Housemargue was recently acquired by Sony as part of its PlayStation Studios, but according to the CEO of the Finish studio, Sony wasn’t the only company that was interested in a purchase.
Following the announcement of the deal between Sony and Housemarque, Finish outlet interview founders Ilari Kuittinen and Mikael Haveri about the acquisition, and according to co-founder, the multiple major companies expressed their interest in the development studio.
“Usual Suspects”, Kuittinen said in the interview.“[That is] major players in the field from China, Sweden, and the United States. I have to say that there is a very special spring behind us and the fact that we have been competing even feels a little surreal.”
The co-founder added, “this deal gives us the financial freedom to develop the company towards the best gaming studios in the world. It allows us to create new gaming experiences that are even bigger and more ambitious.”
Major players from the above-mentioned countries could possibly include Tencent, the Embracer Group (former Nordic), and possibly Microsoft.
Terms of the deal between Sony and Housemargue including the acquisition cost were not disclosed due to contractual commitments.
Sony announced the deal with Housemarque last week. “We are so excited to finally join the PlayStation Studios family!”, Kuittinen said upon the announcement. “This gives our studio a clear future and a stable 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. Locally here in Helsinki, this also means that we will officially expand the PlayStation family to a growing industry hub and secure the legacy of the oldest game studio in Finland.”
Interestingly, while announcing the deal last week, Sony might have ‘self-leaked’ the long-rumored purchase of the popular remake studio BluePoint Games. Sony has yet to officially announce this deal.
Housemarque released PS5-exclusive Returnal last month – the studio’s first AAA title, and what a ride that is…