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Sony has 13 first-party studios to date, here’s what they’re making

KyoZz

Tag, you're it.
Please keep it civilized

From iconic franchises like The Last of Us and God of War to new IP, here are the 13 first-party studios currently housed under PlayStation.
(Xbox studios overview here)

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As the next-generation consoles near this fall, one of the biggest questions that has been on the hearts and minds of prospective console-owners has been the type of first-party experiences that we’ll expect to see on both platforms.
Last week we looked at Microsoft’s first-party plans for Xbox, with the company aggressively pursuing new studios in the past few years, including its surprise acquisition of Bethesda Softworks and ZeniMax Media.
With that in mind, we’re taking a look at Sony’s line of first-party studios and titles, which (as of this year) are now housed under “PlayStation Studios.”

In summary:
Japan Studio: Working on Demon's Soul & Astro’s Playroom​
Polyphony Digital: Gran Turismo 7 is in active development​
Santa Monica Studio: God of War Ragnarök has been recently unveiled, and they are rumored to work on an unannounced game​
Bend Studio: Not know project atm, have shown interest for a possible Days Gone 2​
Naughty Dog: It is unknown what Naughty Dog is working on, other than the multiplayer for LOU II​
San Diego Studio: MLB 21 is the focus of the studio​
London Studio: Possibly working on a VR game​
Guerrilla Games: Horizon Forbidden West is releasing for PS5 in 2021​
Media Molecule: Dreams is likely to be a focus for the studio, with a possible port to PS5​
Sucker Punch: A multiplayer add-on for Ghost of Tsushima is in development, but we don't know more about other project​
Pixelopus: No know project for now​
Insomniac Games: Spider-Man: Miles Morales is up for a launch title for PS5 along with Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart​
San Mateo Studio: We don’t know yet what San Mateo Studio’s next project is, but most likely they’ll provide some assistance on upcoming PS5 titles​


In detail:

Japan Studio (founded in 1993)
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As one of the oldest of Sony’s first-party studios, Japan Studio has been involved in the development of hundreds of titles across the entire line of PlayStation consoles.
Even during the PS4 era alone, Japan Studio has worked on several of this generation’s iconic first-party titles like Bloodborne and The Last Guardian, while assisting with a bevy of other titles like the Gravity Rush series,
the Shadow of the Colossus remake, and the PS VR breakout hit Astro Bot Rescue Mission.

On the immediate horizon, Japan Studio is at work on two PS5 projects for the system’s launch: Astro’s Playroom (which will be pre-installed on every PS5) and the Demon’s Souls remake being helmed by Bluepoint Games.
Notably, Demon’s Souls will be one of the first wholly-exclusive titles to the PS5, and was confirmed earlier this month to be arriving alongside the PS5 in November as a launch title.


Polyphony Digital (founded in 1998)
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For over two decades, Polyphony Digital has mainly been at the helm of Sony’s racing titles, most notably the Gran Turismo series.
Much like Turn 10 with the Forza Motorsport series, Gran Turismo is at the forefront of the racing sim genre, with Polyphony continuing to hold the crown for developing pseudo-realistic racing titles at the top of their class.

The most recent release from Polyphony was Gran Turismo Sport in 2017 for the PS4, and given the studio’s track record, it’s not a surprise that they are at work on the next installment in the iconic racing series.
Earlier this year, Sony confirmed that Gran Turismo 7 is in development for the PS5, with Polyphony racing into next-gen with their upcoming project.


Santa Monica Studio (founded in 1999)
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As the home of the God of War franchise, Santa Monica Studio has delivered and iterated upon one of PlayStation’s most well-known franchises for over 15 years.
Having created the original trilogy of God of War titles across the PS2/PS3 and its prequel, Ascension, Santa Monica Studio took the franchise in an entirely different direction with 2018’s reboot, which quickly became one of the PS4’s most acclaimed and successful titles to date.

Following the release of 2018’s God of War, it was confirmed at Sony’s PS5 showcase earlier this month that Santa Monica Studio is at work on a sequel to Kratos and Atreus’ journey, seemingly focused around the prophesied Ragnarok.
The title was also confirmed to be coming next year, so we won’t have to wait too much longer. Remember: Ragnarok is coming.


