Looks like the giant game of Monopoly that is being played by Microsoft and Sony is ramping up a bit more as Sony Interactive Entertainment Australia has today announced the acquisition of Montreal-based developer Haven Studios.
Herman Hulst, Head of PlayStation Studios had this to say
“Jade Raymond brings a wealth of experience from her industry achievements and an infectious passion for creating games, and the leadership team at Haven is an equally impressive group of industry veterans who have collaborated on some of the biggest and most beloved games and franchises that many of us still enjoy today.
We began working with Jade and her team in early 2021 when they were on the brink of announcing the formation of Haven Studios. From their first pitch, we were inspired by Haven’s vision for creating a modern multiplayer experience that brings gamers together in positive and meaningful ways. We were confident in their creative and technical expertise to deliver on such an ambitious project and were thrilled to invest in their journey developing a new, original IP for PlayStation.”
Hermen Hulst, Head of PlayStation Studios
Jade Raymond is a Canadian video game creator, best known for helping create the Assassin’s Creed and Watch Dogs franchises, and for building the Ubisoft Toronto and EA Motive Studios. She is also CEO and Founder of Haven Studios spoke about this exciting acquisition and what it means for players.
“Today, the Haven team begins a new phase of our journey, as part of the PlayStation Studios family. Working with Hermen, Connie Booth and the team at PlayStation over the past year has been a career highlight. SIE is a supportive partner that truly understands the creative process and what it takes to make a blockbuster AAA game. They have empowered and encouraged us to bring our bold vision to life and make our dreams come true and we could not be more thrilled about this opportunity to strengthen our partnership.
As a SIE first-party studio, we will have the opportunity to collaborate with some of the world’s most renowned development teams, including studios like Guerrilla, Naughty Dog, Media Molecule, and Insomniac Games, the creators of games that have inspired us as players and developers for years. We’re excited to learn from these world-class studios, as well as the exceptional central creative, technology and marketing teams whose expertise will enable us to deliver even better games to players.”
Jade Raymond, CEO and Founder, Haven Studios
Haven Studios say they are “a passionate team of game makers working on breakthrough experiences”.
Even though the studio is relatively new it’s made up of gaming creators who have seen some action being part of the release of some huge titles. The social media assets are just starting to ramp up with more information on the team and hopefully, soon we’ll see more of what they are working on.
What we do know is that Haven Studios are currently working on their first title, but it must have really impressed the big wigs at Sony as all we know about this new game is that it will be an evolving online environment for PC or PlayStation console players. It has also been likened to Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege. However, the action is said to be quite different from this first-person shooter as the mission statement from the leaders of the team has set is one of promoting inclusion and caring.
It will be interesting to see what this new acquisition brings to the Sony table in the future and while mostly the companies have been buying up already established IPs this is a fresh approach but one that players will likely benefit from.
