Today, PlayStation revealed its intention to buy Savage Game Studios to support the creation of mobile games. The news was made on the PS Blog by PlayStation Studios president Hermen Hulst. If you are unfamiliar with the group, it is a mobile game development firm made up of two European studios.
Veterans from major mobile developers like Rovio, Zynga, Wargaming, and others make up its crew. “A very skilled team of creatives with many years of expertise producing some of the most well-known mobile games played by people across the world,” is how Hulst defines Savage.
On August 29, 2022, PlayStation Studios published a PlayStation Blog article announcing the acquisition of Savage Game Studios. Veteran mobile game developers Michail Katkoff (Rovio, Zynga), Nadjim Adjir (Wargaming, Rovio), and Michael McManus established Savage Game Studios in 2020. (Wargaming, Insomniac).
This team will now be a part of the newly created PlayStation Studios Mobile Division, which “will operate separately from our console development and focus on creative, on-the-go experiences based on new and emerging technologies,” according to the announcement of the acquisition.
Although Sony has previously stated that it aims to increase and deepen its efforts in the mobile market, this appears to be its first significant step in that area. Hulst emphasizes the number of significant first-party games PlayStation Studios has released this year, such as Gran Turismo 7 and Horizon Forbidden West, in his assurance that this won’t affect the studio’s creation of “great single-player, narrative-driven experiences.” The company’s mobile output will be “similarly additive,” expanding PlayStation’s reach beyond your PS5 or PS4 consoles, much like with its PC ports.
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How Did Savage Game Studios Fare?
Savage Game Studios, a maker of mobile games, has formally agreed to be purchased by PlayStation, according to an announcement. Furthermore, Savage Game Studios will join PlayStation Studios as a first-party developer like any other, but it will do so as a member of the recently established PlayStation Studios Mobile Division.
Toshihiro Kawamoto’s 1997 promo art for Ghost in the Shell on the PlayStation. pic.twitter.com/Y7dBQ8rmMR
— NBA Jam (the book) (@nbajambook) August 26, 2022
What Does Sony Interactive Entertainment’s Acquisition Mean For PlayStation?
Herman Hulst, the CEO of PlayStation Studios, said in a statement that the purchase “reaffirms Sony Interactive Entertainment’s commitment to offering creative experiences to new gamers across the world by extending to multiple platforms.”
Why Did Sony Enter The Mobile Gaming Market?
Sony claims that its activities outside of the console market do not lessen its dedication to the PlayStation community or its enthusiasm for continuing to create single-player, narrative-driven experiences. According to the business, its mobile gaming initiatives will offer methods for more individuals to interact with its games.
PlayStation Acquires Savage Game Studios
Savage Game Studios, which I co-founded with Nadjim Adjir and Michael McManus, was founded in 2020 as a result of our extensive expertise in creating mobile games for a variety of hugely popular international IPs. Our overarching goal was to create a creative environment where taking chances and experimenting were warmly encouraged rather than cautiously avoided. We’ve all worked at large studios, and while we appreciate the benefits of having access to a lot of resources, we wanted to remain small and nimble so that we could make our own decisions.
You might be asking yourself, “So why then would you join PlayStation Studios?” We reached this agreement because we think PlayStation Studios’ leadership appreciates our idea of how we might work and prosper and because they, too, share that goal.
Thank you for having us, on behalf of everyone at Savage Game Studios. We are eager to share what we have been working on with you. – David Kickoff
In order to ensure that the quality and innovation are in line with what we’ve seen in the console development market, the company’s CEO said they were excited to offer a chosen title of the mobile experience on PC as well.
She claims that they are happy of joining the PlayStation and of the many outstanding games that will be available there soon, in addition to the new technologies that will be available like the PS VR2. Additionally, they are quite pleased with the new Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered release on the PlayStation PC.
Our activities outside of the PlayStation community in no way lessen our dedication to the PlayStation community or our desire for continuing to create incredible single-player, narrative-driven experiences, as we have informed you of our plans to bring some titles to the PC. With major releases like Gran Turismo 7, MLB The Show 22, Horizon Forbidden West, and the eagerly awaited God of War: Ragnarök on November 9, it’s been a fantastic year for PS5 and PS4 titles.
The PlayStation VR2 is also coming soon, and it promises to make a significant improvement in presence and immersion thanks to top-tier content like Horizon: Call of the Mountain. We’re also pleased with the PC titles we’ve released, like Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered and the forthcoming Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection, which provides players.
