Wipeout 2048

Wipeout 2048 is a racing game in which players pilot anti-gravity ships through a variety of scenarios. It is set primarily in 2048 and is a prequel to the first installment of the Wipeout series. Dedicated racetracks have not been built yet, so most races are held on the streets of the fictitious Nova State City. The single-player campaign progresses through the first three years of the Anti-Gravity Racing Championships (AGRC) in 2048, 2049, and 2050.

The game includes four types of ships; speed, agility, fighter, and prototype. Speed-class ships typically have higher top speeds and good handling, but weak shields and weapon systems. Agility-class ships have sharp, responsive handling and decent combat capabilities, but aren't too fast. Fighter-class ships sacrifice top speed and handling for durability and firepower.

Studio Liverpool's technical director Stuart Lovegrove said Wipeout 2048 was developed in parallel with the PlayStation Vita handheld gaming console and was a testbed for it. Lovegrove was aware the next Wipeout would be a launch game and said Studio Liverpool had made one before. Chris Roberts, the game's director of graphics, tools and technologies, said Sony Computer Entertainment involved Studio Liverpool at an early stage in the development of the PlayStation Vita and he had a "fairly good idea" of its capabilities. Jon Eggleton, former senior artist of the Wipeout series, said Studio Liverpool influenced the Vita's design.

When staff were given development kits for a "next-generation portable [console]", a group was formed to brainstorm hardware details; proposals included a touchscreen device that was not yet conceived by Sony. Eggleton speculated the console was released with two analogue joysticks solely because "Studio Liverpool said it needed two sticks". During early development of Wipeout 2048 and the PlayStation Vita, the studio provided Sony with feedback on the hardware and its libraries, and sent updated application source code to Sony's firmware staff to test their compilers. Lovegrove and Roberts were impressed with the simplicity of the Vita's firmware, which was in contrast to the architecture of the PlayStation 3 home console.