Now Housemarque talks about the most sensational game story of the summer: "Sony bought us because we do something others don't do"
Yle interviewed Housemarque's Ilari Kuittinen and Mikael Haveri about the recent acquisition. The deal is one of the largest in the history of the Finnish gaming industry.
The hottest game news of the summer was heard last Tuesday, when the gaming company Sony Interactive Entertainment announced that it had bought Housemarque, the oldest and one of the largest gaming companies in Finland, founded in 1995.
However, according to Ilari Kuittinen, co-founder and CEO of Housemarque, Sony has not been the only party interested in Housemarque, and that other gaming giants had also been involved.
- "Usual Suspects, ie major players in the field from China, Sweden and the United States. I have to say that it's been a very unusual spring for us and the fact that there has been competition to get us feels a little surreal."
The giant deal, the price of which is secret, could be said to be a logical continuation to Housemarque's operations and development.
- "This deal gives us the financial freedom to develop the company towards being like the best gaming studios in the world. It allows us to create new gaming experiences that are even bigger and more ambitious" Kuittinen says.
Housemarque's latest game, Returnal, gives an indication of the future. The unique Returnal was done in four years and cost tens of millions of euros to make. At the same time, the critically acclaimed game elevated Housemarque to the AAA Series, the maker of big-budget games.
Sony has been a long-term partner
Housemarque has been working closely with Sony for fifteen years, since the days of the Playstation 3. In addition, Sony was a sponsor and publisher of Returnal. According to Housemarque Marketing Manager Mikael Haveri, in addition to a long history, trust has developed between the companies, and now was the right time to join forces.
- "We have never been this big as a company and Returnal is our biggest output so far. One could talk about some kind of climax: we are now looking at the potential future. What if we put even more ammunition in and made games for large audiences with high goals in terms of artistry and innovation as well?" Haveri anticipates
Sony-owned gaming houses include the Dutch Guerrilla Games as well as the American Naughty Dog and Insomniac Games.
- "This is already the first class based on numerous international awards. It's pretty nice to be in a family like this", Mikael Haveri sums up.
One of the sources of inspiration for Returnal's scary monsters has been the gloomy surreal and disturbing nightmares of Polish contemporary artist Zdzisław Beksiński. Seeking inspiration from such a source brings a clear distinction to Housemarque.
A game house of its own kind
Trade invariably involves mutual benefits, as is the case with Housemarque and Sony. According to Ilari Kuittinen, Sony will now get a gaming company in its portfolio that does completely unique games .
- "In our discussions, it became clear that Sony wanted to buy us because we are doing something that others are not doing. Their starting point has not been that we would start making games according to the formula defined by Sony."
According to Mikael Haveri, the diversity and distinctiveness of Housemarque has also been beneficial.
- "We have not been the biggest product, but we have managed to activate players for an exchange of opinions. This has its advantages."
Sony is a Japanese company, and the Japanese are known to have sympathies for Finns. This is also probably some kind of point of attraction between Sony and Housemarque.
- "Just over ten years ago, the Japanese FromSoftware brought the challenge back to the game world with its game Dark Souls. In this sense, we can also find relatives there" Ilari Kuittinen says.
According to Kuittinen, there are other common factors.
- "For example, work culture and fascination with technological development are such things. On the other hand, it is difficult to say what kind of benefit could be talked about in the case of Finnishness, and whether the benefit comes through something indirectly."
Housemarque has got into the top club
According to game editor and author Juho Kuorikoski, the deal between Sony and Housemarque has nothing but benefits for both parties.
- "This is a really big deal. Sony now has its own gaming studio in Finland, and although Housemarque has been an important partner for Sony in the past, it is now an insider and has gained access to a great group."
According to Kuorikoski, for Housemarque, above all, the trade means stability and continuity.
- "Four years ago, Housemarque had quite difficult moments with its game Nex Machina, but at the moment, the company's future is secured."
Large game deals have been made in Finland before. Supercell was taken over by Chinese Tencent in 2016, and American company Zynga bought Small Giant Games a couple of years ago. These are mobile gaming companies.
- "If you think of Housemarque, a console game deal of this size class has hardly been made in Finland before" Juho Kuorikoski says.
But what kind of future plans does the now Sony-owned Housemarque have?
- "Now we sit back, take a summer vacation and in the autumn we develop and try new ideas. Something bigger and more ambitious is coming, Ilari Kuittinen says."
Translation Google Translate with some translation errors fixed.
Edit: Some grammatical errors.
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