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Wipeout
WipEout (2017)
Series logo used in Wipeout Omega Collection

Developer(s)

SCE Studio Liverpool (formerly Psygnosis)
XDev
Clever Beans
EPOS Game Studios
Amuzo Games

Publisher(s)

Sony Interactive Entertainment
Rogue Games

Platform(s)

PlayStation
Sega Saturn
MS-DOS
Microsoft Windows
Mac OS
Nintendo 64
PlayStation 2
PlayStation Portable
PlayStation 3
PlayStation Vita
PlayStation 4
iOS
Android

First Release

Wipeout
29 September 1995

Latest Release

Wipeout Omega Collection
6 June 2017

Wipeout (ワイプアウト; Waipuauto) (trademarked as WipEout)[1] is a series of futuristic anti-gravity racing games originally developed by Studio Liverpool (formerly Psygnosis). The series is well-known for its fast-paced gameplay and high-quality 3D visual design, along with running on the full resolution of the console the game belongs to; as well as its association with electronica and electronic dance music.

Gameplay[]

Wipeout is a racing series that features vehicles that hover over futuristic racetracks. Power-ups (or "pick-ups") are available and come in offensive ("weapon") and defensive ("item") varieties.

Games[]

Year Title Platform Notes Set
1995 Wipeout PlayStation, Sega Saturn, MS-DOS 2052 (F3600)
1996 Wipeout 2097/XL PlayStation, MS-DOS, Microsoft Windows, Sega Saturn, Amiga, Mac OS 2097 (F5000)
1998 Wipeout 64 Nintendo 64 2098 (F5000)
1999 Wipeout 3 PlayStation Wipeout 3: Special Edition was released in Europe in 2000 2116 (F7200)
2002 Wipeout Fusion PlayStation 2 2160 (F9000)
2005 Wipeout Pure PlayStation Portable 2197 (FX300)
2007 Wipeout Pulse PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 2 Ported to the PlayStation 2 in Europe in 2009 2207 (FX400)
2008 Wipeout HD PlayStation 3 An expansion pack, Wipeout HD Fury, was released in 2009 2206 (FX350)
2012 Wipeout 2048 PlayStation Vita Features Cross-Platform play with Wipeout HD/Fury add-on and is a prequel to the other games in timeline 2048-2050 (A.G.R.C.)
2017 Wipeout Omega Collection PlayStation 4 Remaster of Wipeout HD, Wipeout HD Fury and Wipeout 2048; PlayStation VR support later added via a free update[2] 2206 (FX350)
2048-2050 (A.G.R.C.)
2022 Wipeout Merge iOS, Android Mobile phone-exclusive spin-off game; card-based idle merger game 2207 (FX400)

History[]

The Wipeout franchise began with the release of the original Wipeout in 1995. Three more Wipeout games were released by the end of the decade, all developed by Liverpool-based developer Psygnosis. In 1999, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe acquired Psygnosis and its intellectual property, including Wipeout. As part of the acquisition, the name "Psygnosis" was changed to "SCE Studio Liverpool". After the acquisition, five more Wipeout games were developed, one on the PlayStation 2, two for the PlayStation Portable, and a downloadable title for the PlayStation 3, Wipeout HD. It is now available on Blu-ray disc packaged with the Fury expansion as of 16 December 2009. The latest original entry was Wipeout 2048 for PlayStation Vita.

The closure of Studio Liverpool was announced on 22 August 2012. In a press release Sony stated that after an assessment of all European studios, it had decided to close Studio Liverpool. Sony said that the Liverpool site would remain in operation, as it is home to a number of Sony World Wide Studios and SCEE Departments.[3]

Eurogamer was told by an unnamed source, that at the time of its closure, Studio Liverpool was working on two PlayStation 4 launch titles. One was a Wipeout title described as "dramatically different", and the other was going to be a motion capture game based along the lines of Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell. The collapse of the studio was a disappointment for all fans of Wipeout, and the fate of the game series remained unknown for several years.

On 4 December 2016, during the annual PlayStation Experience expo, Sony unveiled Wipeout Omega Collection, a PlayStation 4 remaster of HD, its Fury expansion pack and 2048 for a Summer 2017 release.[4] The Omega Collection was developed by XDev Europe, Clever Beans and EPOS Gaming Studios, and was released on 6 June 2017 in North America and 7 June 2017 in Europe.

In Popular Culture[]

  • A Wipeout "arcade" game was also featured in the 1995 movie Hackers. The actual game footage was pre-rendered CGI and the actors merely pretended they were playing the game.
  • The font for the original Wipeout may have been based off of Joey Beltram's "The Caliber EP" which released a year prior to the game's release.
  • The character Arial Tetsuo from the original Wipeout may have served as the inspiration behind Reiko Nagase from the Ridge Racer series, as both characters originated as racing game mascots, are of Japanese nationality, are considered to be cultural icons, and are also featured prominently on most PlayStation magazines.
  • Footage from Wipeout has been used in some music videos. Footage from Wipeout 2097 was used in Fluke's music video for Atom Bomb. KeeMo used footage from Wipeout Fusion for the music video of The Dawn.
  • Wipeout makes an appearance in the crossover fighting game, PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale as the items (Leech Beam and Gravity Shield). Also, elements from Wipeout HD make up part of Fearless, a DLC stage representing Heavenly Sword, developed by Ninja Theory.
  • The British electronic band Goteki is named after the team of the same name. Said band also has a song called "Piranha Advancement", also named after one of the teams in the series, featured on the "Goteki O/S" album.
  • The game Bully from Rockstar Games featured an arcade racing game called "Future Street Race 2165", which is very similar to Wipeout.
  • Wipeout's lore and visual art style is believed to have indirectly or coincidentally predicted certain real-world phenomena such as Brexit, Blackpink and the outbreak of COVID-19 affecting major sporting events, such as races.
  • Wipeout Pure was responsible for the emergence of the PSP homebrew scene. This was mainly due to the game's content download feature which featured an in-game web browser and was exploited through DNS redirection in order to run unsigned code.
  • There is a Wipeout-inspired skin/character set in Fortnite: Battle Royale called "Rox" (which resembles Camila Mendes), who is inspired by pilot concepts from the series, and that the colours of her outfit (starting from stages 4 and 5) reference at least four teams in the series, namely AG Systems, Qirex, Harimau and Mirage, although the rest of the character set's colours, such as for her glider (which references the barrel roll mechanic in later games), as well as wrap for vehicles and weapons, lean heavily towards AG Systems.
  • The first customer-spec BAC Mono R track day supercar has a livery based on FEISAR, leading it to be popularly known as the "FEISAR Mono" (chassis number: R-01-FEISAR). A photo of the FEISAR Mono can also be seen in BAC's museum feature, found inside Brand Central in Gran Turismo 7.

References[]

External links[]


All Wipeout Games
1990s: WipEout2097/XL64Wip3out
PS2/PSP: FusionPurePulse
PS3/Vita: HD (Fury) • 2048
PS4: Omega Collection
Mobile: Merge
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