Sony Adds Housemarque To Playstation Studios

Returnal (Photo Courtesy Of Housemarque)

Hermen Hulst, Head of Playstation Studios, announced that Playstation purchased Housemarque. Housemarque is a game development studio out of Finland that created Returnal, a recent Playstation 5 exclusive.

Hulst made the announcement in a post on the PlayStation Blog. “Today I’m thrilled to welcome a new member to the Playstation Studios family! 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,” Hulst wrote.

Housemarque has made games for many platforms including Xbox, PC and IOS. The studio has, however, created a respectable list of titles for Playstation including Returnal, Nex Machina, Super Stardust HD and Dead Nation. Most recently, Roguelike shooter Returnal has received favorable reviews across the board after a 2021 release.

“Today is a big day for Housemarque and it has been over 26 years in the making,” stated Housemarque Co-founder and Managing Director Ilari Kuttinen. “This gives our 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 art form.”

Kuttinen went on to say that the company will continue to innovate and try out “new combinations.” He concluded by saying that Sony’s backing will allow the studio to “truly grow into [their] place in the industry and show what Housemarque can create with no limitations.”

Housemarque is the 13th game company to be acquired by Playstation Studios. Bluepoint Games may very well be the next studio to be added. This was apparently leaked in a tweet by Playstation Japan. They were supposed to be welcoming Housemarque but instead tweeted a welcome poster for Bluepoint Games. Bluepoint has worked closely with PlayStation in the past and has been responsible for remasters of Demon’s Souls, Uncharted and Shadow of the Colossus.