Sony Buys Up Returnal PS5 Dev Housemarque

While there aren't a ton of PlayStation 5 exclusives at this early point in the new generation, the few that have been released have all managed to stick out. Perhaps most notably, we have Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart ushering in the new hardware generation in a big way, but before that game arrived on the scene, we had Returnal from Finnish studio Housemarque.

Following the PS5's launch lineup, Returnal was quite possibly the first big hit for Sony's new console. The third-person shooter roguelike seemingly impressed critics and PS5 owners alike when it launched back in April. If you suspected that Sony was looking to buy Housemarque following the success of Returnal, it looks like you were right on the money, as Sony announced the acquisition today.

Housemarque will now become part of PlayStation Studios, according to a new post today on the PlayStation Blog. Neither Sony nor Housemarque revealed the terms of the deal, so we're not sure how much Sony is paying for the studio. In fact, much of today's announcement comprised a statement from Ilari Kuittinen, who is the managing director and co-founder of Housemarque.

"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," Kuittinen said. "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."

Unfortunately, this announcement didn't come with any hints about what Housemarque is working on next, but given that Returnal is only a couple of months old, it's probably far too soon to be expecting any details about Housemarque's next game. We'll let you know when those details do come around the bend, so stay tuned for more.