PlayStation Studios has grown to include one more developer as Sony today announced the addition of Housemarque to its first-party studios family. Primarily being a PlayStation focused developer for some time now with eight Sony console-exclusive projects under its belt, the Finnish studio put forth the roguelike Returnal earlier this year solely for the PlayStation 5.
"Today I’m thrilled to welcome a new member to the PlayStation Studios family," said head of PlayStation Studios Hermen Hulst in the announcement blog post. "I have been a fan of Housemarque since the studio’s early days when they introduced Super Stardust HD to PlayStation fans. Housemarque’s recent release of Returnal proves the studio is one with incredible vision, capable of creating memorable new games that resonate with our community."
"After more than 15 years of successfully collaborating, we’re excited to amplify our potential even further and join PlayStation Studios," added co-founder and managing director of Housemarque Ilari Kuittinen. "Returnal is a testament to our strong relationship with PlayStation Studios and the organization believing in us to take a risk and give us the freedom to explore our creativity and develop something unique. We can’t wait to bring PlayStation fans more fresh, new experiences."
The cost of the acquisition has not been made public. Housemarque's current leadership will remain at the studio, who will work alongside PlayStation Studios External Development team for continuing day-to-day operations.
The move marks Housemarque as the 13th studio to move under Sony's umbrella of game development companies, which already touts heavy hitters like Naughty Dog, Sucker Punch, and Santa Monica Studio among its ranks. The other most recent major acquisition by Sony happened two years ago when Spider-Man — and more recently, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart — developer Insomniac Games was picked up.
Also, Sony may be preparing an acquisition announcement for Bluepoint Games, the developer of multiple remakes of PlayStation exclusives such as Demon's Souls and Shadow of the Colossus. A now-removed tweet by PlayStation Japan had clearly shown Bluepoint as another new addition to PlayStation Studios. It may have been an announcement that was slated to arrive a little later than dropping right alongside Housemarque's reveal, so expect it to re-emerge soon.
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