What Are PlayStation Studios Working On… A Look At Their Studios
After a decent 2022, PlayStation Studios had a very mild 2023 in comparison, they only released 3 titles, yes only 3 and there was no major industry news like any acquisitions, though they did bring developer Firewalk Studios into their family.
The games that did get released were great, MLB The Show 23 continued to deliver an incredible amount of realism for fans of the long running baseball series and of course, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 expanded on everything that made the first game great. Sadly 2023 saw Pixelopus shut down, and other studios had staff laid off, so it was not all roses last year.
They did have more tech releases in 2023 than games, so we need to talk about those starting with the PlayStation VR2, it launched back in February 2023 and barely made noise, which is a shame as the tech powering the headset is incredible and the games made for it are delightful. PlayStation also joined the accessible gaming controller space with their Access controller and in other parts of the world the Pulse Elite Wireless headset became a hit, we will see it land in February. There were also the first PlayStation branded earbuds released, along with the PlayStation 5 slim consoles and the weird PlayStation Portal device.
So with a host of tech out and not many games, does that mean 2024 is going to be a much bigger deal for PlayStation? Let’s find out.
BEND Studios
Last Game Released: Days Gone | Series: Syphon Filter Series
It was way back in 2019 that Bend Studios released a game, with Days Gone and while it did hit PC a few years later, it was not them that worked on it directly. What we have seen from them since is very little, we got confirmation that they are working on a new game, which is an all-new ip and will offer multiplayer and use open-world systems, similar to those found in Days Gone.
The studio is not known for pumping things out, as before Days Gone, their previous game released in 2012, 7 years before. If they keep to a similar time frame for this release, it means we are still a few years away from having whatever it is, in our hands, but I suspect we will see something well before then. The studio is actively hiring for a few roles, so they are not likely to reveal the game anytime soon, but they have been creating a series of videos that dives into game development, you can check out the first below.
BluePoint Games
Last Game Released: Demon Souls | Series: Many ports and collections
While Demon Souls was the last game that the studio developed themselves, they were co-developers on God of War Ragnarök, which released in 2022. The studio is not big so most of the staff would have been assigned to GoW whilst that was in full swing, but that was more than a year ago and long before it released, we learnt that the studio was working on something new.
As for what the new game is, we know it has combat within it, which does lend itself to the history of games created by the studio. While it might be great to say that a remake from the team would be wonderful, we know that this next project is an all-new title. Given their release cadence is usually 3 years between projects, odds are we won’t hear anything from them until the end of 2024 at the earliest, but happy to be proven wrong.
Bungie
Last Game Released: Destiny 2 | Series: Halo series, Marathon Series, Oni
2023 was shaping up to be just another year for Bungie, they released another Destiny expansion in Lightfall at the start of the year and then hosted their usual line up of events in-game as the year progressed. But then in the middle of the year, they made headlines with the reveal of Marathon, an all-new game in their original fps world, the last game was released back in 1996.
Sadly it was not meant to be a high for the year as reports started surfacing about players being unhappy with Destiny 2, there being access issues, cheaters populating the game and more. This lead to the developer delaying The Final Shape expansion from its planned February release by more than 3 months to June 2024. The Marathon reboot was hoping for a 2024 release, but has been delayed until an unknown date in 2025 and of course, a hundred or so developers were let go. Given the studios refocus on quality for Destiny 2 and the new release date for Marathon, it is unlikely we will hear much from them unless its about things we already know.
FireSprite
Last Game Released: Horizon Call of the Mountain | Series: The Playroom, The Persistence
2023 was a great year for Firesprite, not only have they made some great games before in VR, but last year saw them release the incredible Horizon Call of the Mountain for PlayStation VR2. The studio also bought another studio, Fabrik Games, bringing their total headcount to well over 300 staff, but since the studio has been radio silent.
There are reports that the studio is working on some parts of Star Citizen, but given that game has been in development for 13 years now, with no clear release date, we shall leave it be. We do know that the studio is working on a few things and are hiring for different genres, with multiplayer action and horror being the two of them. Given that the studio is known for their VR work, its entirely possible that they could be for PlayStation VR2, or they could be for PlayStation 5 direct, we just don’t know, but given the time since their last release and how many staff they have, we might hear something from them sooner than you think.
Firewalk Studios
Last Game Released: None | Series: None
Firewalk Studios is an odd duck, they were founded in 2018, with a lot of the folks coming from Activision and Bungie, but it wasn’t until 2021 that they started working on their current game, with PlayStation offering up their support. Fast forward to last year and in April 2023, they were bought up by Sony to be another 1st party studio.
As for the game, that is Concord, which was announced last year and is coming to both PlayStation 5 and PC on the same day, with it being a multiplayer only, first-person shooter. Details on exactly what the game will offer are scarce, but we do know it will have a unique cast of characters, so take that how you will. As for when, the game is dated for 2024, so if they are sticking to that, we should start to see more on it as the year progresses.
