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Housemarque Looks To Announce Something Real Soon

Returnal

Returnal developer and PlayStation Studios studio Housemarque is teasing an announcement slated for tomorrow. We don’t know what this could be, but odds are it’s the studio’s next game or some sort of big change heading to the studio’s big hit.

The Finnish game dev’s announcement, which was teased on Twitter, will coincide with the game’s three-year anniversary on the PlayStation 5. It’s possible this is the studio’s way of teasing a sequel, but that sort of stuff — especially first-party PlayStation studios — is usually reserved for big events like a PlayStation Showcase or State of Play.

It’s assumed this is more to do with a documentary behind Returnal’s development, but as we know, even documentaries can hold a spotlight to the future of a studio.

If we had to go all speculation here, we’d say it could be some sort of enhanced or complete edition, a massive overhaul update, or perhaps some sort of DLC. That is if it isn’t some sort of sequel or spin-off news or a completely new IP.

What do you think? Are you excited for the announcement? Let us know below!

Returnal Director Leaves Housemarque After 14 Years

Returnal

Returnal director Harry Krueger has departed from the Housemarque after over a decade of work. Outside of Returnal, he worked on Outland, Resogun, and more during his tenure.

In a blog post on the Finnish studio’s website, the director expressed how fortunate he’s been working at the studio, about how he’s worked on “dream project after dream project,” and how he’s worked with so many talented people. He’s also optimistic that he’s leaving the studio at the best time as it’s stronger than ever since the PlayStation acquisition back in 2021.

General Manager and Co-Founder Ilari Kuittinen described Krueger’s contribution to the studio as “sculpting our studio’s trajectory to the current scale.” All that to say that a lot of the studio’s success can be attributed to the director’s hunger for good games.

Since the acquisition, it’s been working on a new IP that still remains under wraps.

What do you think? Are you excited to see what Krueger has in store for his future? Let us know below!

Returnal Dev Hopes PS Plus Subscribers Will “Dare” To Play

Returnal

PlayStation-owned Housemarque is hopeful that Returnal coming to PlayStation Plus will kick those on the fence to give it a shot and reach a wider audience. Of course many peoples’ issue with the game wasn’t the game itself, but more its price tag of a used-to-be-uncommon $69.99.

During a convo with Eurogamer after their big win at the BAFTA Games Awards, they took a chance to talk about the upcoming tiered system that PlayStation’s ready to implement into PS Plus later this year. Part of the appeal to the higher tiers is access to free games in a larger capacity than the the original plan, one such game that’s going to be there around launch is Returnal.

“As you know, it’s been a while since the release. And we know the people who get into [subscriptions] play a lot. There’s no hidden cost, if you like, it’s easy to get into.”

He then discussed Sony funding the development of the title.

“Sony does [make] some wise decisions, like funding this game. They started to fund this game five years ago, they took a leap of faith.”

As to how Returnal altered the types of games they seek to make and the DNA of their studio, it sounds like the rougelike is going to remain part of future endeavors.

“I mean, gameplay always comes first. So we always want the gameplay and the systems focus to be in the forefront. Obviously, we want to have an even better marriage between the two moving ahead.”

PS5 Exclusive Returnal Wins Big At BAFTA Games Awards

Returnal

Returnal has won big at the BAFTA Awards, netting PlayStation-owned developer Housemarque even more bragging rights to take home to their home country of Finland. During the event earlier today, the space-set rougelike took home a total of four awards.

On top of its Best Game win, the title also net the studio the Audio Achievement award and the Music award. As an added bonus, Jane Perry, who played the protagonist, also got an award for her lead performance in Returnal.

Housemarque Refused “Big Players” Amid Sony Acquisition

Housemarque

The Finnish game developer behind Returnal, Housemarque, was recently bought by Sony and brought under the PlayStation Studios banner. Apparently, the studio turned down some “big players” in the industry to be a part of Sony’s first-party lineup.

During an interview with Yle (via VGC), a Finnish-language publication, CEO Ilari Kuittinen noted they had turned down several other interested buyers but didn’t name names. 

He simply claimed they were the “usual suspects” from China, Sweden, and the US. 

“Usual suspects: big players in the sector from China, Sweden and the US. I have to say that we have had a very special spring and the fact that we were being competed for even feels a little surreal.”

The release of the PS5-exclusive Returnal brought Housemarque further into the PlayStation sphere and given its exclusivity, more attention by the community. The sci-fi adventure title was their most ambitious game to date, with a majority of their previous works leaning more into a run-and-gun style.

Housemarque isn’t going to entirely distance themselves from that style, though, with the acquisition, odds are they’ll continue to bring to life bigger projects like they want to.

Sony Acquires Returnal Dev Housemarque

Housemarque

Sony has announced that their PlayStation Studios family is getting bigger as they confirm their acquisition of Housemarque. The post, which was led by PlayStation Studios’ head honcho, Hermen Hulst, laments his interest in the studio from when they dropped Super Stardust HD.

The release of their mega-hit Returnal, however, proved their ability to capture an audience and resonate with a community.

Housemarque co-founder, Ilari Kuittinen, called this a “big day” for the studio and the acquisition gives them the ability to experiment and push the boundaries of gaming art.

“We are so excited to finally join the PlayStation Studios family! 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.

This acquisition likely doesn’t surprise too many of you out there. Returnal is probably the highest-profile PS5 exclusive yet. On top of that, the dev’s been cheering on the console’s fast loading times and the adaptive triggers, too. 

When it launched, the game saw almost immediate success and also some level of infamy due to its $70 price point, we can’t really blame Hosuemarque for that one. This also comes only one month after the developer was vocal about taking on more large-scale projects akin to Returnal.

What do you think? Are you excited to see what they’re gonna cook up? Tell us below!