Bend Studio (acquired in 2000)
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Named after its home in Oregon, Bend Studio has had a long and prolific history as the developers of the Syphon Filter franchise across numerous PlayStation consoles over the years.
Alongside spin-off projects of other PlayStation franchises like Resistance and Uncharted, Bend Studio made their debut on PS4 with the long-in-development Days Gone, its open-world action-adventure game focused on bikers in the zombie apocalypse.

Following the release of Days Gone last year on PS4, it’s unknown just yet what Bend Studio has in store for their next project.
Recent rumors over the past year suggest that the studio is in pre-production on its next title, and Bend has expressed interest in exploring more of the Days Gone universe, leaving room for a sequel.


Naughty Dog (acquired in 2001)
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Few studios have the kind of history and recognition that Naughty Dog has had with PlayStation over the years, and since the studio was acquired by Sony, they have been the driving force behind some of the most iconic PlayStation franchises ever.
From its early years on the original PlayStation with Crash Bandicoot, to action-packed, story-driven titles like Uncharted and The Last of Us, Naughty Dog has continued to deliver the type of first-party experiences that PlayStation has made its signature.

Most recently, Naughty Dog completed and released The Last of Us Part II, its long anticipated sequel that met critical acclaim and major commercial success but a divisive audience reaction.
At the moment it’s unknown what Naughty Dog will be working on next, other than (most likely) its next title geared for the PS5.
Other than that, the studio is seemingly working on the multiplayer component for The Last of Us Part II, with Neil Druckmann hinting to wait a little bit longer for it.


San Diego Studio (founded in 2001)
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As one of several of PlayStation’s California-based studios, San Diego Studio in recent years has found its place as the home for Sony’s MLB The Show series, while also co-developing and working on a number of other projects in collaboration with other studios.

Most recently, San Diego Studio released MLB The Show 20 on PS4 this past spring, a welcome return to sports in the COVID-19 era.
For the future, we can expect that the studio is working on next year’s installment MLB The Show 21, which surprisingly will also be the series’ first multi-platform entry aside from PlayStation.


London Studio (founded in 2002)
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Formed from a merger between Camden Studio and Team Soho, Sony’s London Studio has had a particularly diverse range of projects over nearly two decades since it was formed.
Known primarily for their line of EyeToy games and the long-running SingStar series, London Studio has always had its eye on bringing innovative and unique player experiences to PlayStation consoles.

Along with the release of SingStar Celebration in 2017, London Studio has seemed to focus its attention on new titles for PS VR.
For the VR headset’s launch in 2016 the studio released PlayStation VR Worlds with a compilation of different VR experiences, and last year released its VR first-person shooter Blood & Truth.
At the moment it’s unknown what London Studio might be working on next, but it seems likely to involve looking ahead at PlayStation VR.


Guerrilla Games (acquired in 2005)
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Based in the Netherlands, Guerrilla Games has had a long and storied history with PlayStation as the makers of the Killzone franchise, going as far back as the PS2.
After developing several installments in the Killzone franchise (up to Killzone Shadow Fall for the PS4’s launch), Guerrilla Games branched out to an entirely new genre with Horizon Zero Dawn, a brand new IP that was met with critical acclaim in the PS4 generation.

For what’s in store for the studio’s future, Guerrilla Games announced Horizon Forbidden West this past summer at Sony’s PS5 reveal showcase, which will be the follow-up to Aloy’s first adventure.
Forbidden West has been confirmed to release sometime in 2021, and it was also announced earlier this month that the game will be a cross-gen release between PS4 and PS5.


Media Molecule (acquired in 2010)
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Among all of the first-party PlayStation Studios, few have as distinct of a voice and roster of games as Media Molecule. As the minds behind LittleBigPlanet and Tearaway, Media Molecule is a force of innovation and for putting player creativity at the forefront of their games.
Media Molecule’s most recent PS4 title, Dreams, is probably the best example of this, with the game finally getting its official launch earlier this year.

