Santa Monica Studio unveils new logo

SCE Santa Monica Studio has come a long way since its founding in 1999. Since developing the original God of War for PS2 back in 2005, the Sony-owned studio has built, or helped build, a "broad spectrum of innovative and diverse titles."

Though Santa Monica Studio is probably best known for the God of War series, the developer's legacy spans far beyond Kratos and the Blades of Chaos. They've had input on games like flOw, Flower, Journey, Twisted Metal, Starhawk, Sound Shapes, The Unfinished Swan, Hohokum, and most recently The Order: 1886.

And while the studio's previous logo was a perfect fit that edgy, action style of God of War, I think we can all agree that it didn't necessarily reflect their full spectrum of diverse games. Recognizing this, SCE Santa Monica Studio has unveiled a brand new logo.

"The goal — create a flexible identity for all of our games, a united banner for all we do," said director Shannon Studstill.

"As you look upon this new emblem, though subtle the design may be at first glance, one cannot help but be pulled in to the compelling intricacy of its facets – our new logo is a dynamic ‘window’ into our games. The games we create at Santa Monica Studio become the very essence of who we are as a studio, and vice versa. Our games are the studio’s brand, and now our logo exemplifies who we are."

"Our new logo, with its bold, simple structure can become a frame to the world of our games, filled with elements of the game such as key colors, textures, game content and screenshots. When you see the new animated logo boot up with our next external dev games such as Fat Princess: Piece of Cake and Hohokum, you’ll further understand how we crafted a mark that allows our games to visually become part of the brand," Studstill continued.

They typography of the new logo is said to be a custom designed font called SMS "Vanguard." 

"It means a group of people leading the way in new development or ideas," Studstill explained. "As we leave our home of 15 years at Penn Station, and move in today to our new creative home, The Reserve, the very core meaning of our new logo takes on even more significance. We have an incredible future ahead for a new generation on PS4 under this new roof and with our external partners. Now we have a mark that will continue to evolve and expand with every new game from Santa Monica Studio."

What do you think of the new logo? 

[PS Blog]