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PlayStation Studios added a new team today. Sony announced this morning that it is acquiring Returnal developer Housemarque. But this is seemingly not the last acquisition that Sony Interactive Entertainment has planned if you believe a now-deleted tweet from PlayStation Japan. In that social media post, Sony didn’t welcome Housemarque and instead welcomed Bluepoint to the PlayStation Studios roster. The likely indicates that a similar acquisition is in store for the studio that did the remakes of Demon’s Souls and Shadow of the Colossus.
We’ve reached out to Sony to ask about the Bluepoint Games image from PlayStation Japan. And we’ll update this story with any new comment from the publisher. But it seems unlikely that this was a slip of a finger. The image, which you can see below, has the Bluepoint logo as well as art from Demon’s Souls in addition to Returnal. So this deal looks like a matter of when, not if, at this point.
As for Housemarque, this is the culmination of the studio’s long-term relationship with Sony. In addition to Returnal, the studio produced the hit PlayStation 4 launch game Resogun.
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This deal also fits with the direction that both Sony and Housemarque are headed in. While Sony has worked with the studio on smaller games before, both companies are leaning toward larger games that meet a certain threshold of quality while also having elements that appeal to the core PlayStation audience. As a Sony studio, Housemarque can benefit from both a larger budget as well as the institutional knowledge within Sony.
“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,” Housemarque managing director Ilari Kuittinen said. “We can’t wait to show everyone what will be in store in the upcoming years, and we hope to usher in more lasting memories and exhilarating titles for the next quarter century and beyond.
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