It’s official: Sony acquires a new development team with the Returnal makers from Housemarque, thus expanding its PlayStation Studios family.
Sony buys Returnal developer Housemarque
After there were indications at the beginning of the month that Sony Interactive Entertainment might plan further studio takeovers, the company has now dropped the bomb: Housemarque, who most recently developed the PlayStation 5 exclusive game Returnal, is now part of the PlayStation Studios family. Sony announced this in a post on its own PlayStation Blog.
In the said article, Hermen Hulst, Head of PlayStation Studios, speaks out and officially welcomes the studio. He shows himself to be a fan of the work of the team so far and says with regard to Returnal that the title would prove that “the studio is one with incredible vision, capable of creating memorable new games that resonate with our community.”
Ilari Kuittinen, co-founder and managing director of Housemarque, also commented on the takeover. He said this was a “big day” for the studio and emphasized the “strong partnership with Sony Interactive Entertainment” that dates back to the PlayStation 3 era. That’s why he and his colleagues are delighted to “finally join the PlayStation Studios family!”
This new situation would give the studio “a clear future and a stable opportunity to continue delivering on gameplay centric approaches, while still experimenting with new methods of narrative delivery and pushing the boundaries of this modern artform” and also ensure “the legacy of the oldest game studio in Finland.”
Finally, Kuittinen explains what the takeover will mean for the players: “With the backing of SIE and its family of studios supporting us, we can truly grow into our place in the industry and show what Housemarque can create with no limitations. We can’t wait to show everyone what will be in store in the upcoming years, and we hope to usher in more lasting memories and exhilarating titles for the next quarter century and beyond.”