At the moment, there’s no clear sign yet what Media Molecule has in store for its next project, though Dreams is likely to be a focus for the studio given the time and resources that it has put into making it.
Earlier in the year there were reports that Dreams was already working on PS5 hardware, so it’s likely that Dreams will continue to be supported on Sony’s next-gen console for some time.


Sucker Punch Productions (acquired in 2011)
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Like other Sony first-party studios such as Insomniac and Naughty Dog, Sucker Punch Productions has been known for its long-standing history with PlayStation for quite some time.
Coming from the Sly Cooper and inFamous series, Sucker Punch has worked almost exclusively on creating first-party franchises for PlayStation, and it remains to be seen what the studio will have in store next with Sony heading into the next-generation.

Sucker Punch’s most recent project was Ghost of Tsushima, which released this past summer as one of the PS4’s final first-party exclusives before the arrival of the PS5 this fall.
The studio recently announced that a multiplayer add-on for Ghost of Tsushima is currently in development, but beyond that we don’t know just yet what the studio may have planned for the PS5.


Pixelopus (founded in 2014)
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As one of the most recent studios under Sony’s first-party belt, Pixelopus only has two titles under its belt, but already has made a big impression for being creative with their projects.
The studio’s first project was Entwined, its vivid rhythm game that was announced and released during Sony’s E3 2014 press conference across PS4, PS3, and PS Vita.
After that, Pixelopus released its acclaimed Concrete Genie last year as the studio’s first PS4 exclusive, which was a colorful adventure game that gave players the powers of a magical paintbrush.

At the moment, it’s unknown what Pixelopus will release to follow up Concrete Genie, but from what we’ve seen of the studio’s two releases so far, we can probably expect big things from this small team.


Insomniac Games (acquired in 2019)
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Sony’s most recent acquisition of Insomniac Games last year was most likely a foregone conclusion, given that the companies have had an incredibly long-lasting and fruitful relationship for over two decades.
From Spyro the Dragon, to Ratchet & Clank, to Resistance, Insomniac has been behind some of PlayStation’s biggest franchises, while also branching out into its own projects over the past several years.
Notably, Insomniac Games released its first exclusive title with Microsoft in 2014’s Sunset Overdrive, before eventually being brought into Sony’s fold in 2019.

Insomniac Games’ most recent first-party project was Marvel’s Spider-Man, which was one of PlayStation’s biggest successes in 2018 alongside God of War and broke sales records as one of the fastest-selling PlayStation titles of all-time.
Alongside other projects like Stormland for Oculus and a series of titles for Magic Leap, Insomniac is currently at work on Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales and a remastered version of the original Spider-Man for the launch of the PS5 this fall.
Additionally, the studio is also developing Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart–a launch window title for the PS5–and presumably working on its anticipated sequel to Marvel’s Spider-Man.


San Mateo Studio (founded in 1998)
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Since it was founded in 1998, Sony’s San Mateo Studio has had its hands in a number of different projects across PlayStation properties going as far back as the original PlayStation.
San Mateo Studio has primarily worked in collaboration with various other first-party studios at Sony, ranging from Syphon Filter, Jak & Daxter, Sly Cooper, Ratchet & Clank, and many more.

Most recently, San Mateo Studio assisted with the development of Marvel’s Spider-Man with Insomniac Games and also co-developed the PlayStation VR title Farpoint. At the moment, we don’t know yet what San Mateo Studio’s next project is, but presumably they’ll provide some assistance on upcoming PS5 titles in collaboration with other Sony first-party teams.


Source:
 
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LordOfChaos

Member
If i don't see some fucking next-gen gameplay from any of the console manufacturers soon, I'm going to throw a world class Mantrum.

What's "Next gen gameplay"? R&C Rift Apart is next gen only, Demons Souls remake is next gen only. It was just Forbidden West and Spidey that had those awkward reversals, at least so far, but the former two are clearly doing things not possible on last gen.
 
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llLeonhart

Member
Nothing really piquing my interest outside Demon's Souls, and maybe FFXVI but unclear messaging on the exact type of exclusive it is, doesn't really mean much.
 
