Evolution Studios Limited was a British studio based Runcorn, Cheshire. Founded in 1999, Evolution Studios was best known for developing the World Rally Championship games during Sony's licensing of the series between 2001 and 2005. Following the relinquishment of the WRC license, Evolution created the MotorStorm series and Driveclub.
By 2001, Evolution Studios was operating with a sister studio called Bigbig Studios, which would see closing its doors in 2012. By that period of time, Evolution began working with publisher Sony Computer Entertainment. In 2007, both Evolution and Bigbig were acquired by Sony and joined SIE Worldwide Studios. Under Sony, Evolution primarily worked on the MotorStorm series, which saw three major installments and a spin-off from the studio.
In the early 2010s, Evolution moved from the MotorStorm series to work on a new intellectual property, Driveclub. The game suffered several delays and was released in 2014 to a mixed reception. By 2016, Evolution suffered lay-offs and was eventually shattered by Sony. Several of its employees joined publisher Codemasters as a result, forming the short-lived Codemasters EVO.
Reception towards Evolution Studios titles was generally positive, with significant praise offered to the studio's racing-focused games, their controls and production values, though they were also criticized for shallow gameplay elements in comparison to other racing games. Retrospectives offered on the studio's catalogue, especially their final game Driveclub, have been generally positive.