Zipper Interactive, Unit 13/SOCOM developer, has closure confirmed by Sony

Sony's confirmed today that Zipper Interactive, the studio behind its SOCOM series and this month's Unit 13, has been shut down following the completion of the company's work on the latter title. In a statement to Game Informer, the publisher says closing the 18-year-old studio was “a result of a normal cycle of resource re-alignment within Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios.”

Zipper Interactive's career began with PC titles such as Top Gun: Hornet's Nest and the third MechWarrior. The studio was acquired by Sony in 2006 after the success of its first four PlayStation-exclusive SOCOM games, which it continued to work on up to last year's SOCOM 4. Its latest, Unit 13, was released earlier this month (here's our Unit 13 review) and featured a Daily Challenge section which Sony has promised will still be supported, along with SOCOM 4 and the company's 2010 PS3 shooter, MAG.