The rogue-like third-person game, Returnal, is an amazing PlayStation 5-exclusive title. Many fans loved the game and so did Sony. In fact, Sony loved the game so much that they decided to buy the development studio behind it.
Hermen Hulst, Head of PlayStation Studios, announced today that Sony has purchased Housemarque. They are a Finland-based game development studio that released several PS-exclusive games like Matterfall, Alienation , and Returnal. As mentioned above, their latest game, Returnal was a PS5 title that received a critical reception from both fans and critics.
What it Means for Housemarque.
“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,” stated Ilari Kuittinen, Co-founder and Managing Director of Housemarque.
Housemarque has proven itself to be a competent studio by delivering awesome games with just 80 employees. We can’t even imagine what they will bring with proper funding from Sony. But it remains to be seen if they can reach the heights of Naughty Dog or Santa Monica Studios.
Why Sony Needs More Game Studios?
Sony's decision to buy Housemarque seems like a good choice. This will further increase their capacity to produce more AAA exclusive titles. Right now, Sony might have the upper hand due to exclusivity, however, that can change because of competition. One of its competitors, Microsoft, isn’t sitting idle with Xbox cloud service upgrades and the upcoming Windows 11.
Microsoft Purchases More Studios
Microsoft recently purchased Bethesda that gave it access to every Bethesda-owned IP. The tech giant recently announced that Bethesda’s upcoming game, Starfield, will be exclusive to Xbox consoles and PC. There is no doubt that the highly anticipated The Elder Scrolls 6 will be Xbox exclusive as well, leaving PlayStation players in the dust.
So what do you think? Have you played Returnal yet? Or do you not have a PlayStation 5 yet? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
