989 Studios: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

989 Studios was a division of Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) that developed games for the PlayStation consoles and Windows personal computers. Their titles include Twisted Metal III and 4, Syphon Filter and Syphon Filter 2, Jet Moto 3, Bust a Groove, EverQuest and others. It now exists as the 989 Sports brand owned by SCEA that produces sports titles.

The 989 Sports title evolved from a long history of name changes and corporate shuffling within Sony centered around operations in Foster City, California. Around August 1995, Sony Imagesoft was merged with the product development branch of SCEA, becoming Sony Interactive Studios America (SISA). On April 1998, SISA was renamed 989 Studios, after the street address of the building they worked in (989 E. Hillsdale Boulevard, Foster City, California, which Sony still uses). The part of 989 developing EverQuest (and other online and PC games) broke off to become an independent studio named Verant Interactive in early 1999. 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. SCEA continues to release sports games under the 989 Sports brand. Subsequent reissues and sequels to 989's titles are published under the SCEA name instead of the 989 name.

Reputation

989 Studios gained a reputation for releasing sequels to popular SCEA titles that were inferior to their predecessors (such as Twisted Metal III/4, Cool Boarders 3/4, 3Xtreme, Jet Moto 3). Their Twisted Metal titles came under great critical and commercial fire for being completely inferior to the first two games. This was mostly due to the change in developers (989 developed TMIII and 4 instead of SingleTrac (now Incognito Entertainment), who developed TM 1 and 2).

989's NFL GameDay was the only NFL video game to ship with the U.S. PlayStation launch in 1995.

989 Studios

• 3Xtreme (1999)
• Bust A Groove (Bust A Move in Japan) (1998)
• Cool Boarders 3 (1998)
• Cool Boarders 4 (1999)
• Cyberstrike 2 (1998) (Microsoft Windows)
• Everquest (Microsoft Windows)
• Jet Moto 3 (1999)
• Rally Cross 2 (1998)
• Running Wild (1998)
• Syphon Filter (1999)
• Syphon Filter 2 (2000)
• Twisted Metal III (1998)
• Twisted Metal 4 (1999)

989 Sports

Published by 989 Sports

• NFL Xtreme (1998)
• NFL GameDay 99 (1998)
• NCAA Gamebreaker 99 (1998)
• NHL FaceOff 99 (1998)
• NCAA Final Four 99 (1998)
• MLB 2000 (1999)
• NFL Xtreme 2 (1999)
• NCAA GameBreaker 2000 (1999)
• NFL GameDay 2000 (1999)
• NHL FaceOff 2000 (1999)
• Supercross Circuit (1999)
• NCAA Final Four 2000 (1999)
• NBA Shootout 2000 (1999)

Published by SCEA under the 989 Sports brand

• MLB 2001 (2000)
• NCAA GameBreaker 2001 (2000)
• NFL GameDay 2001 (2000)
• NBA ShootOut 2001 (2000)
• Cool Boarders 2001 (2000)
• NCAA Final Four 2001 (2000)
• NCAA GameBreaker 2001 (2000)
• NCAA Final Four 2001 (2000)
• NHL FaceOff 2001 (2001)
• NBA ShootOut 2001 (2001)
• MLB 2002 (2001)
• NFL GameDay 2002 (2001)
• NBA ShootOut 2002 (2001)
• NCAA Final Four 2002 (2001)
• MLB 2003 (2002)
• NFL GameDay 2003 (2002)
• NCAA GameBreaker 2003 (2002)
• NHL FaceOff 2003 (2002)
• NBA ShootOut 2003 (2002)
• NCAA Final Four 2003 (2002)
• MLB 2004 (2003)
• NFL GameDay 2004 (2003)
• NCAA GameBreaker 2004 (2003)
• NBA ShootOut 2004 (2003)
• NCAA Final Four 2004 (2003)
• MLB 2005 (2004)
• NFL GameDay 2005 (2004)
• MLB 2006 (2005)
• Gretzky NHL (2005)
• NHL FaceOff 2005 (2005)
• NBA 06 (2005)
• Gretzky NHL 06 (2005)
• MLB '06: The Show (2006)