Which of those 13 believe in generations?

If i don't see some fucking next-gen gameplay from any of the console manufacturers soon, I'm going to throw a world class Mantrum.
I mean I get what you are saying but unlike Xbox, at least Sony has 2 next-gen games coming in the launch timeframe. But good wishes for Xbox, I hope it delivers some absolute next-gen bangers!
 

Oppoi

Member
Sony buying/building studios is on another level completely. I would say that they've done great to survive the platform war where Microsoft was supposed to steamroll them from the very start. There's a big difference in trying your best because you actually have to be the best and simply begging funds from papa megacorp to destroy the competition.
 
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What's "Next gen gameplay"? R&C Rift Apart is next gen only, Demons Souls remake is next gen only. It was just Forbidden West and Spidey that had those awkward reversals, at least so far, but the former two are clearly doing things not possible on last gen.
Nowt against demons souls, and i respect the fully rebuilt from the ground up malarky and i am looking forward to it.

I'm just pissy because we have two awesome consoles, both redonkulously powerful and instead of new, innovative, tech-pushing games, we get old wet farts. I know, i know, the games will come, but for fuck sake, it's been six years!!

I mean I get what you are saying but unlike Xbox, at least Sony has 2 next-gen games coming in the launch timeframe. But good wishes for Xbox, I hope it delivers some absolute next-gen bangers!

I ain't arsed about the badge, both have made cutting edge consoles which is great. I jsut really, really want to see what they can do.

It's like buying a brand new super car, but you have to wait 6 months to have the steering wheel installed.
 
Nowt against demons souls, and i respect the fully rebuilt from the ground up malarky and i am looking forward to it.

I'm just pissy because we have two awesome consoles, both redonkulously powerful and instead of new, innovative, tech-pushing games, we get old wet farts. I know, i know, the games will come, but for fuck sake, it's been six years!!



I ain't arsed about the badge, both have made cutting edge consoles which is great. I jsut really, really want to see what they can do.

It's like buying a brand new super car, but you have to wait 6 months to have the steering wheel installed.
Yea I agree with your sentiment. I mean Sony should have lead with cutting edge and highly innovative titles given the "we believe in generations" motto they were selling us. But I guess this is launch year for you. Still, really stoked about DS!
 

LordOfChaos

Member
Nowt against demons souls, and i respect the fully rebuilt from the ground up malarky and i am looking forward to it.

I'm just pissy because we have two awesome consoles, both redonkulously powerful and instead of new, innovative, tech-pushing games, we get old wet farts. I know, i know, the games will come, but for fuck sake, it's been six years!!

Honestly the only real tech show case of the PS4's launch was Killzone Shadowfall and the actual game was crummy because of the rush to do it.

I get wanting to see what these can do pushed to their peak, but that's always come with a bit more time. God of War is going to stun, no doubt in my mind.

Besides, if a remake is an amazing showing already, fair is fair, eh? Isn't very nearly no loading "next gen gameplay"?

 

Men_in_Boxes

Snake Oil Salesman
Arrowhead Studio is most likely making a PS5 exclusive to be published by Sony. Their game has been in development since 2016. I expect we'll see it at the VGAs.
 
Honestly the only real tech show case of the PS4's launch was Killzone Shadowfall and the actual game was crummy because of the rush to do it.

I get wanting to see what these can do pushed to their peak, but that's always come with a bit more time. God of War is going to stun, no doubt in my mind.

Besides, if a remake is an amazing showing already, fair is fair, eh? Isn't very nearly no loading "next gen gameplay"?


Infamous (whenever that came out) was a peak in tech for me.

I did want the killzone, Condemned and Halo:CE moment. We only get one chance at those kind of things and they only come once every 6 or 7 years. We might not make another 6 years

Yeah the no loading times is going to be ace. I hope, i really really hope, that Gamepass games have 'zero' loading times on them. I want to play through W3 again but i can't be arsed with the load screens.
 
