PlayStation has cut a deal to purchase Savage Game Studios, which will join the company's newly created PlayStation Studios Mobile Division.
Hermen Hulst, the head of PlayStation Studios, broke the news in a post on PlayStation's official blog, where they further explain the reasons behind the acquisition. According to Hulst, Savage is made up of "a team of hugely talented creatives with many years of experience making some of the most popular mobile games enjoyed by players around the world." Hulst went on to describe that the group was founded with the goal that it would "fearlessly explore bold new ideas," a company creed that made them an ideal partner for PlayStation as they move to expand into the mobile gaming market.
Headquartered in Germany and Finland, Savage Game Studios was founded in 2020 by Michail Katkoff, Nadjim Adjir and Michael McManus. As the company website describes, the group's mission is to "make action games with epic stories to foster lasting connections with players around the world," which seems a natural complement to Hulst's goal of creating "amazing, single-player narrative-driven experiences." In the post, Katkoff was given the opportunity to introduce his company to the PlayStation community and to share their feelings about the partnership.
"Our guiding vision was a creative space where experimentation and taking risks weren't warily avoided, but rather eagerly embraced," Katkoff explained. They went on to elaborate that "We made this deal because we believe that PlayStation Studios respects our vision for how we can best operate and succeed, and because they too are not afraid to take chances."
According to Hulst, PlayStation Studios Mobile Division will operate independently of the company's console division to develop "innovative, on-the-go experiences based on new and existing PlayStation IP." It was also stressed that PlayStation's expansion into mobile gaming would not diminish the company's other objectives, including their single-player IPs and efforts to bring select titles such as Marvel's Spider-Man to PC. Hulst also teased that Savage Game Studios is working on an unannounced Triple A mobile live-service action game.
PlayStation has several high-profile titles in the works, including God of War: Ragnarok, which will launch for PS5 on Nov. 9, and Horizon Call of The Mountain, which will utilize PlayStation's upcoming VR2 system. The Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection, which includes Uncharted 4: A Thief's End and a remastered version of Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, will also be released for PC, although there is still not a confirmed release date.
Source: PlayStation