PlayStation Studios acquires Housemarque, developer of Resogun, Returnal – Thumbsticks
In recent years, Housemarque has mainly created games exclusively for PlayStation consoles. Now they’re definitely making exclusives.
You’d be forgiven for thinking that Housemarque was already a PlayStation Studios store. In the venerable studio’s 25-year history – not counting the previous few years, such as Bloodhouse and Terramarch – more than 50% of the games it has developed have been PlayStation console exclusives.
Since the years 2012 Angry Birds Trilogy, which has been released on PS3 and Xbox 360, every game has been an exclusive to the PlayStation console, on PS3, PS Vita, PS4 and now PS5. Some of these games were also notable, including the one from 2013 Resogun, Nex Machine in 2017, and this year is excellent Return – probably the best PlayStation 5 exclusive to date, up to Ratchet and Clank switched a few weeks ago.
But it was not in fact a proprietary PlayStation studio. At least, until about a day ago, when PlayStation tweeted this:
Welcome to the family, @Housemarque!
The developer of Returnal, Super Stardust and Dead Nation is the newest member of PlayStation Studios. Full details: https://t.co/2QboOOzQ1r pic.twitter.com/1NXMw0cwXf
– PlayStation (@PlayStation) June 29, 2021
In a PlayStation blog post, Ilari Kuittinen, co-founder and CEO of Housemarque, said this:
“Today is a big day for Housemarque and it has spanned over 26 years. Our strong partnership with Sony Interactive Entertainment started with Super Stardust HD on PS3 and since then we have created arcade inspired games for everyone. PlayStation platforms.With Returnal for our most recent version PS5, our biggest foray into third-person action gaming has solidified our voice and brand in the industry by delivering quality and unique player experiences .
“We are delighted to finally join the PlayStation Studios family! This gives our studio a clear future and a stable opportunity to continue to deliver gameplay-centric approaches, while experimenting with new methods of narrative delivery and pushing the boundaries of this modern art form. Locally here in Helsinki, it also means that we will officially extend the PlayStation family to a growing industrial hub and secure the legacy of the oldest game studio in Finland.
There you go, it’s official, then. Housemarque was mainly doing PlayStation exclusives before, but they’re definitely doing exclusives now. Exclusively.
Follow the thumbnails on Twitter and Facebook for more information on the video game industry.
We hate to ask, but …
Thumbsticks has a few goals. We want to write interesting articles and cover games that most of the media won’t, and we want to give opportunities to new writers and new voices. And right now, with the current state of online publishing? It’s hard to achieve these goals! We hate to ask, but if you want us to keep writing what other people won’t, or to keep covering weird indie games, or to give opportunities to new writers – and only if you can. allow it – so consider supporting us on Patreon.