What's "Next gen gameplay"? R&C Rift Apart is next gen only, Demons Souls remake is next gen only. It was just Forbidden West and Spidey that had those awkward reversals, at least so far, but the former two are clearly doing things not possible on last gen.

lots of the more ardent sony fans were swallowing everything cerny and co said and were expecting "never before seen experiences" thanks to the power of sony's magical ssd. They forgot its a fucking storage device. Marketing defeated them. PS5 has weaker everything than xbox, and the only thing they got left was the ... drive on which you store games. So they started going full steam ahead with the storage. After a few years will pass, i think a lot of people will look back and have a good laugh at this, that they were thinking the storage drive would utterly alter the game making universe
 

Batiman

Banned
Really only excited about R&C, Miles, and GOW. There’s not much there for me. Hopefully naughty dog makes something different
 

ZywyPL

Banned
Great OP, however I wouldn't mind a simple, short summary list of which studio is working on what title ;) Looking forward for more GT7 news, I know it isn't coming anytime soon, but that's the game I'm mostly looking forward to.
 
Bend studio's Day's Gone was super underrated and would do well from a very simple 60fps patch on PS5 or rerelease on PC. It's a stellar game that didn't get it's due.

That is some fucking quality in developers right there. Sony have nothing to worry about this gen.

And Everyone whining about DeS being a remake? Willing to bet they never played the original.

I bought DeS at a port call in Mexico on the way back to California. I had never heard of the game and bought solely on box art and boredom of being underway for months at a time. What a game that was. So many times I wanted to snap that disk and just chuck it overboard. Never did finish it myself, but what a game. Dark Souls though felt better to me in every way possible.
 

On Demand

Banned
Quality over quantity. MS may have 23 studios, not all of them output high quality console selling games. People get fooled by numbers always.

That said, Sony won't always be at 13 studios for long. Unfortunately more studio purchases is bound to happen.
 
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Snake29

RSI Employee of the Year
Wasn't there that unannounced "still" secret studio somewhere creating a big AAA game?
 
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Redlancet

Banned
Bend studio's Day's Gone was super underrated and would do well from a very simple 60fps patch on PS5 or rerelease on PC. It's a stellar game that didn't get it's due.



I bought DeS at a port call in Mexico on the way back to California. I had never heard of the game and bought solely on box art and boredom of being underway for months at a time. What a game that was. So many times I wanted to snap that disk and just chuck it overboard. Never did finish it myself, but what a game. Dark Souls though felt better to me in every way possible.

i buyed dark souls on korea,i wasa big fan of the kings field games,demons souls was awesome in every aspect, its the "souls"game i have enjoyed more
 

KyoZz

Tag, you're it.
Great OP, however I wouldn't mind a simple, short summary list of which studio is working on what title ;) Looking forward for more GT7 news, I know it isn't coming anytime soon, but that's the game I'm mostly looking forward to.

Made a quick one 🖖
 
Checked the list and it looks pretty nice for my taste:

Demon's Soul = hell yes, maybe one of those rare games I am willing to pay full price
Gran Turismo 7 = maybe from sale if it have good campaing
God of War Ragnarök = yes
Days Gone 2 = first one is one best games of the gen so yes
multiplayer for LOU II = havent played it yet, too much political stuff floating around it
MLB 21 = no thanks
Horizon Forbidden West = no thanks
Dreams = havent yet checked really what it is about
multiplayer add-on for Ghost of Tsushima = YES
Spider-Man: Miles Morales = no thanks, maybe from sale
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart = looks cool, from sale / used

So around 6 / 13 sounds worthwile, and 2-3 could be ok but didnt like the first part (horizon and spider-man)
 

ANIMAL1975

Member
This pales in comparison to the XBOX Studios and their line up.
History in the making, Phil, history, in, the, making.

:)
Good for you mate.
Picture at the top is doing a lot of those characters dirty, lol
What does that even mean!?
Cleaned up the quote obvious console war bait posts.
I think you missed two, but nonetheless great job and fast too, thanks Mod.

