Housemarquehas been one of the most underrated developers on PlayStation platforms for years, supporting each of Sony’s platforms since the PlayStation 3 era with arcade-style action games. The studio’s games have been a mainstay on PlayStation platforms since 2007’sSuper Stardust HD, with it developing multiple exclusives for the PS3, PS4, PS Vita, and most recently PS5 in the form ofReturnal. Now, after 14 years of partnering, PlayStation has finally announced that it has acquiredHousemarque.
Finnish developer Housemarque was first established in July 1995 and created a name for itself developing hardcore arcade-style action games such asSuper Stardust HD,Dead Nation,Matterfall, andResogun, the latter of which became one of the surprise hits of the launch of the PlayStation 4 due to its inclusion on PlayStation Plus. The studio began to struggle in 2017 however, as the commercial performance of its arcade titles had failed to meet expectations, and announced that it would be pivoting to AAA game development with the now iconic headline on its blog “Arcade is dead.” One of the titles itbegan development on wasReturnal, which released on PlayStation 5 this past April, while the other wasStormdivers, an all but canceled battle royale title.
RELATED:Returnal Was in Development for Over Four Years
Today, after years of collaboration between the two, PlayStation Studios head Herman Hulst announced that Housemarque will be joining the PlayStation Studios family alongside its beloved studios such as Insomniac Games, Naughty Dog, Sucker Punch Productions, Guerilla Games, and more. Commenting on the acquisition, Housemarque’s Ilari Kuittinen stated “We are so excited to finally join the PlayStation Studios family! This gives our studio a clear future and astable 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.”
Fans of Housemarque will be happy to know that, as Kuittinen states, this acquisition will likely keep the studio afloat for a long time, especially given the success ofReturnal. It may also allow the studio to return to making smaller, more arcade centric titles digitally for PlayStation 5, although this seems unlikely given that PlayStation Studios has tended to focus more on blockbuster AAA titles in recent years. WithReturnal, Housemarque proved that it can still develophardcore action titles with satisfying gameplay loops, while also balancing the polish and production value needed to stand alongside PlayStation Studios' other franchises.
As for further acquisitions, while it appears that PlayStation Japan’s Twitter accidentally revealed that the studio should be acquiring Bluepoint Games soon, the developer behind the remakes ofShadow of the ColossusandDemon’s Souls. This has been yet another long awaited acquisition on Sony’s part, however it is not known if the studio wouldcontinue to remake older PlayStation titlesor create its own IP going forward. Regardless, it appears that Microsoft’s acquisition of Bethesda has given Sony some stiff competition and put the studio back in the mood for acquiring new studios, bolstering the PS5’s exclusive line-up even more going forward.
