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Type | Subsidiary of Sony Interactive Entertainment |
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Industry | Computer and video games Interactive entertainment |
Founded | 1997 |
Founder | Brian Fleming |
Headquarters | Bellevue, Washington , |
Products | Sly Cooper series (2002–2005) Infamous series (2009–) |
Services | Video game development |
Owner | Sony |
Number of employees | ~110+ |
Parent | SIE Worldwide Studios |
Website | Official website |
Sucker Punch Productions is an American first-party video game developer founded in 1997 and based in Bellevue, Washington. It was an independent company until August 2011, but has worked exclusively with Sony Interactive Entertainment since 2000. Sony acquired Sucker Punch on August 2, 2011.[1]
History[]
The company was founded in 1997 and according to the company's website it "started at the roots of Microsoft, where the co-founders all worked in a variety of productivity and software development applications. All shared a love for video games, yet only one had game development experience." The group decided to leave Microsoft in 1997. The company name came as one of several proposed by the company that they would not have been able to use at Microsoft due to that company's policies.
Co-founder Chris Zimmerman showed the list to his wife for her opinion, and she responded that she did not care "as long as it isn't 'Sucker Punch'". Considering the opinion of a middle-aged woman would be completely contrary to the demographics of their target audience, they selected that name for the company.[2]
In late 1999, Sucker Punch released its first game, Rocket: Robot on Wheels, for the Nintendo 64. After signing a deal with Sony in 2000, the company went on to create the Sly Cooper series for the PlayStation 2 using their proprietary engine SPACKLE (Sucker Punch Animation and Character Kinematics Life Engine).
The company's most recent series, Infamous for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4, heralded a move from level-based games portraying cel-shaded, anthropomorphic animals to a fully streaming sandbox game depicting more realistic-looking humans and protagonists with acrobatic abilities.

Former logo used from 1999 to 2013
Sucker Punch is considered one of Sony's "platformer trio", which includes Naughty Dog and Insomniac Games. Although the three companies have started to venture into more mature outings, they have recently started to continue their series, such as Naughty Dog handing over production of their latest Jak and Daxter title to High Impact Games and Insomniac games continuing their Ratchet and Clank series. In addition, Sucker Punch has handed over their Sly Cooper series to Sanzaru Games and they have produced Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time. This game was released in February 2013 in North America and March 2013 in Europe and Australia.
Sanzaru Games also released The Sly Collection, a remastered port of the PlayStation 2 Sly Cooper games for the PlayStation 3, in November 2010. In addition, Nihilistic Software developed PlayStation Move Heroes, a cross-over PS3 title featuring Sly Cooper and two other popular characters, Ratchet and Jak. A sequel to Infamous was officially announced when the cover of Game Informer's July 2010 issue was a picture of Infamous 2, along with the magazine containing a ten-page preview of the game.
Sucker Punch teamed up with Capcom to include their Infamous protagonist, Cole MacGrath, as a special guest character for Street Fighter X Tekken. He is a playable character on the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita versions, and with SuperBot Entertainment to include both the good and evil versions Cole MacGrath and Sly Cooper in PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale.
Games developed[]
Year | Game | Platform(s) | GameRankings | Metacritic |
---|---|---|---|---|
1999 | Rocket: Robot on Wheels | Nintendo 64 | 81.32%[3] | N/A |
2002 | Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus | PlayStation 2 | 85.23%[4] | 86/100[5] |
2004 | Sly 2: Band of Thieves | 87.92%[6] | 88/100[7] | |
2005 | Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves | 84.18%[8] | 83/100[9] | |
2009 | Infamous | PlayStation 3 | 86.31%[10] | 85/100[11] |
2011 | Infamous 2 | 84.44%[12] | 83/100[13] | |
Infamous: Festival of Blood | 79.89%[14] | 78/100[15] | ||
2014 | Infamous Second Son | PlayStation 4 | 80.57%[16] | 80/100[17] |
Infamous First Light | 74.89%[18] | 73/100[19] |
References[]
- ↑ Eaton, Nick (August 2, 2011). "Sony buys Bellevue's Sucker Punch video-game studio Share". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. http://blog.seattlepi.com/microsoft/2011/08/02/sony-buys-bellevues-sucker-punch-video-game-studio/. Retrieved 2011-08-02.
