Sony has acquired developer Firewalk Studios from Bungie boss Harold Ryan’s ProbeMonsters Collective, making it the PlayStation’s 20th first-party studio.
Firewalk was founded in 2018, possibly as a subsidiary of Monsters, and has yet to release its first game. However, the studio announced a partnership with Sony in 2021 to create a new PlayStation-exclusive triple-A title focused on delivering “memorable multiplayer moments”.
In a PlayStation Blog post announcing the acquisition, PlayStation Studios head Herman Hulst explained that it was Firewalk’s work on the still-mysterious title — a project led by former Destiny creative director Ryan Ellis — that would allow Sony to acquire the developer’s rights. motivated to acquire.
“Since announcing our publishing partnership in 2021, we have been impressed by the team’s ambitions to create a modern multiplayer game that engages players in new and innovative ways,” Hulst wrote. “The studio shares our passion for creating inspiring worlds based on exceptional gameplay, and we look forward to continuing to invest in their mission.”
Hulst said that FireWalk will “bring its technical and creative expertise to PlayStation Studios” to help enhance our live service operations and deliver something truly special for gamers.
Of course, Sony has given up all on live service titles in recent years, with the company previously saying it expects to release 12 live service games by 2025, six of which will happen by the end of this year. Despite Sony’s ambitious schedule, we’ve heard little about specifics about any of these projects, but we do know at least a few of the studios.
Bungie, which was acquired by Sony to help it grow its live service operations in 2022, is working on a new franchise code-named Matter, and PlayStation on the way from Sony’s London studio, Jade Raymond’s Haven Studios -The exclusive online/live service are Games (which Sony bought last year), Deviation Games and Naughty Dog – who have been working on a new The Last of Us multiplayer game for years now.
Additionally, Guerrilla Games is developing a new co-op focused online project Horizon, and it was previously reported that UK developer Firesprite has a Twisted Metal game in the works.