Housemarque’s Days of Making Smaller Titles Are Over After PlayStation Acquisition

Returnal was one of the biggest PlayStation 5 hits since the console launched back in November, so it should come as no surprise that PlayStation Studios has acquired the developers behind the roguelike title, Housemarque.

There have been rumblings for some time that Housemarque had been acquired by Sony, following an interview with the head of Diorama Studio. The studio head was discussing what it was like working on Returnal, but claimed he couldn’t say too much due to an NDA and especially now that “Housemarque is under Sony’s umbrella”.

Returnal – Gameplay Trailer

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Returnal – Gameplay Trailer

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PlayStation Studios Acquires Housemarque

The speculation on the acquisition can be laid to rest as the official PlayStation Twitter account announced the news earlier today. Hermen Hulst, head of PlayStation Studios, said that he is “thrilled to welcome a new member to the PlayStation Studios family”.

As noted in the announcement, the relationship between PlayStation and Housemarque began over 26 years ago with Super Stardust HD for the PS3. Since then, the developers have gone on to create hit titles such as Resogun, Nex Machina, and most recently, Returnal for the PS5.

Fans can expect plenty of new content from Housemarque in the future, especially with the backing of PlayStation Studios. Fans can read the official acquisition announcement over at the PlayStation Blog.

Housemarque Will No Longer Create Smaller Titles

In an interview with GQ, Housemarque’s cofounder Ilari Kuittinen discussed the acquisition in great detail. One of his most notable comments in the exclusive interview surrounds upcoming titles that will be “bigger and more ambitious”.

GQ asked Kuittinen if the days of making smaller titles such as Nex Machina and Resogun are behind them following the acquisition. To which the cofounder replied:

“Well, at least initially, I think we’re looking into what we’ve done now and building upon it. Certainly, Returnal is kind of a stepping stone for us. When we’re thinking about the future titles, they’ll maybe be even bigger and even more ambitious.”

It’s clear that the backing of PlayStation allows the Returnal developers to create much bigger, more aspiring titles. With the massive success of their recent roguelike game, Sony will of course want more of the same moving forward.

Although Housemarque indeed built their name by creating smaller arcade-style games, it’s clear that they have the capability to create much larger AAA titles.

Unfortunately, Kuittinen didn’t divulge any information as to what’s next for the team. When asked about Housemarque’s next project, Kuittinen said that the team are currently taking a break. After the much-needed vacation, the team will start thinking about the future.

So, fans will have to wait some time until the next Housemarque project hits stores, but expect it to be something big following the PlayStation acquisition.

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Kyle is a Film and TV graduate from Coventry. He’s a PC enthusiast with a not so enthusiastic PC and is all about triple-A titles!