GUERRILLA GAMES
Last Game Released: Horizon Forbidden West | Series: Killzone series, Horizon series
2023 saw Guerrilla Games release the expansion for Horizon Forbidden West, but only on PlayStation 5 and while Burning Shores extended the story of Aloy, it didn’t do that much beyond it. The studio is known to have two teams and if you assume one of them worked on the expansion, that means the other team is still working away on something else. There were rumours of a tv series and a MMO based on the Horizon IP, but the first likely stalled due to the combined writer and actors strikes and the MMO has never been confirmed.
The MMO news was tied to NCSoft, who are known for their work on Guild Wars and Lineage, but in November 2023, it was confirmed that Sony and NCSoft would be working together, with the statement "collaborate in various global business fields, including mobile" being their goal. Does this mean the MMO is happening, or is more akin of a Horizon endless runner coming? Honestly there is no way of knowing. As far as their next game, it is likely to be a while away as the studio is still hiring across a number of major disciplines, including technical directors, programmers, designers and even dialogue writers.
Haven Studios
Last Game Released: None | Series: None
Haven Studios is still a new-ish group, that was created by industry veteran Jade Raymond, who helped create both Assassin’s Creed and Watch_Dogs for Ubisoft, as well as starting Motive Studios for Electronic Arts. Her new studio announced their debut game last year, Fairgame$ and while the game is confirmed to be coming to PlayStation 5 and PC, the only other bit of information we know is that it is a PvP multiplayer heist game.
Will the game release this year, unlikely. The studio is still looking to fill some pretty substantial roles like technical producers and gameplay programmers. What we should be getting from them is a gameplay reveal later in the year, as Sony have stopped showing games off too early lately. If there is a PlayStation Showcase in the middle of the year, it might appear there, but later in the year is more likely.
HouseMarque
Last Game Released: Returnal | Series: Super Stardust series
Returnal was a big hit for Housemarque and we know that a sequel is in the works, but in November of 2023, the original games director left the studio, which was also the first piece of news we got from this since the PC release of the game earlier that year.
2024 will see the studio move to a new dedicated facility, with it being reported that it will span over 3,000 square metres and house facilities such as a movie theatre, wellness areas, a podcast studio, café, two floating audio stations, and more. That move is not expected until the end of the year, so until then life will carry on as normal, the only question is on what. The studio does have two teams working, if one of them is on Returnal 2, that leaves the other to be working on something else. Sadly Stormdivers, which was announced long before Returnal, has been given the boot, with it no longer coming.
Insomniac Games
Last Game Released: Marvel's Spider-Man 2 | Series: Spyro series, Ratchet & Clank series, Resistance series
2023 was a quiet year for this studio, they in no way released one of the best games of the year in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, well apart from the fact they did. While the studio has a few teams internally, they are not known for showing things off long before they are ready, the exception for that is Wolverine. The studio has tended to release a game every few years, though they do offset that occasionally with smaller titles.
We know that the studio is working on Wolverine next, but there is no word on when exactly it is aiming for its release. If the studio was working on that at the same time as Spider-Man 2, then a release with the next 18 months could be possible, but I would imagine that team was cannibalised at the end to get Spidey swinging out the door. There was of course that hack of Insomniac, which I honestly don’t know much about as I was travelling when it took place, given details from it will have impacted expectations, the work the studio was planning on may alter in some fashion, any existing release plans could also shift. However outside of a few patches and support for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, I would not expect to hear much from this group in 2024.
London Studio
Last Game Released: Blood & Truth | Series: Singstar series, EyeToy series
For a studio known for pumping out games with Singstar, they have been very quiet for far too long now. Their last released game Blood & Truth releasing in 2019 and here we are 4 years later and we still don’t have details on their next game. We do know it will be set in modern day London, at least one that is fused with fantasy elements and it will not be a VR title.
Given the game was teased more than a year ago and we are now approaching 5 years without a release, hearing more from the studio on whatever the game is called, is quite likely. We know that is an online co-op combat game, but as the studio is still hiring for gameplay and combat programmers, as of just a few months ago, a release is still likely a way off.
Media Molecule
Last Game Released: Dreams | Series: Little Big Planet series
The Dreams are dead, at least new content and support for the game Dreams is no longer, something that was announced in April 2023 and took effect in September 2023. The game will set get support for bug fixes and such, but new assets or tools are not happening any more. With that change, developer Media Molecule is focusing on their next game, whatever that is.
Sadly 2023 was not a great year for the studio, Mark Healey, one of the founders of the company left and then layoffs took place in October, with a 15% reduction in staff taking place. The fact that they are now hiring for new positions is also stupid, but there you go. As the roles they are looking to fill are varied, there is no indication about what type of game they are looking to produce, but given Dreams support only just wrapped a few months ago, I wouldn’t expect to hear anything from them this year.
Naughty Dog
Last Game Released: The Last of Us Part I | Series: Uncharted series, The Last of Us series
2023 started out as a great year for Naughty Dog, they were coming off the release of The Last of Us Part 1, the remake of the original game, they then had their tv debut with the TV series based off of it and then in March the PC release of the game happened. The news at the end of 2022 was great, with more games coming and then in late 2023 a PlayStation 5 remaster of The Last of Us Part 2 was announced, but sadly the good news had to end. In December 2023, it was announced that the multiplayer game set within the world of The Last of Us was cancelled.
