Sony is still adding to its repertoire of first-party studios. The console maker revealed that it was acquiring indie team Haven Studios, a Canadian developer currently making a AAA multiplayer title.
Sony made the official announcement on the PlayStation Blog. Head of PlayStation Studios Hermen Hulst penned the post speaking about the deal. He didn’t talk about anything that wasn’t already known, only reiterating his faith in Haven and its “vision for creating a modern multiplayer experience that brings gamers together in positive and meaningful ways.”
This deal comes close to the one-year anniversary of Sony announcing its investment into Haven Studios. Hulst used that date as a reference point, saying the developer has grown a lot since.
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Haven Studios is perhaps more eye-catching than other typical indie studios because of its CEO and Founder Jade Raymond. While she was most recently at Electronic Arts and Google Stadia, she is more known for her work at Ubisoft. She was a producer on the first Assassin’s Creed and then went to be an executive producer on its first sequel. She gave her own statement on the acquisition and reinforced how the team was made to have a culture “grounded in kindness, adaptability and courage that unlocks creativity,” which reflects on the studio’s very name, and expressed how Sony’s support will be able to help make this mystery title a better game. Raymond also told GamesIndustry.biz last year that she “could not be more excited about this opportunity to return to [her] roots and work with this talented team to create a new IP together,” which is something she had not done in some time.
This title is still cloaked in shadows and likely won’t see the light of day for some time. But Haven has at least said it will be a new IP that will also “build a systemic and evolving world focused on freedom, thrill, and playfulness.”
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This is yet another purchase for Sony, which has gone one its own shopping spree by grabbing up Insomniac Games, Bluepoint Games, Housemarque, Nixxes, Firesprite, and Bungie within the last few years. Each studio seems to have a specific purpose within Sony. The first three appear to be the AAA blockbuster teams. Nixxes is likely a support and PC port studio. And Firesprite, Bungie, and now Haven seem designed to help Sony create more multiplayer and live-service games. Sony even said as much about Bungie when it dropped $3.6 billion on the Destiny developer.
