS REQUESTED BY CONSUMERS.
HI-RESOLUTION MODE THROUGHOUT
SPLIT SCREEN 2 PLAYER MODE
MINIMUM 8 NEW TRACKS
3 NEW RACING TEAMS ALONG WITH 5 EXISTING TEAMS
ALL NEW REWARD SYSTEM
NEW WEAPONS AND IN GAME ICONS
SCALABILITY TO ALLOW NEW AND OLD USERS ACCESS TO THE GAME
MUSIC SOUNDTRACK BY INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS
THE AIM OF THIS VERSION IS TO MAKE IT MORE COMMERCIAL IN KEEPING WITH THE NEW PLAYSTATION DEMOGRAPHIC AND MAKE IT MORE ACCESSIBLE AT THE BOTTOM END FOR NEW PLAYERS WHILST RETAINING THE DIFFICULTY AT THE TOP END FOR THE SEASONED VETERANS.