Housemarque Oy is a Finnish game developer based in Helsinki, Finland. It was founded in 1995 as a result of a merger between Bloodhouse and Terramarque, which were originally founded in 1993. It is the oldest existing game developer in Finland, and a subsidiary of Sony Interactive Entertainment, operating under PlayStation Studios.
Prior to 2020, Housemarque was best known for its focus on arcade and twin-stick shooters, having developed Super Stardust series, based on the Stardust games the company's predecessors developed. Since 2007, the studio has been primarily collaborating with Sony Interactive Entertainment to produce titles exclusive to the company's PlayStation consoles. Among those titles are Dead Nation, Resogun, Alienation and Matterfall.
Beginning with 2017, Housemarque shifted away from arcade shooters due to the genre's little commercial success. The studio shifted focus on bigger budget titles as well as live-service games. In 2020, the studio announced a new title published by Sony as their first AAA game, Returnal. The game's critical and commercial success was followed by Sony's acquisition of Housemarque in June 2021.
Housemarque's games have been well-received by gaming publications for their visual style, playability and action. Commercially their games have not been as successful as their critical reception, with Housemarque citing its financial struggles as a reason to moving away from their original output. Their work on Returnal was acclaimed for Housemarque's successful transition into AAA production.
History[]
1993 - 1995: Origins and foundations[]
1995 - 2002: Early years[]
2002 - 2017: Partnerships with Sony, arcade shooters[]
2017 - 2020: Decline of arcade, AAA ventures[]
2020 - current: Returnal, acquisition by Sony[]
In June 2020, Housemarque's AAA game was announced as Returnal, published by Sony for the PlayStation 5. Marketing for the game began to intensify by December, and the game was slated for a March 2021 release before getting pushed to a month later for further polish. Returnal was released to highly positive reviews and was noted by Sony to be a commercial success, selling over 560,000 copies by June 2021. A PC port was released in February 2023 to similar acclaim.
By 2020, several companies were looking into acquiring Housemarque; according to Kuittinen, they received proposals from companies based in counties such as Sweden, China and the United States[2]; among potential buyers was Xbox maker Microsoft.[3] Talks ultimately continued with publisher Sony, though they were halted to allow Housemarque focus on finishing development for Returnal. In June 2021, Sony Interactive Entertainment announced that it has acquired Housemarque.[4]
In March 2022, Housemarque managing director Ilari Kuittinen confirmed the studio was working on a new intellectual property following Returnal and the studio's acquisition.[5] By September 2022, Housemarque rose to 100 employees.[6] In October 2023, Housemarque announced that it would be transitioning into a new headquarters facility based in downtown Helsinki by the end of 2024; brand director Mikael Haveri dubbed it as "one of the Nordics' most advanced gaming headquarters".[7]
On November 20, 2023, Krueger announced his departure from the studio after 14 years.[8]
Relationship with other studios[]
Guerrilla Games[]
Housemarque was a support studio on Guerrilla Games' 2006 Killzone: Liberation for the PlayStation Portable.
XDev Europe[]
Game philosophy[]
Games developed[]
- The following only includes titles owned and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment.
Main developer[]
| Game title | Release | Platform | Additional notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Super Stardust HD | 2007 | PlayStation 3 | Enhanced remake of 1994's Super Stardust, originally developed by Bloodhouse |
| Super Stardust Portable | 2008 | PlayStation Portable | PSP port of Super Stardust HD |
| Dead Nation | 2010 | PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita | Remastered for the PS4 and PS Vita in 2014 as Dead Nation: Apocalypse Edition |
| Dead Nation: Road of Devastation | 2011 | PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita | Expansion pack for Dead Nation; included in the Apocalypse Edition for the PS4/PS Vita |
| Super Stardust Delta | 2012 | PlayStation Vita | n / a |
| Resogun | 2013 | PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita | PS3/PS Vita version developed by Climax Studios |
| Super Stardust Ultra | 2015 | PlayStation 4 | PS4 remaster of Super Stardust HD |
| Alienation | 2016 | PlayStation 4 | n / a |
| Super Stardust VR | 2016 | PlayStation 4 (PlayStation VR) | Virtual reality version of Super Stardust Ultra |
| Matterfall | 2017 | PlayStation 4 | n / a |
| Returnal | 2021 | PlayStation 5, PC | n / a |
| Untitled new intellectual property | TBA | PlayStation 5 | n / a |
Additional support[]
| Game title | Release | Platform | Additional notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Killzone: Liberation | 2006 | PlayStation Portable | Code support; developed by Guerrilla Games |
References[]
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0pz7gESU20&ab_channel=AcademyofInteractiveArts%26Sciences
- ↑ https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/playstation-housemarque-acquisition-other-companies/
- ↑ Xbox Gaming M&A declassified document, page 44.
- ↑ https://www.axios.com/2021/06/29/sony-playstation-housemarque-returnal-gaming
- ↑ https://venturebeat.com/2022/03/02/housemarque-looks-back-on-returnals-success/
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0pz7gESU20&ab_channel=AcademyofInteractiveArts%26Sciences
- ↑ https://housemarque.com/news/2023/10/3/housemarques-new-house
- ↑ https://housemarque.com/news/2023/11/16/harry-krueger-to-depart-from-housemarque-after-almost-15-remarkable-years
| Housemarque |
|---|
| Sony Interactive Entertainment - PlayStation Studios Stardust Other Titles |