Now on topic, sorry but but i have to do some bitching: can someone explain to me why Insomniac could deliver this Gen (after the Xbox game) RC reboot, Spider-Man, and has already miles morales and a new RC almost done!... while studios like Polyphony only made GT Sport, and GT7 is not at launch!? Santa Monica only one God of War the intire gen? And only has a logo for the next one? Bend one game. Japan Studios, one of Sonys bigger houses, half the gen co producing or supporting third-parties, and then releasing some AA games, always rumored to have a new big AAA rpg to be announced, nothing happened... and what do they have for next gen? Co producing DS with Bluepoint... Shit things need some shaking and hope that's why Hurst (think that's his name) was put on the helm of WWS!
 

kruis

Exposing the sinister cartel of retailers who allow companies to pay for advertising space.
Quality over quantity. MS may have 23 studios, not all of them output high quality console selling games. People get fooled by numbers always.

That said, Sony won't always be at 13 studios for long. Unfortunately more studio purchases is bound to happen.

Housemarque is an obvious fit. They've done many PS exclusives for Sony and are now developing their biggest budget game for the PS5. But why buy them when they're already a longtime PS developer?
 

ripeavocado

Banned
Sony has few underperforming studios starting with Polyphony that has had an embarassing output for years.

They need another racing team, Playstation needs its own Forza Horizon.

They should add 2 other teams as well, 1 if they put the London Studio to work on AAA projects instead of VR.
They can outsource VR to others as long as they don't screw up like with that Astrobot PS5 game that looks straight from a PS2 demo disc.
 
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ripeavocado

Banned
This pales in comparison to the XBOX Studios and their line up.
History in the making, Phil, history, in, the, making.

:)

They pale in comparison to the XBOX Studios since the last acquisition but their line up is still barebone.

They have plenty of studios now but their console launch lineup is the worst that I remember and Halo is a disaster.

So yeah, Sony definitely needs to counterbalance this but they have few years to do it. The competition is still weak if they don't release games.
 

yurinka

Member
This thread feels weird without all these 2nd party studios whose games always sound so close to Sony. I bet that with money from the PS5 launch they'll buy one or two of them.
 

Men_in_Boxes

Snake Oil Salesman
This thread feels weird without all these 2nd party studios whose games always sound so close to Sony. I bet that with money from the PS5 launch they'll buy one or two of them.

Bluepoint, Housemarque, and Arrowhead Studio.

Any others?
 
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kyoji

Member
Im looking foward to The Returnal, i hope we get to see some more gameplay soon, getting some metroid vibes from it!
 

Agent X

Member
Now on topic, sorry but but i have to do some bitching: can someone explain to me why Insomniac could deliver this Gen (after the Xbox game) RC reboot, Spider-Man, and has already miles morales and a new RC almost done!... while studios like Polyphony only made GT Sport, and GT7 is not at launch!? Santa Monica only one God of War the intire gen? And only has a logo for the next one? Bend one game. Japan Studios, one of Sonys bigger houses, half the gen co producing or supporting third-parties, and then releasing some AA games, always rumored to have a new big AAA rpg to be announced, nothing happened... and what do they have for next gen? Co producing DS with Bluepoint... Shit things need some shaking and hope that's why Hurst (think that's his name) was put on the helm of WWS!

Good point. The person you're referring to at the head of Worldwide Studios is Hermen Hulst.

Some of the studios do appear to be more productive than others, but even the seemingly "underperforming" studios (e.g. Polyphony Digital in recent years) have certain niches. Also, some of Sony's studios also collaborate with independent studios in production of certain Sony-published games--for instance, Santa Monica Studio has done this a lot.

Housemarque is an obvious fit. They've done many PS exclusives for Sony and are now developing their biggest budget game for the PS5. But why buy them when they're already a longtime PS developer?

I agree that Sony doesn't "need" to acquire a developer like Housemarque. In light of recent events over the last 2-3 years (and even more so in the last 2-3 weeks), there's a lingering fear that if Sony doesn't snap them up quickly, then someone else will (solely to deny Sony the ability to work with that developer ever again). I would not be surprised if that was a motivating factor behind Sony's purchase of Insomniac Games.
 
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