Finnish games studio Housemarque is the latest developer to join Sony Interactive Entertainment's stable.
The company has been bought for an undisclosed fee and is the 13th developer to join SIE's first-party line-up. Sony's last acquisition was Spider-Man, Ratchet & Clank and Sunset Overdrive maker Insomniac back in December 2019.
“With a proven track record of creating original games that feature best-in-class gameplay, Housemarque is a highly-accomplished studio and we couldn't be more thrilled to officially welcome them to the PlayStation Studios family,” PlayStation Studios boss Hermen Hulst said,
“With its gripping gameplay, haunting story and unforgiving world, Returnal has captivated the PlayStation audience and we're looking forward to working alongside the team to bring to life their ambitious creative vision on future projects.”
In a post on the PlayStation Blog, Housemarque co-founder and MD Ilari Kuittinen (pictured) added: "We are so excited to finally join the PlayStation Studios family! 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 artform. Locally here in Helsinki, this also means that we will officially expand the PlayStation family to a growing industry hub and secure the legacy of the oldest game studio in Finland."
Housemarque has worked with Sony on a number of different projects, including Resogun for the PS4 and PlayStation 5 exclusive Returnal. The studio has also released titles such as Nex Machina, a game that was met with a less-than-stellar commercial response and led the company to move away from arcade titles.
The studio then went to work on a battle royale title called Stormdivers, which publishing boss Mikael Haveri described as its biggest risk yet. In 2019, CEO Kuittinen admitted that it was unlikely this game would be a success, before the project was put on ice in 2020.