How trendy is that? The '3' replaces the 'e' and what do you get? Wip3out e. No, that's wrong. Bugger...
Steve Bradley

They've let this golden goose lie low for a long time, haven't they?
Some four years, as it happens. In the meantime, Psygnosis' financial fortunes took a turn for the worse. While Eidos were busy exploiting the vast potential of their Tomb Raider franchise, Psygnosis seemed curiously reluctant to cash-in on the WipEout phenomenon.

Isn't that to be applauded?
Maybe so, but the dearth of hits in the intervening period left them in all sorts of trouble.

And now Psygnosis are completely under the Sony umbrella?
Right.

How's Wip3out coming along then?
Psygnosis' Leeds development team are in the final throes of completing the thing and damned good it's looking, too. It's much the same premise: fashionable futuristic ships racing through cityscapes. What else would you expect? Psygnosis aren't about to go for a major overhaul on a game that didn't require one. The emphasis is on evolution as opposed to revolution.

What's new?
Visually, the game is similar to its predecessors. Lead artist Nicky Westcott is the only member of the 2097 team to have been retained (he's worked on all three incarnations) for Wip3out, but it's looking better than ever. The whole shebang's in hi-res and is ridiculously smooth to boot. There are eight tracks set in a single futuristic city (some 50-100 years in the future, apparently), with three new teams added to the five from Wipeout 2097.