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A Few Facts About
The Origin of WipEout

Have you ever heard a story that’s far too good to be true, but is also so good that you want to believe it anyway? With the Internet serving as such an integral role in detailing the history of the gaming industry, there are plenty of creation myths for nearly every console and game ever brought to market - as well as several that never made it that far. Although there have been many excellent and detailed accounts written, there are simply so many titles and so many people responsible for contributing to the history of the industry that there remains plenty of space for speculation.

WipEout is a series I’ve always followed closely, particularly because of its role as a launch title for Sony’s first major console endeavor. Before becoming Studio Liverpool, Psygnosis was a significant and early investment toward the success of the PlayStation. As a series, WipEout represents the key marketing Sony sought to exploit for the launch, from its futuristic designs to the excessive speeds at which the PlayStation promised to offer toward reaching that future. There are also many elements involved in the creation of the series, and recently I’d heard an interesting story regarding its origin. It was a story of mythical proportions, so I wanted to hear what Psygnosis co-founder Ian Hetherington had to say about it. And though it turned out not to be true, he lent a few insights into the landmark series his company created.

Jamie Love: Recently I’ve heard a very interesting story about the origin of WipEout, which may or may not be widely known, but it was certainly new to me. I heard that you originally had an idea for a game where players piloted a craft through space, but could also enter and navigate the atmosphere of a planet and still land the craft as a vehicle to travel the planet’s terrain. Given the hardware limitations of the time, I was led to believe that this one idea spawned three significant Psygnosis titles – the space sequence becoming Colony Wars, the flying becoming G-Police, and the land element becoming WipEout. Considering that most people would consider themselves fortunate to generate one good idea for a game, I wanted to ask if I had heard correctly, and whether you’d be willing to elaborate on how that process came together, particularly given the critical success of both Colony Wars and WipEout.

Ian Hetherington: Yes this is an interesting story, but not true I am afraid. The only comparisons for these games are that they are successful brands and made at the same studio, Psygnosis Liverpool. The WipEout games’ designer Nick Burcombe was a big fan of racing games and admired two classic games, F-Zero and Powerdrome. Nick then worked with a team of the most senior SG artists at Psygnosis and they created a short movie of what WipEout could be, this was made with a backing track of super fast techno – and WipEout was born. G Police again was an independent game and created by the Psygnosis Stroud Studios.

JL: In retrospect, I often hear it said that WipEout was always a key title for Sony’s plans regarding the marketing of the PS1. And given that you were there, I wanted to ask for your thoughts and whether this was the case from the beginning of development, or something that evolved as the series progressed.

IH: Yes, WipEout was a key title for the Playstation at launch. However, the game and brand were created by Psygnosis’ own teams. Sony wholly owned Psygnosis, but they operated as independent business during the development of the game and up to launch of PlayStation. Essentially, the WipEout brand and how it would be marketed was decided and defined by Psygnosis’ teams. However, a key factor in the desire to create something truly unique, was in part driven by the fact that the game was going to be launched on an exciting new platform.

JL: I’ve always wanted to ask how the series also ended up on the PC, N64, and Sega Saturn.

IH: Due to the success of the PlayStation release, Psygnosis made a decision to capatalise on the revenue the brand could generate by releasing the game on multiple formats. Prior to being part of the Sony Corporation Psygnosis had always been a cross platform publisher.

JL: Considering that the rebooting of the series for the PSP was about recapturing what made the original entries so successful, it seems that the original conception is proving one of those truly rare and pure ideas that endures with every new generation of hardware. So I wanted to ask for your thoughts on the success of the series today.

IH: One of the reasons why I feel the game has continued to be a success is due to the clarity and integrity that was evident from the beginning of the development process. The development team and the brand management team worked side by side from day one. It was a truly co-operative process, every major decision was made jointly, and in keeping with the core values of the game. It was all about adrenalin and speed, the desire to break the mold in making a game that would be respected and stand up outside your traditional gaming community. A key example of this was the decision to approach Red Bull when we considered product placement. They where a cool and credible brand with our target audience and well known in the dance community. We could have worked with a more mainstream brand that may have delivered wider exposure, but it was important for us to protect the integrity of the game.

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