Studio Liverpool is dead, and as such, many assumed that it’s most acclaimed game series, the WipEout franchise, died with it. However, if a recent tweet from the official WipEout 2048 team is anything to go by, then there’s life in the old dog yet.

Visually, it’s breathtaking; Vita’s 5 inch OLED screen really brings the lush futuristic landscape to life. The attention to detail is not only credit to Studio Liverpool’s ability to actually craft good games, but really showcases the technical virility and perspicacity of PlayStation Vita. Just how 2048 runs as fast and as smoothly as it does on such a small screen without even the slightest inclination of frame-rate inconsistencies is beyond comprehension.

The screens hours after the intro movie to the game was released – which you can find here. Showcasing the various teams and tracks, WipEout 2048 is simply a must-buy title…

The intro shows the evolution of technology and speed. Starting out with models like the old Miller v16, the evolution then leaps towards a notch towards a more modern Formula One type.

Studio Liverpool have confirmed that they have plans to furnish WipEout 2048 on Playstation Vita with additional content and DLC after it’s release in February.

Everyone’s favourite unforgiving, pulsating and adrenaline fuelled futuristic racer returns next month in the shape of WipEout 2048, bulking up Playstation Vita’s already impressive launch line up and all the while reaffirming itself as one of brand Playstation’s most important and consistent flagship franchises. WipEout is back and somehow impossibly, it’s better than ever.

TGL sat down with Studio Liverpool’s lead designer on 2048 Karl Jones to talk about the WipEout philosophy, the possibilities inherent with the Vita hardware and why 2048 is the best WipEout yet.

As new hardware launch titles go, you can’t really go wrong with Wipeout. The classic futuristic racing franchise is quintessential Playstation; an acclaimed strand of Playstation DNA that is as much brand PSX as any rapping cardboard cut out dog, any box mashing apple chugging marsupial, any wise talking treasure hunting man raider or any x, circle, square or triangle face button for that matter.

Here’s a new TGS trailer for Wipeout 2048 on Playstation Vita.

Amid all the big Vita reveals yesterday, the return of Wipeout in the year 2048 was somewhat overlooked by those watching Sony’s E3 2011 press conference.