SOCOM developer Zipper closes next week, sources say

Sony plans to shut Zipper Interactive down on April 2, according to several sources.

Zipper Interactive, the Sony-owned studio behind shooters SOCOM, MAG and Unit 13, will be shut down as early as Monday, sources tell Vox Games.

Multiple anonymous sources both inside and outside the studio tell Vox Games that Zipper Interactive is in the process of being shut down and that its final day may be Monday, April 2.

Citing numerous sources last week, Kotaku reported that the studio had been hit with layoffs and a project cancellation. The scope of the layoffs, the site reported, appeared to indicate a studio shutdown.

The studio was in the process of making an unannounced PlayStation 3 game and our sources say that game has been canceled.

Founded in 1995 by Jim Bosler and Brian Soderberg in Redmond, Washington, Zipper Interactive has been making military shooters for approaching 20 years. The studio was purchased by Sony in 2006, making it a first-party developer for PlayStation consoles.

Zipper created seven SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs games for everything from the PlayStation 2 to the PS3 and PSP. Its last game, Unit 13, hit the PlayStation Vita earlier this year. The studio was also behind Sony's ambitious massively mulitplayer shooter MAG, which can host online battles with up to 256 players at a time on the PS3.

We've reached out to Sony and Zipper Interactive for official comment and will update the story when they reply.