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Sony buys The Playroom developers to bolster its PlayStation Studios

Sony buys The Playroom developers to bolster its PlayStation Studios

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Firesprite is Sony’s latest PlayStation Studios acquisition

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A screenshot from The Playroom.
A screenshot from The Playroom.
Image: Firesprite

Sony announced that it will acquire UK-based studio Firesprite, the developers of The Playroom and The Playroom VR. It’s unclear what Firesprite might be working on in its new first-party capacity, but executives are already hyping what’s to come. “Firesprite’s ability to weave best-in-class gameplay with new technology is exceptional and I think fans will be excited about their creative vision for the future,” Hermen Hulst, the head of PlayStation Studios, said in a press release.

Firespite was founded by staffers from Sony Interactive Entertainment’s Liverpool studio, so there are already strong connections between the two companies. While Firesprite’s experience with The Playroom VR could suggest that the company is working on a game for Sony’s next-gen PlayStation VR headset, in an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Hulst didn’t commit to anything. “It’s too early to talk about what specific platforms or experiences that we’re going to collaborate on with Firesprite,” he said. “But that experience [in VR] is very valuable.”

Firesprite will be the 14th studio in the PlayStation Studios lineup

Firespite will be the 14th studio in the PlayStation Studios lineup. The acquisition is the third in what’s been something of a buying spree for Sony as of late; it acquired Returnal developer Housemarque in June and Dutch studio Nixxes in July. Other PlayStation Studios include big names like Ratchet & Clank developers Insomniac Games, Horizon Zero Dawn developers Guerrilla Games, and The Last of Us developers Naughty Dog.