Sony Interactive Entertainment has announced its acquisition of Firewalk Studios from ProbablyMonsters, and will now be part of PlayStation Studios. Last year, the two companies announced their partnership to publish a multiplayer game. According to head of PlayStation Studios Hermen Hulst, the studio is “already hard at work on their first original AAA multiplayer game for PlayStation.”
Great news: @FirewalkStudios is joining the PlayStation Studios family!
Learn more about this talented team and their plan to connect players in new and innovative ways in their ambitious upcoming multiplayer game: https://t.co/30jQNY3qen pic.twitter.com/8wB3pEsbrH
— PlayStation (@PlayStation) April 20, 2023
Hulst full statement regarding the announcement:
“I’m excited to announce that we’ve expanded our relationship with Firewalk Studios and are thrilled to welcome them to PlayStation Studios. Firewalk is home to a remarkably talented team of creatives who have launched some of gaming’s most celebrated experiences, and they’re already hard at work on their first original AAA multiplayer game for PlayStation.
Since announcing our publishing partnership with ProbablyMonsters and Firewalk in 2021, we continue to be impressed by the team’s ambitions to build a modern multiplayer game that connects players in new and innovative ways. The studio shares our passion for creating inspiring worlds grounded in exceptional gameplay, and we want to continue to invest in their mission. We’re excited for Firewalk to bring their technical and creative expertise to PlayStation Studios to help grow our live service operations and deliver something truly special for gamers.”
A statement from Firewalk Studios studio head Tony Hsu and game director Ryan Ellis:
Every once in a while, you get to have an adventure.
Over five years ago, we jumped at the chance to set up a new studio and build a new intellectual property from the ground up. Recalling our own favorite times with games, we founded Firewalk Studios around the idea of delivering memorable moments—those amazing, had-to-be-there times shared with other people. Our goal is to deliver those shared moments of joy to players around the world.
Building a new studio at scale has been an incredibly exhilarating and relentlessly daunting task. Fortunately, we’ve been supported by great partners throughout—ProbablyMonsters helped turbocharge us in setting up the studio, and Sony has been supporting our project and our creative vision from the beginning.
We’ve assembled some of the most inspired talent in the industry to deliver awe-inspiring new worlds and experiences filled with great core gameplay. The excitement of building something new for players has thoroughly energized the team and our partners, and we’ve been playtesting every day.
Today we’re taking the next natural step and joining PlayStation Studios. We’ve worked closely with Hermen and the very talented team at PlayStation for years, helping to make our new game even better. To join PlayStation Studios is to formally become part of a family that has produced many of the most storied games of our age, and we are honored.
We want to thank everyone who’s supported us along the way and those looking forward to our future. It’s been an incredible journey so far, and we can’t wait for the next chapter in this adventure.
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