Sony Group Corp. has announced that it will acquire Haven Entertainment Studios Inc., a Montreal-based video game development studio managed by industry veteran Jade Raymond. The Montreal-based studio is developing a new property for PlayStation, described as an “AAA multiplayer experience.”
This comes just a year after Jade Raymond spoke about a new studio that would create original games for PlayStation. Since last year, Sony has been working with Raymond and his team on a variety of projects. In a PlayStation Blog post, Hermen Hulst, head of PlayStation Studios, noted, “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 happy to invest in their journey developing a new, original IP for PlayStation,” said Hulst.
Sony claims that Haven has “more than 60 staff” and is expanding. It joins Bungie, Bluepoint Games, Housemarque, Firesprite, and Nixxes Software, which were all recently bought by PlayStation Studios. After announcing plans for “more than 10 live service games” by 2026 in February, Sony now almost certainly plans to include Haven’s unnamed offering.
Haven’s debut game is still a mystery, but Raymond noted in her own statement that the studio has “made amazing progress in a short time thanks to our talented, passionate team and their exceptional contributions.” “Our first new IP for PlayStation is on track to deliver a triple-A multiplayer experience with a vision to build a systemic and evolving world focused on freedom, thrill, and playfulness that will keep players entertained and engaged for years,” Raymond said.
According to the press release, it appears as though the game will be unique to the PlayStation 5. “We want to fully embrace the PS5’s tremendous potential to create new worlds that excite gamers and let them engage in new ways,” PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan said in a statement. And because of the acquisition, Sony will establish its first PlayStation studio in Canada.
Sony made a big announcement that it was going to buy Destiny creator Bungie. And so, the Haven acquisition shows that Sony wants to get into live service games in a big way. PlayStation Studios chief Hermen Hulst told GamesIndustry.biz that investing in live service games “allows us to build larger worlds, it allows us to create really meaningful social connections between players.” Sony may have witnessed the tremendous popularity of live service games like Fortnite and Call of Duty: Warzone and wants to bring its own spin on those types of games to PlayStation platforms.