- ↑ McElroy, Justin (2009-09-08). "What's In A Name: Sucker Punch". Joystiq. Retrieved 2009-09-08.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ "Rocket: Robot on Wheels Reviews". GameRankings. Retrieved July 9, 2012.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ "Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus Reviews". GameRankings. Retrieved July 9, 2012.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ "Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved July 9, 2012.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ "Sly 2: Band of Thieves Reviews". GameRankings. Retrieved July 9, 2012.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ "Sly 2: Band of Thieves Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved July 9, 2012.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ "Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves Reviews". GameRankings. Retrieved July 9, 2012.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ "Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved July 9, 2012.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ "Infamous Reviews". GameRankings. Retrieved July 9, 2012.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ "Infamous Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved July 9, 2012.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ "Infamous 2 Reviews". GameRankings. Retrieved July 9, 2012.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ "Infamous 2 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved July 9, 2012.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ "Infamous: Festival of Blood Reviews". GameRankings. Retrieved July 9, 2012.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ "Infamous: Festival of Blood Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved July 9, 2012.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ "Infamous Second Son Reviews". GameRankings. Retrieved July 9, 2012.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ "Infamous Second Son Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved July 9, 2012.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ "Infamous First Light Reviews". GameRankings. Retrieved July 9, 2012.
{{cite web}}
: - ↑ "Infamous First Light Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved July 9, 2012.
{{cite web}}
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External links[]
Sly Cooper | ||
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Main series | Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus • 2: Band of Thieves • 3: Honor Among Thieves • Thieves in Time | |
Characters | Heroes | Sly Cooper • Bentley • Murray • Carmelita Fox • Penelope • Dimitri Lousteau • Guru • Rioichi Cooper • Tennessee Kid Cooper • Caveman "Bob" Cooper • Sir Galleth Cooper • Salim al Kupar |
Villains | Clockwerk • Sir Raleigh • Mz. Ruby • Muggshot • Panda King • Arpeggio • Constable Neyla (Clock-La) • The Contessa • Rajan • Jean Bison • Dr. M • General Tsao • Octavio • Mask of Dark Earth • Captain LeFwee • Black Baron • Cyrille Le Paradox • El Hefe • Toothpick • The Grizz • Black Knight • Ms. Decibel | |
Organizations | Cooper Clan/Cooper Gang • Fiendish Five • Klaww Gang | |
Related articles | Sucker Punch Productions • Sanzaru Games • PlayStation Move Heroes • PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale • The Sly Collection |
Infamous series | ||
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Main series | Infamous • Infamous 2 (Festival of Blood) • Infamous Second Son (First Light) | |
Characters | Cole MacGrath • Zeke Dunbar • Trish Dailey • John White • Kessler • Joseph Bertrand III • Lucy Kuo • Nix • Delsin Rowe • Reggie Rowe • Abigail Walker • Eugene Sims • Brooke Augustine | |
Organizations | First Sons • Reapers • Dust Men • Militia • Department of Unified Protection | |
Universe | Conduit • Ray Field energy • Ray Field Plague • Ray Sphere • Ray Field Inhibitor • Blast Shards • Empire City • New Marais • Vampire | |
Related | Sucker Punch Productions • Comic • Infamous: Post Blast (graphic novel) • Street Fighter X Tekken • PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale |
Sucker Punch Productions | ||
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Sly Cooper series | Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus • Sly 2: Band of Thieves • Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves | |
Infamous series | Infamous • Infamous 2 (Festival of Blood) • Infamous Second Son (First Light) | |
Other games | Rocket: Robot on Wheels |
Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios | ||
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Franchises | Ape Escape • Arc the Lad • Bloodborne • Boku no Natsuyasumi • Colony Wars • Dark Cloud • Everybody's Golf • Fat Princess • G-Police • God of War • Gran Turismo • Jak and Daxter • Killzone • LittleBigPlanet • MediEvil • MotorStorm • PaRappa the Rapper • Patapon • Rally Cross • Ratchet & Clank • Resistance • Shadow of the Beast • Sly Cooper • SOCOM • Syphon Filter • The Last of Us • Tomba! • Twisted Metal • Uncharted • Vib-Ribbon • White Knight Chronicles • Wild Arms • Wipeout | |
Divisions | Bend Studio • Japan Studio (Team Gravity) • London Studio • San Diego Studio • San Mateo Studio • Santa Monica Studio | |
Subsidiaries | Guerrilla Games • Insomniac Games • Media Molecule • Naughty Dog • PixelOpus • Polyphony Digital • Sucker Punch Productions | |
Former subsidiaries | 989 Studios • Bigbig Studios • Contrail • Evolution Studios • Guerrilla Cambridge • Incognito Entertainment • Psygnosis • Team Ico • Team Soho • Zipper Interactive | |
Related | Games Published by Sony |