With that cancellation, the only game confirmed is the Part 2 remaster, which is out in a few weeks. We know Neil Druckmann is working on something new, but there is no word on what that might be. The studio is not on a hiring binge or anything, which can sometimes give us an idea on what might be coming, but we are just in the dark here. Maybe Druckmann’s new game is a return to the Crash Bandicoot genre, albeit with a new character, only time will tell and sadly that time won’t be 2024.
Neon Koi
Last Game Released: None | Series: None
Neon Koi, or as they were formally known Savage Game Studios has been a part of the PlayStation Studios family for a year now and apart from a name change, they haven’t done anything. The studio is a mobile title focused developer, so maybe a God of War match-3 game is on the way, but honestly there is no telling what they are doing, as mobile game development marches to a different beat than the rest.
Given the studio has been in operation for a while now, they should have something ready to show and 2024 needs to be the year that they do.
NIXXES
Last Game Released: None | Series: Many ports
The studio known as Nixxes is not a development house like the others in the list, but is a support and port studio. They are the folks that brought Horizon Zero Dawn, Marvel’s Spider-Man and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart to PC, along with supporting other games by creating assets.
Given their pedigree as a support studio, and their close ties with Horizon developer Guerrilla Games, odds are that they were working on bringing Horizon Forbidden West to the PC, its just hard to know if that would release this year or later on.
Polyphony Digital
Last Game Released: Gran Turismo 7 | Series: Gran Turismo series
As Polyphony Digital release a game every 5-6 years and Gran Turismo just dropped in March 2022, we still have plenty of time to worry about what the next game is. In the mean time expect more cars and updates to GT7, which seem to happen every month or so.
Beyond those, you shouldn’t expect to hear the name in 2023, but happy to be surprised.
San Diego Studio
Last Game Released: MLB The Show 23 | Series: MLB The Show series
This is the studio that makes one game every year, MLB The Show and while its a PlayStation owned studio, the licence requirements demanded that it come to more platforms, which is how we can get the game on Switch and Xbox.
Unless the studio has decided they no longer want to make MLB titles, which after 20 years might happen (it won’t), then expect to hear their name in February as they begin their 2 month news cycle, in the lead up to the April release. That release date might not be set, but the month of April has been the same for years, as it ties in with the actual start of the baseball season.
San Mateo Studio
Last Game Released: None | Series: None
Much like Nixxes above San Mateo is a support studio, they primarily create assets for other games that PlayStation Studios are working on. As they do that, they don’t create games of their own, so apart from seeing their names in the credits of games, you shouldn’t expect to hear anything about them this year.
Santa Monica Studio
Last Game Released: God of War Ragnarök | Series: God of War series
Apart from their debut game, Santa Monica Studio has only ever produced God of War games, so they have a type and while the full game is now over a year old, the addition of the Valhalla DLC to God of War Ragnarök means that people are back into the world once again.
Given the studio takes on average 3.5 years to make a new game, there is little chance of a new title releasing from them this year, but hints may emerge for whatever is next. We do know that they are actively hiring for a plethroa of jobs, but beyond that, there shouldn’t be anything from the studio this year.
Sucker Punch Productions
Last Game Released: Ghost of Tsushima: Legends | Series: Sly Cooper Series, Infamous series
This year marks 3 years since the last full game was released from Sucker Punch, though that game was Ghost of Tsushima and it did get an expansion and then a standalone multiplayer mode in Legends. The studio usually took 2-3 years between games, but after Infamous Last Light, it took another 6 years for Ghosts to arrive.
The studio has a few roles they are seeking to fill, with one listing a while ago asking for a narrative writer who knew feudal Japan, that listing has been removed or filled since then. The studio though has been radio silent on anything news worthy for almost 2 years now. For those hoping the movie would be closer to help fill that gap, Director Chad Stahelski has confirmed there is a script done, but there is no eta on when production might begin. Back in the world of games, the studio has three different series under its belt now and there is no telling what their next game might be.
Team Asobi
Last Game Released: Astro's Playroom | Series: The Playroom
Having created the fun and educational Astro’s Playroom for all PlayStation 5 consoles, Team Asobi went through a bit of a restructure, but when the dust settled, they were committed to making games again, the problem with that, the dust settled 2.5 years ago and since then, there has been nothing from the studio.
They are not actively hiring, at least that we can find, but they did announce last year that an Astro Plush has been released, so while not a new game it is something. Given the success that Astro’s Playroom had as a launch game, even if it was free, I would not expect them to drop that series, the only real question, do they take the character back into VR or leave him out of it.
Valkyrie Entertainment
Last Game Released: None | Series: None
This is a name any God of War Ragnarök finisher will know, but their history is far grander than that. The studio is now some 20+ years old and have worked on countless series in that time, including Forza, middle-earth and much more. Since 2021 they have been a PlayStation owned company and still provide support for other games, just now dedicated to the giant P.
As they are a support studio, they won’t be working on their own game, but you might see their name in the credits of other titles, only time will tell.
So there you go, all of the PlayStation owned studios and what we think they are up to. Are we close? Or did we go so far out there, finding land again will be impossible?
