Why London Studio's The Getaway Is Still a Special Driving Game 22 Years Later

My emotions are all over the place right now. Part of me is bummed, since PlayStation's London Studio is closing, amid mass layoffs at the gaming giant that saw 900 employees lose their jobs. It's hard to see great talent affected by corporate layoffs, but it's especially hard to see a group responsible for so many great games shut its doors entirely. At the same time, I'm also overcome with nostalgia, as this news reminded me that London Studio is responsible for one of my favorite games from my early teenage years, and one that I had forgotten about until today: The Getaway.

In 2002, London Studio launched what might've seemed like a British Grand Theft Auto clone to those who hadn't played it. However, The Getaway was so much more than a GTA clone. It was a cinematic, methodical London gangster drama with an open-world feel and loads of drivable licensed cars.