Sony has acquired Returnal developer Housemarque

Finnish developer has a new home

Sony Interactive Entertainment has announced that it has acquired Finland-based developer Housemarque, the studio responsible for the recent PS5 sci-fi thriller, Returnal. The financial terms of the acquisition were not revealed.

SIE made the announcement this morning in an official press statement.

“Housemarque has flexed its creative palette on a wide range of PlayStation games over the years that have continually showcased the power of our hardware,” said SIE President & CEO Jim Ryan. “The addition of Housemarque to PlayStation Studios reiterates our commitment to elevating the best development teams in the industry and delivering new experiences that can only be found on the PlayStation platform.”

Housemarque co-founder and managing director Ilari Kuttinen also spoke of the studio’s excitement.

“After more than 15 years of successfully collaborating, we’re excited to amplify our potential even further and join PlayStation Studios,” remarked Kuittinen. “Returnal is a testament to our strong relationship with PlayStation Studios and the organization believing in us to take a risk and give us the freedom to explore our creativity and develop something unique. We can’t wait to bring PlayStation fans more fresh, new experiences.”

Going forward, Housemarque will continue to operate under its current management team, overseen by the PlayStation Studios External Development team. Housemarque has had a close relationship with the PlayStation brand for many years, which makes this acquisition a little unsurprising. Given the incredible talent at Housemarque, the acquisition of the studio will prove valuable headed into the new generation of gaming. Here’s hoping that the studio is allowed to retain its unique, hard-earned identity, as well as its eye for creative and technologically impressive projects.